Texas Cowboy Outdrinks Irish Tourist

Two of the most classic Texas Hill Country bars are a bit over a stone’s throw away from our home in Medina. They are both about a 20 minute State Highway 16 drive south for us.

So there I was at Arkey Blues Silver Dollar in Bandera, Texas, the Cowboy Capital of the World, when a couple of drunk Irish tourists stumbled down the stairs and into the bar.

They were playing pool when one of them suddenly yelled out, “I hear you Texans are hard drinkers! I’ll give 200 American dollars to anybody who can line up 12 Shiner Bocks and drink them one after another!”

The room got quiet and nobody took up the Irishman’s offer. One cowboy even got up and left. Twenty minutes later the same cowboy who left showed back up and tapped the Irishman on the shoulder. “Is your bet still good?” the cowboy asked.

Water tower between two bars (Johnnie A. Haas II)

The Irishman said the bet was still good and asked the bartender to line up 12 bottles of Shiner Bock.

Immediately the cowboy tore into all 12 of them, chugging them one after another. The other folks in the bar cheered as the Irishman sat in stunned silence.

Finally the Irishman gave the cowboy the 200 bucks and said, “If ya don’t mind me askin’, where did you go for that 20 minutes you were gone?”