Prohibition only drives drunkenness behind doors and into dark places, and does not cure it or even diminish it.” – Mark Twain
Trick- hey, Dollface, sip on this homemade gin, but watch out- it just might kill ya.
Treat- we'll throw in a splash of sugary syrup to cover up the fuel taste.
You're welcome, Old Sport- bottom's up!
The ban of alcohol went on for 13 long years in the United States, from 1920-1933. Our government believed that alcohol consumption destroyed families, and caused violence towards women and children. Although the actual drinking of alcohol was never declared illegal, they thought that prohibiting the production and sale of it would solve these problems.
President Herbert Hoover said of Prohibition that it was “the great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose.”
A well intended, and utterly complete failure.
Where there's a will, there's a way. Americans who had the means, fled to places like Cuba and the French Riviera to openly enjoy their fill of spirits.
Back home, we created a wide-open opportunity for money to be made in bootlegging, and organized crime to flourish. Along with massive law enforcement and political corruptions, in 1927 alone, Al Capone made about $60 million a year selling illegal booze.
The war over alcohol territories resulted in violence and death. In 1929, several men, believed to be associated with Capone, dressed as police and shot and killed men who were members of a rival gang. The incident came to be known as The Valentine's Day Massacre.
Prohibition never enforced sobriety, it only made us more creative in our planning. People built hidden cabinets and storage spaces in their homes to hide their bootleg booze.
They whispered passwords at the green-painted doors of Speakeasy's all around the big city's. Once ushered in, the cigarette smoke hung, while glasses clinked and pin-curls frizzed from the sweat of dancing to live jazz bands. .
The gin that was produced was very low quality, horrible tasting and possibly dangerous. "Bathtub gin” or “moonshine,” concoctions were often poisonous, containing industrial types of alcohols, not intended for human consumption. These chemicals could cause respiratory failure and death. But secrecy is delicious, and tainted booze was abundant.
Thrill seeking folks took the risk, and masked the awful taste with bitters, syrups and citrus flavors. Mixed drinks with names like 'Sidecar', Ward 8' and 'Corpse Reviver' (which was intended to cure hang-overs) were popular.
The 'social experiment' that was Prohibition turned out a complete failure, and rapidly lost support in the early 1930s. It finally came to an end with the introduction of the 21st Amendment, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
