Hoboken Bars Prep For St. Pats

On Saturday, Hoboken will be awash in a sea of green beer and out-of-towners for the city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade, so it's probably wise to have a game plan together for the event. Of course you could go to any number of house parties or carry a flask of booze along the parade route, but you might also like keeping your arrest record clean. Best to stick to some of Hoboken's tried-and-true pubs and lounges, where you can be sure the beer won't run dry and the bouncers will keep obnoxious patrons at bay.

How The Bars Are Preparing

"A lot of plastic cups," said Joe Mascolo, owner of Buskers Bar and Grill, along with three times the usual security.

"Our liquor order this week has been way higher than usual," said Lauren Spreitzer, manager at The Brass Rail. They're also beefing up security and have had dozens of meeting to make sure Saturday goes smoothly.

The Shannon is also hiring extra bouncers – with two just for the line outside. "You've got to get the problem before it starts," said bartender Cormac Gallagher on rowdy drinkers.

Some bartenders, like Jim McCafferty—for whom this will be his tenth time working St. Patrick's Day at Mulligan's—are just preparing mentally. "There's major craziness out there. It's just a long day for us."

Who Will Be Out And About?

"Not our normal clientele," said Spreitzer, speaking delicately of whom The Brass Rail plans to host on Saturday. She said the bar will adhere strictly to their 50 person capacity, "so it will be comfortable."

Evan Abraczinskas, bartender at The Mile Square, said he expects a crazy day, and remembers people lining up two hours before opening last year.

While Gallagher at The Shannon says that "people are paranoid about getting drunk," due to Hoboken's beefed up police presence in the streets, he still expects "people will get on line drunk" at his bar. Still, overzealous drinkers will get stopped by bouncers.

"It's just major craziness out there," said McCafferty, at Mulligan's.

What You're Going To Be Paying

In short – a lot. To cover entertainment and security costs, pretty much every bar in the city will be charging a steep cover price, in addition to jacking up the price of drinks by about a dollar. The Shannon, Mulligan's and Gaslight will be charging $20 at the door, while Busker's, The Mile Square and The Brass Rail will be charging $30. Scotland Yard is still undecided, but plans to keep up with the competition.

"It's all overhead costs," said Gallagher at The Shannon. "People aren't drinking like they did 10 years ago, they'll hold a beer all night 'til it's warm."

Expect to pay about $5 for a domestic brew, $10 for a carbomb and $8 for shots. The Shannon insists that their drinks will be the usual price, so if you're looking to save, they've got $4 drafts.

What Are The Perks?

Hey, if bars around town are going to be charging you an arm and a leg for booze, they can at least throw in some freebies and entertainment, right?

Abraczinskas says The Mile Square will be playing Irish tunes as well as dance music, and will have games of beer pong and flip cup.

Mulligan's will feature live bagpipers and free corned beef sandwiches. "Something to munch on and keep people's bellies full," said McCafferty.

The Brass Rail will be giving away hats and beads, but they have also partnered with Gaslight for a fun deal. If you get turned away from The Brass Rail because of capacity issues, they will give you a wristband to take to Gaslight for a free shot.

Bars Will Welcome You Before Breakfast

Last year, bars opened at 11 a.m., which to any outsider might seem ridiculous. This year, bars will begin serving at 9 a.m., which may seem even more ridiculous, but city bartenders agree it's a good move.

"It's steering people away from the house parties, and if they're at a bar, they're off the streets," said Abraczinskas at The Mile Square.

"It's a smart idea," agreed McCafferty at Mulligan's. "If they're in a bar, they have supervision, security to keep control and someone to cut them off."

"It will help keep the house parties to a minimum so hopefully there won't be any TV's thrown out of windows this year," said Monica, a bartender at Scotland Yard.

Is It Worth It For Bartenders?

"It's always a fun time," said Abraczinskas of The Mile Square.

"We definitely make a lot, but it's such a long day," said Spreitzer of The Brass Rail, with a sigh.

"I'm Irish, so I'm very much for the parade," said Gallagher of The Shannon. "We're not out to make a hundred million dollars, we just want to keep the tradition alive."