I may have a better grasp of what Prohibition days were like than some, living as I did in a dry county for several years. Yes, sadly, I know what it's like to go out to dinner and choose from soft drinks, O'Douls or brightly colored ridiculous mocktails (why anyone would consume that many calories and not even get a buzz is beyond me). It's not an exaggeration (and perhaps I shouldn't admit this publicly) to say the archaic alcohol laws were a contributing factor to leaving the Lake Cumberland area for a house in Louisville located half a block from Old Town Liquor. The first few weeks were a giddy swirl of walks to Old Town for a legal bottle of wine. That must have been a bit what folks on December 5, 1933, felt like when the following grim amendment was repealed:
The manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
In celebration of the 76th anniversary of this turning point, I asked two local drink experts to suggest a drink to toast the occasion with.
Stephen Dennison, Chef/Mixologist with Dumante, concocted a drink inspired by the idea that the newly free-to-drink folks may have had a lot of bathtub gin left to consume. A rough spirit such as this gin had to be dealt with aggressively, Stephen says. To step back to 1933 and those wild celebratory days, mix up this Repeal Day cocktail:
1 oz London dry gin
1/2 oz Campari
1 orange squeeze
1 lemon squeeze
1 lime squeeze
1/4 teaspoon ruby port (balsamic vinegar)
simple syrup, to taste (if needed)
soda to fill
Place all ingredients, except soda in shaker and shake, without ice 15 times. Add soda. Pour over ice in collins glass. Garnish with an edible flower.
Though I favor vodka over gin, this sounds so good, I'd even try it!
Now, if you're not inclined to make a shopping expedition and go to the trouble of mixing a full-on cocktail like this, Paul Weldy, Certified Specialist of Wine (you may have seen him at the Whole Foods wine tastings on Saturdays) suggests something a little simpler, and timeless.
"around the time of prohibition and its sub-sequent repeal the drink of choice for any celebratory occasion was, as it has been ever since, Champagne ... for Repeal Day, let's raise a glass of Champagne, the good stuff, cause we're damn lucky to be able to drink it legally, and it's what would have been flowing back in the day too. Go for a domestic sparkler if you want, in honor of the progress that our wine industry has made since prohibition, because it's come a long, long way in this country."
So whether you drink an elegant cocktail or a classic bubbly, do raise a glass on December 5 (and be glad you're not in a dry county too!)
