Raise a glass tonight!!

75 years ago today, Prohibition in the US came to an end.

This seems like a very good reason to take a drink (or three)! :tongue:

The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed with ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, on December 5, 1933.per Wikipedia.

Will do sir...will do.

Back in the 1800's in California the state Senate sessions were ended with the statement “Let's have a drink! Let's have a thousand drinks!"

That closing statement was first uttered by Thomas Jefferson Green, a misplaced Texan with a colorful history and misplaced loyalties, but I love his intemperance. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8057227

a couple of more links:

http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/index.html
http://www.liqurious.com/

Screw the glass, raise the whole bottle!

I just finished reading a book on the history of the area I was born and raised, ( and still reside), and there were some chapters relating to the Prohibition era. It was amazing the lengths people went to, to continue to have their alcohol during this time. From making their own with all sorts of food items, to "late night" deliveries by the local organized crime gang, to speakeasys that stayed quite hidden when the Federal Marshals came around looking for them :lol: Our area was settled with Italian, and Eastern European/Russian immigrants, so you can imagine all the different types of "illegal alcohols" that were produced and consumed. I was told many years ago that my mother's uncles used to own and operate a speakeasy.

"late night" deliveries by the local organized crime gang, .
And where did their booze come from? Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blame_Canada), where Prohibition was never the law. Some Canadians and their American contacts made fortunes during this period, including
Sam Bronfman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Bronfman)

Harry Hatch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Hatch)

John S. Labatt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sackville_Labatt)

John McLaughlin

Joseph Kennedy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kennedy#Movie_Production.2C_Liquor_Importin g.2C_Real_Estate), although he was only rumored to be an importer (probably was) but made lots on Prohibition-related stock speculation.

And where did their booze come from? Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blame_Canada), where Prohibition was never the law. Some Canadians and their American contacts made fortunes during this period.
No doubt seeing where I am is either 1 1/2 hours drive to Canada to the North, or a little over 3 hour drive to the West, (Niagara Falls). I'm sure it was easy to get the booze across the border, and then on to the cities along the way,(Buffalo, Rochester, Watertown, then Syracuse and beyond).

Another interesting fact, the term "The real McCoy" came about from the prohibition era. It oiginated from Captain McCoy, who was a ship's captian. He was known for smuggling high quality whiskey into the US during the time of prohibition, so good whiskey (which was hard to find) was referred to as the real McCoy. :)

McCoy, who was a ship's captian.
Uh... ships doctor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_McCoy)...........










I am such a geek..............

Here is Wikipedia's take on Captain McCoy:
"The Real McCoy"
Rum-runner William S. McCoy

Captain William S. McCoy was a boat builder and excursion boat captain in the Daytona Beach, Florida, area from 1900 to 1920. He was also reputed to be a non-drinker.

With the start of Prohibition Captain McCoy began to bring rum from Bimini and the Bahamas into south Florida through Government Cut. The Coast Guard soon caught up with him, so he began to bring the illegal goods to just outside of the U.S. territorial waters and let smaller boats and other captains such as Habana Joe take the risk of bringing it into shore.

The rum-running business was very good, and McCoy soon bought a Gloucester knockabout schooner named Arethusa at auction and renamed her Tomika.He installed a larger auxiliary, mounted a concealed machine gun on her deck and refitted the fish pens below to accommodate as much contraband as she could hold. She became one of the most famous of the rum-runners, along with his two other ships hauling mostly Irish and Canadian whiskey, as well as other fine liquors and wines, to ports from Maine to Florida.

In the days of rum running, it was common for captains to add water to the bottles to stretch their profits, or to re-label it as better goods. Any cheap sparkling wine became French champagne or Italian Spumante; unbranded liquor became top-of-the-line name brands. McCoy became famous for never watering his booze, and selling only top brands. This is one of several reputed origins of the term "The Real McCoy."

On 15 November 1923, McCoy and Tomika encountered the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, just inside U.S. territorial waters. A boarding party attempted to board, but McCoy chased them off with the machine gun. Tomika tried to run, but the Seneca placed a shell just off her hull, and Bill McCoy's days as a rum-runner were over.