Myron's Liquor Control System

Peter Rukavina

I had a chance to do some urban exploring a few weeks ago, inside the old Myron’s location on Kent Street, which has been closed for some time. It was a fascinating ramble in a building that’s held together remarkably well.

One of the more interesting artifacts of the past I came I across was the remnants of an incredibly complex digital liquor control system from Azbar (this video, which looks like it was shot in 1979, is a great overview of this technology).

I took a photo of the control panel of the Azbar system, which had all of Myron’s drinks programmed into it:

Photo of the buttons of Myron's computerized drink ordering system

Here are the drinks that are listed on the buttons; it’s a veritable liquor time machine, and also a useful reminder that the history of nightclub alcohol and sexism was, at least back in the day, alive and well.

  • Yellow Buttons
    • 747
    • After Eight
    • Alabama Slammer
    • B-52
    • Blow Job
    • Brain Hemorage
    • Coconut Babs (maybe this is wrong?)
    • Mevain Shoe (maybe this is wrong?)
    • Mexican Missel
    • Nightmare
    • Orgasm
    • Pepers
    • Prairie Fire
    • Prick-leg
    • Sex on the Beach
    • Silver Tread
    • Slipped Nipple
    • Test Tube
  • Orange Buttons
    • Black Russian
    • Bloody Caesar
    • Long Island Ice Tea
    • Paralyser
    • Rum Paralyser
    • Sling!
    • White Russian
    • Coma
    • Horney Monkeyy
  • Blue Buttons
    • Drink Special (x3)
  • Purple Buttons
    • Staff Rum
    • Staff Gin
    • Unreadable (x3)

If I’ve transcribed any of these inaccurately (here’s a larger version of the image, if you want to zoom right in), please let me know (as far as I can recall, outside of a mistaken Long Island Ice Tea ordered at a restaurant in Espanola, Ontario in 1990, I’ve never ordered a mixed drink, so I’m not an expert; I also never went to Myron’s, other than to see Annekenstein).

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Photo of Peter RukavinaI am . I am a writer, letterpress printer, and a curious person.

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