While bullets nearly fly above, vodka flows into
a whiskey barrel below. For months, Gary and Grisha have been eyeing each other at Checkpoint Charlie:

Every midnight, the West drank – and so did the East. Soldiers raised a glass in silence, peering through binoculars, only to see the other doing the same.   Until Gary found the courage to offer a silent toast toward the border. Or was it Grisha?

Legend has it that what began as a discreet gesture turned into a drinking ritual deep inside a secret tunnel. Whiskey found vodka, glasses clinked, and for a brief moment, even in the Cold
War, the ice began to melt.

True story.
At least, it should have been.