It's been far too long since we've been crammed into a dive bar. We miss the sticky floors and the rickety barstools and the friendly banter with surly regulars. The truth is that bars miss us, too. The industry has been hit particularly hard over the past year, and small mom-and-pop watering holes have suffered immensely.
Though nothing compares to grabbing an ice-cold beer at our favorite corner dive, here's something that'll tide you over: Miller Lite just released three limited-edition "bar smells" candles that emulate the scent of dive bars, beer gardens and game day. Better yet, all proceeds benefit the United States Bartenders' Guild, a nonprofit that supports service industry professionals.
Priced at $20, each candle has its own unique scent. Beer garden boasts notes of green moss, warm pretzel, cracked wood and sunburn, while game day is a mélange of salted peanuts, jalapeño and cracked leather. But we have a feeling that the dive bar scent will be the most popular of the bunch—it's got top notes of tobacco and fermented yeast as well as hints of musk and pine. Delightful.
Crack open a cold one and close your eyes—you might just be able to hear the distant clinking of glasses and darts hitting the board. Here's hoping we can swap out our candles for the real thing very soon.
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