National Dive Bar Day

July 7^th every year is National Dive Bar Day in order to raise a toast to the place where friends gather and memories are made.

History of National Dive Bar Day

The National Dive Bar Day was established by Seagram's 7 Crown to celebrate dive bars. The 7th of July was chosen for the celebration as it also celebrates the "quintessential dive bar drink", 7 & 7, made from Seagram's 7 Crown and 7 up. As part of its 2018 inauguration, Seagram's 7 Crown donated $25,000 to the National Historic Landmark Preservation Foundation, in an effort to recognize, celebrate, and help preserve historic dive bars across the United States. Seagram's 7 Crown also hosts events at seven dive bars in the country on this day.

Definitions vary by what the diving bar is. Dive bars are often considered the worst bars and are only for the working class, although people from all walks of life are welcome and without any distinction. This term should not be overused because not all small bars are dive bars and sometimes many non-diving bars are mislabeled. A definition from Urban Dictionary calls a dive bar "An old, unpretentious bar that typically serves simple, inexpensive drinks to regular customers." They're not particularly clean, they're not hip and they're not tall, they're called diving because they exist below society.

Many dive bars have pool tables and jukeboxes, but they often don't have food menus, craft beers or printed t-shirts for sale. This is the kind of place where one can drink beer and drink beer, or maybe 7 & 7. Many people start out as another type of establishment, end up either working or falling into disrepair with their inventory changing, the number of customers changing, and the amount of maintenance decreasing. Any number of factors can lead to this, such as external forces such as changes in the neighborhood or internal disruptions such as divorce, health problems or financial difficulties. Diving bars in general have not remained out of the cultural spotlight, although they have appeared in pulp novels and film noir before the twentieth century. In the 1980s, dive bars began to penetrate the mainstream. Movies like Blue Velvet with Dennis Hopper and Barfly with Mickey Rourke were widely viewed. Barfly is based on a book by Charles Bukowski, an author and poet who writes about low-culture and the meanders of city life. In the late 80s, the word "diving" even began to appear in the names of bars.

A vacation sponsored by a liquor company can contradict the reality of a dive bar, it's hard to imagine a dive bar that actually includes branding or an extended stay. Seagram's 7 Crown is even owned by Diageo, a multinational liquor company. However, the story of Seagram's 7 Crown and 7 & 7 and their association with diving bars helps us understand the reason for this holiday.  Seagram's 7 Crown is an American blended whiskey, aged in oak, dating back to the 1930s. It peaked in the 1970s, with sales of about 8 million 9-liter barrels per year. By 1990, vodka was all the rage, and Seagram's had sold about half. Now, there are about 2 million cases of Seagram's 7 Crown that are sold out each year. Along with declining sales, the social status of this wine has declined for decades.

One could easily picture the Seagram being drunk in a bar in the 1970s, during the heyday of both drinks and the bar it was sinking into. And one can also imagine the bar becoming extinct over the years, and Seagram still being drunk there as the rest of society moves on regardless of the drink of the moment. Diving bars and Seagrams are still around, and National Dive Bar Day aims to make sure they last forever. By creating this holiday, Diageo was able to see and capture Seagram's changing social status and give people suggestions on how to celebrate this day by frequenting dive bars and booking row 7 & 7.

How to celebrate National Dive Bar Day

The most important thing you can do this holiday is go to the dive bar regularly. While there are many lists that say what some of the best bars are, such as "the 10 best dive bars in the US", the "33 best dive bars in the US" and the "50 best dive bars in the US", however, the best dive bar cannot be confirmed in any list. They can be a little more hidden and not covered up by any kind of press. Maybe you already have a favorite and you can get there today. Otherwise, take a walk in your neighborhood or drive around your city and try to take some time off. The second most important thing you can do today is drink 7 & 7 after you have arrived in a dive bar.

There are other ways you can celebrate. One way is to try to help maintain a dive bar in your community. Sit down and chat with the owner, ask them about the history of the bar, ask if they've had famous customers, has anything particularly remarkable happened there and why they would like to shop is open. Take photos and share them on social media with hashtags #SaveTheDiveBar and #NationalDiveBarDay. Perhaps you could even ask the local media if they cover the bar, or ask the bar owner if you could host a happy hour or community event there. In the end, working to save on dive bars isn't just a one-day effort. Drink local wine and spend money at dive bars near you all year round!