Tuesday, December 5, will mark the 84th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, aka The Second Biggest Mistake Made By The United States.
Prohibition was the result of a fad gone wild. An anti-alcohol school of thought swept the nation like wildfire. As in most cases, there was a kernel of reason behind those in the temperance movement. Many people were indeed drinking too much, and that is bad. However, instead of preaching moderation it was thought that booze should be banned.
And so began the so-called dry years. Government agents, rarely the agents of good times, descended upon distilleries and breweries to destroy inventory.
After several years of a rise in organized crime (among other issues) the experiment known as Prohibition ended. There were some benefits to come out of it. Canadian whiskey took on greater significance ,while many great cocktails came out of the speakeasies, and we got a good movie starring Kevin Costner, Al Pacino, and Sean Connery out of it. Necessity is the mother of invention and all that. I think that’s how the saying goes.
So grab a glass, pour something you like, and toast the good sense of the state and federal governments in 1933.
Cheers!
The Miksologist 