Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
City Says NO BEER Or Alcohol Or Fun During This Heat Wave
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 20, 2015
Modified Jul 20, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 20, 2015
Modified Jul 20, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
You don't want to put the beer in the coconut and drink them both together, either.
As you walked from the subway to the office this morning, did you hear the refreshing sound of pints being poured and bottles being cracked open at every bar and bodega you passed by? Did you think, "Later, I will sit on that barstool and order a pint, and then another, and then another, because beer was invented to cure this summertime heat that ales me"? You have fallen victim to Big Beer's Sirens, who are just waiting to lure you into their dehydrating sea of lager.
According to Department of Health commissioner Mary Bassett, the only thing you should be drinking in this kind of heat is water. At the Office of Emergency Management in Brooklyn this morning, she declared, "Avoid alcohol, caffeine. Water is the best beverage for staying hydrated. Beer is not."
Maybe this is why de Blasio has gone silent on the important stoop drinking issue.
The Mayor did echo Bassett's sentiment at the press conference, which was focused on the extreme heat the city is currently dealing with, adding, "Drink plenty of water. It’s the most fundamental message. Our mothers told us this many times over—it is true in these circumstances. The body needs a lot of water to stay cool. Keep drinking water, even if you don’t feel particularly thirsty. Just stay very, very hydrated."
Surely, an ice-cold shower beer would be okay, right? Nope. A cold shower "may put too much of a stress on your system. But a lukewarm shower that you’re not terrified to step into" is okay.
On top of beer and cold shower beers, you also shouldn't drink caffeine, wine, gin, vodka, whiskey, refreshing frozen cocktails, Pimm's Cups, that Fireball in your desk drawer, shandies, Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers, Zima, Night Train, Smirnoff Ice, your boss's secret stash of Johnnie Walker Black, Aviation cocktails, anything from a scorpion bowl, or that can of Scotch aging nicely on your desk.*
*UNLESS you are in air-conditioning and have no plans on traveling more than, say, 10 minutes on foot or by bike before or after your alcohol consumption. Then it should be fine?
Tagged
alcohol
beer
doh
heatwave
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .