The last boozy Tube ride

As of yesterday, drinking alcohol is no longer allowed in the London underground train network. I remember being in London visiting friends a few years ago and we stopped by the corner store to pickup a couple of tall boys for the Tube ride to Covent Garden. It struck me as a bit odd since we are very fussy in Canada about public drinking, but it was also oddly civilized. That, as I recall, was fairly early in the evening and the subway car was pretty empty. I imagine drinking on the Tube would get messier as the evening turned into night.