Nearly 100 years ago, the United States entered a dark period of time called Prohibition. In 1920, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution went into effect, making the manufacture, distribution and sale of intoxicating liquors illegal. It was not illegal to drink alcohol, but it was illegal to make, move or sell it. The reasons behind Prohibition may be summed up by its title “The Noble Experiment”. Essentially those who were anti-alcohol were successful in demonizing liquor and promising a glorious society if it would simply ban alcohol. In the 13 years of Prohibition, just the opposite occurred. Jobs were lost, companies went out of business, restaurants closed down and crime increased. Over 10,000 deaths could be attributed directly to tainted, bootlegged, moonshine liquor. In addition to these effects, we nearly lost the great art of both liqueur making and drink mixing. Prior to Prohibition, there were thousands of small distilleries making specialty liqueurs, beers and wines. After Prohibition, there were less than 100 breweries in America. The only wineries to survive were those who received special dispensation to make alcohol for religious purposes. It took decades for the art of distilling specialized spirits to return to America. For example, it was not until the late 20th century that the United States was again known for making artisan beers.
Pre-prohibition there was also a great deal of interest in mixed drinks and concocting new cocktails. Recipes were crafted both in city and country clubs and those which were judged excellent by customers were passed around by word of mouth. Eventually the best cocktail recipes made it into the bartender’s guides of the time. By studying these recipes we can see how many ingredients, which once were common, became lost or nearly lost. Recently there has been renewed interest in many of these old liqueurs and some companies are creating them again. With this revived passion for crafting cocktails, it seemed fitting to study some pre-prohibition recipes and bring them to the fore once again. In this book are nearly 200 recipes judged worthy to be in bartender’s guides in the early 1900’s. Many of the recipes are non-alcoholic, many are for dinner or larger parties and many call for some specialty ingredients that you may never have heard of before. So take your time, craft a cocktail or two, and relive the glory days of the cocktail.
