Once upon a time, little kids playing Old West occasionally incorporated make-believe saloons in their TV-inspired adventures.

There wasn't a lot of card playing. And definitely not any horsing around with 10-year-old saloon girls. (Cooties, the imaginary kind, being an ever-present concern.)

No, it was pretty much a quick 1-2-3 of hard drinking, insults and shoot-outs.

But what could you drink to simulate a shot of authentic Old West red-eye?

Someone came up with the bright idea of downing apple cider vinegar. It certainly looked the part. And it came in a bottle from which a young barkeep could pour.

But there was one problem. It had a kick. Actually drinking that stuff was tantamount to self-inflicted child abuse. It would have been easier and more palatable to toss back shots of real whiskey.

"Are those tears in your eyes, Jimmy?"

"No. Give me another shot."

Nobody ever said winning the West in 1965 was going to be easy.

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