|
| |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
DRINKS FEATURES
PROHIBITION
In 1919 the U.S government passed the 18th Amendment prohibiting the vending, transportation of, and consumption of alcohol. It seems unbelievable today that a Western government could do this, but back then the government thought that alcohol was the main cause of all violent crime. However, under prohibition a new underground market was created as bootleggers (people who made and sold their own alcohol) popped up everywhere and underground drinking bars known as ‘speakeasies’ became frequented by everyone.
Most speakeasy bars were down obscure side-streets with a camouflaged entrance and a bricked up window. To gain entrance you had to say a certain password through a tiny prison-cell like slot in the door. Once inside however, some speakeasies could be quite opulent and would offer food, live bands and floor shows featuring burlesque dancers. Owners would sometimes charge people to see attractions such as circus animals - a blind tiger, for example - whilst providing free alcohol at the same time.
The speakeasy bar was where the majority of modern cocktails were invented. There are two main reasons for this: illegally made spirits were of a poor standard so adding ingredients like lemon juice and sugar made them more palatable. Secondly, many cocktails were designed to completely hide the taste and appearance of the alcohol so that when the speakeasy was raided it was easier to convince the authorities that no alcohol was being consumed. A Long Island Ice Tea cocktail is a good example of this, as the drink is designed so you can’t taste the alcohol, and it looks like a normal ice tea with lemon wedge on top.
Even with all this high living he still made it to the ripe old age of 78.
To try and prevent these raids, speakeasy dens had to either invest in an expensive elaborate concealment system, or make huge payments to corrupt cops, who sometimes took up to 50% of their takings.
Illegal alcohol production quickly came under the control of the mafia, of which Al Capone was one of the most famous and powerful members - making an average of $60,000,000 per year, and this was in the 1920’s! Warfare between different mafia gangs escalated leading to incidents such as the St Valentine’s Day massacre, in which the Capones gunned down seven rival bootleggers.
The bitter irony for the government was that under prohibition alcohol consumumption actually increased, drinking was glamorised and the increase in violence meant that even the people who originally backed the ban began to turn against it, and it was repealed in 1932.
Prohibition was a noble experiment which never had any chance of succeeding. Instead of beckoning in a sober, crime free era, it gave birth to the modern cocktail and became known as the ‘Roaring Twenties!’ |
|
|
|
|
