The Buzz | Bottles of spirits, wine free at Taipa bar [April Fools’]

A Taipa bar is offering bottles of spirits and wines for free to regular and walk-in patrons – up to 10 bottles per person.
The bar owners said this measure came to mind because they cannot cope with the surplus of stock. “The only condition,” the owners said, is that patrons must show their health certificate, take a temperature reading and donate to a local charity a minimum of 20 patacas. The bar has boxes on the counter for donations to charities or NGOs.
“We are offering spirits and wine for free to our regulars, who are now less and less regular, and to walk-ins,” the bar owners, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “The reason we want to remain anonymous is because we don’t want to take any advantage of the situation.” They expect people to “find the treasure bar.”
Local bars and restaurants have seen their business take a hit from this health crisis. The numbers of tourists are in free fall and the food and beverage outlets are seeing their revenues shrink “by the hour.”
Patrons are “taking the government prevention guidelines seriously, which we understand and applaud.”
The bar said that the offer will stand “till the end of time, or stock.”

Disclaimer: We are sorry to say that this “great offer” is our April Fools’ joke. The fictional “Taipa Bar” is not offering bottles of booze – though some genuine fine establishments do have excellent happy hours and treats. (But avoid crowding.) Even in times of global crisis, we didn’t want to break with this centuries’ old ritual. The press has followed the tradition by publishing a hoax on this day (April 1), before retracting it over the subsequent days. Popular since the 19th century, the day is not a national holiday in any country, but the tradition is well known in Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, the Philippines and the United States. MDT