Judging from the advertising the New Yorker readers were a hard-drinking lot. PM whiskey had the inside cover to remind readers “If it isn’t PM, it isn’t an evening.” The more proletarian Rheingold Breweries of Brooklyn had the inside back cover featuring the ubiquitous Rita Daigle, Miss Rheingold 1946, dressed in an original by Sophie of Saks Fifth Avenue, assuring us that “my beer is Rheingold the dry beer.” In-between we find that drinks never taste thin with Gordon’s Gin, temporarily being shipped in round victory bottles. Rum Carioca offered a recipe for a Cuba-Libre, and Southern Comfort offered the Scarlett O’Hara made with the addition of lime and cranberry juice or grenadine. For men of distinction, there was Lord Calvert blended whiskey, and for the connoisseur, Ron Rico Rum. For the Scotch drinker, we had Black and White Scotch, the Scotch with character, and Teacher’s Highland Cream Scotch. Benedictine D.O.M. from Spain would be available again soon and British-based Schweppes also would resume shipment of mixers and table waters. Imported Duff Gordon Sherries, “the standard by which other sherries are judged,” was available as was Martell cognac brandy, world famous since 1715, and deKuyper cordials and fruit flavored brandies. Black Horse Ale was imported from Canada.
Imported wines apparently were in short supply- at least there were no ads for French or Italian wines- but the domestic producers were well-represented in the issue. Valliant California Burgundy assured readers that “few households keep an assortment of table wines. Many choose Burgundy because they like its flavor best. So-forget the "do's and don'ts" you've heard about serving wine and just remember that ‘Valliant Burgundy is good taste with any food.’ " Valliant also offered sherry, dry sherry, port and muscatel. Beaulieu Vineyards based in the Napa valley advertised that it was a family estate founded and owned by the de Latour family since 1900. It offered a Burgundy and a Riesling. The San Francisco-based Wine Advisory Board ran a ham recipe, perfect for Easter if you could find a ham, from novelist and former magazine editor Sophie Kerr whose latest book was Love Story Incidental.” The ham was basted with California wines. The board also asserted that after a bridge game, nothing was nicer than toasted cheese sandwiches and glasses of zesty Sherry wine. Also from California was Roma California champagne and Colcombet wine. Gambarelli & DaVitto, a division of Sonoma-based Italian Swiss Colony, produced G&D American vermouth. New York was represented by Great Western American champagne, Gotham American champagne and Widmer's Wines and Vermouths from the Finger Lakes. Cook's Imperial American Champagne was produced by American Wine in St. Louis, which had been a major domestic wine producing region before Prohibition.