Repeal Day

Repeal Day

What a great day to celebrate! After 13 years of alcohol being prohibited in the U.S., President Roosevelt and Congress repealed the absurd policy of Prohibition on December 5th, 1933.

I know what you are thinking, what a great idea... How did you think of this. Actually I am a big fan of +Jeffrey Morgenthaler and digging around his website I came across this section on Repeal Day (actually its the only thing listed under "Events") and clicked into a world I never knew existed - Repeal Day! Click the link and enjoy.

On January 16th, 1919 Congress passed the 18th Amendment prohibiting the sale of alcohol. During this disastrous time (13yrs) crime across the country increased, particularly organized crime, and the country was getting out of control. Furthermore, all the great bartenders that had built the American cocktail culture over the previous 100+ years packed up and moved abroad, where they could still work their trade.


Finally on 12/5/1933 the 21st Amendment was ratified as a proclamation from President Roosevelt ending the unpopular ban. The +US National Archives had a great post on the subject, with the following picture of a silver cocktail shaker that President Roosevelt used while hosting pre-dinner cocktail hours at the +The White House .

So after all of this we decided that we must do our part and Celebrate Repeal Day, so we created an event at Bucky's Birdcage Lounge on 12/5/2013 and partnered with High Ridge Spirits, these guys are the makes of Stills Crossroads 'Shine, Alabama's First Legal Moonshine since Prohibition - yes too good to be true - but it gets better.... So we begin to tell everybody about this great American event that we are having and we get this note on Facebook:

Yes - Her mother was born on 12/5/1933 on Repeal Day!!and they are coming to the party. AMAZING! Once they arrived and we got an opportunity to wish her a Happy 80th birthday, she began telling us stories about her life and her parents owned a saloon in St.Louis during Prohibition, so the night Repeal there was a huge party at the family saloon as they were celebrating Repeal and the birth of their daughter.

We created 3 cocktails for the event - The gimlet was awesome, although most of the ladies liked the Cooler.

Bullock County Cooler

1 ½ oz Stills Crossroads Alabama ‘Shine

3 oz water

4 mint leaves

2 lime wedges

.25 oz. grenadine

-muddle 4 mint leaves and 2 lime wedges, pack shaker with ice, shake, pour.

- garnish with strawberry

Jalapeno Moonlight Gimlet

 

Thin slice fresh jalapeno WITHOUT SEEDS

1 oz Stills Crossroads Alabama ‘Shine

2 lime wedges

1 oz simple syrup

-Squeeze 2 lime wedges into mixing glass,

-muddle seedless jalapeno with 2 limes and simple syrup. 

-Add Stills AL ‘Shine. 

-Shake and serve over ice in rocks glass (limes & jalapeno included).

-Garnish with lime.

Yellowhammer

½ oz Amaretto

1 oz AL ‘Shine

3 oz OJ

1 oz Pineapple Juice

- Combine all ingredients into mixing glass.

-Roll ingrediants from mixing glass and tin.

- Pour contents into tall glass

Cheers