The six o'clock swill was an Australian and New Zealand slang term for the last-minute rush to buy drinks at a hotel bar before it closed. During a significant part of the 20th century, most Australian and New Zealand hotels shut their public bars at 6 p.m. A culture developed of heavy drinking during the hour between finishing work at 5 p.m. and the bars closing at this early hour.
Read more about Six O'clock Swill: The Rush To Drink, Introduction of Early Closing, Extension of Closing Time, References in Culture, See Also