For the past four years, The Hangar has made it a point to throw a 'New Years Eve Redo' party on January 1st for all our friends in the service industry in San Antonio.

We throw this second party not because we have a drinking problem, but because the majority of bar and restaurant staff sacrifice the occasion to celebrate, to ensure that their customers have a jolly time on New Years Eve. (I know, I know. We're 'effing martyrs.)

At any rate, this second attempt at a party is our chance to hit Contol+Alt+Z for everyone in the service industry who missed the actual holiday. It's an important tradition for us at The Hangar because everyone deserves to get turnt once in a while, right? Well, at least the ladies and gentlemen dealing with sloppy drunkles at last call do.

So, in honor of our selfless bartenders and servers, we've found a list of 27 incredibly annoying things people do to bartenders that will make you appreciate your friends in the service industry a little more.

If you’re not in the service industry, but just like to party-hardy...by all means, bring your ass out! ;)

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a hamburger.”

And, in this vein, another seemingly random holiday falls on December 21st—National Hamburger Day.

Along with apple pie and crushing national debt, the image of a juicy hamburger is a tradition in the good, ol' U.S. of A.

But, the origin of this American culinary staple might surprise you.

Long before the disputed invention of the hamburger in the United States, similar dishes already enjoyed popularity in Europe.

For example, Roman recipes dating back to the 4th century detailed the preparation of isicia omentata, a baked beef patty mixed with pine kernels, peppercorns, and white wine. This Roman delicacy—which actually sounds pretty delicious—might be the hamburger's earliest predecessor.

Mongolian warriors also dined on a similar meal as early as the 12th century. The nomadic Mongols carried milk (kumis) and meat during their journeys, which they minced and formed into a fillet for sustenance throughout their travels.

After invading Russia, Kublai Khan—who makes a cameo in a British poem, you probably read in high school—actually introduced the residents of Moscow to Mongolian minced meat, leading to the creation of the steak tartare, which Germans eventually took back to their homeland.

Once back in Germany, chefs transformed the steak tartare into the Hamburg Sausage, according to a cookbook printed in 1763.

Many recipes and dishes travelled across the Atlantic Ocean during the mass European immigration to the New World, and many historians think the Hamburg America Line—a transatlantic shipping company connecting Germany and America—brought the hamburger to the U.S.

The exact origin of the hamburger is controversial, but many believe a German cook residing in a small Texas town one day placed a Hamburg steak between two bread slices, thus resulting in what we now as a hamburger.

The real story will never be known with any degree of certainty, but it's a definite fact that the hamburger is an important tradition for American fatties across the nation. So, in honor of National Hamburger Day, The Hangar will offer $.50 OFF all hamburgers on Sunday, December 21st!

Any given person's drink of choice reveals something about his or her character. Bailey's is for college students who learned how to drink from their dads. Tequila is for people who cannot dance, but aspire to. Gin is for rich, old men without imaginations. Cool dads drink IPAs. And, more often than not, people who favor whiskey are no frills, good men and women. 

But, what makes whiskey so great?

It's certainly not the easiest drink to embrace as a hobby. It's alcohol content is far higher than beer or wine, and its character usually leans towards potent flavors that calls for an acquired taste. However, its numerous variants are definitely worth investigating.

In a fundamental sense, whiskey is basically distilled beer.

It is made from a mixture of grain, malted barley, and sugar, which are heated in hot water to create a sweet liquid called 'wort.' Yeast is added, converting the sugar to alcohol, producing a beer called 'wash.' The process of distilling this wash concentrates the beer's alcohol content, resulting in a spirit that is aged in an oak barrel until it transforms into whiskey. Different whiskeys are distilled by using a variety of grains, distillation methods, and casks.

Scotch whiskeys are distilled and matured in Scotland for a minimum of three years, and employ only malt barley as the active grain ingredient. Because these malts are produced at one distillery, this process is expensive and tedious, which is why single malt scotch tends to be pricey. Coveted by aficionados, this type of whiskey boats rich flavors that are unique to the various distilleries in Scotland.

By contrast, the most popular species of whiskey in the U.S. is bourbon, a “straight whiskey.” Straight whiskeys are strictly produced in America and must contain a grain formula—a substance called “mash bill”—with at least 51% corn. Other stringent requirements include a specific ABV and aging process, which are intended to maintain a level of consistency. Because bourbons also contain rye and malted barley, they usually have an element of spice in their flavor profiles. Sometimes distillers substitute wheat for rye, which makes the whiskey less bold and more accessible. Maker's Mark is an example of a wheat bourbon.

Last is Irish whiskey, a “single pot still whiskey.” Only available in Ireland, these whiskeys use both malted and unmalted barley. Some people say that Irish whiskey isn't as smokey as scotch, but this generalization doesn't always hold true. Jameson is probably the most well-known brand of Irish whiskey, but there are a handful of other Irish distilleries.

Each of these whiskeys possess distinctive characteristics, which are fun to try out and experiment with. Fly by The Hangar's monthly Whiskey Tasting every 2nd Wednesday from 7-9pm. $10 gets guests 10 whiskey samples, light snacks and a raffle ticket.