This blog’s favorite holiday, the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, is here. I hope you’re all celebrating with the cocktails of your choice. Last year’s 75th anniversary celebration was epic, with a trip back to DC to serve drinks at the Cato Institute with Jeffrey Morgenthaler, attend the DC Bartenders Guild Repeal Day Ball, and visit Derek Brown’s fantastic new bar, Gibson. Work won’t let me head back East this time, but if anyone stops by Carlyle I’ll be happy to mix them some pre-Prohibition cocktails.
Last year I wrote this column for the American Spectator about the current incarnations of the Prohibitionist impulse. Since then we’ve seen only marginal improvement in respect for states’ medical marijuana laws, a complete ban on non-menthol flavored cigarettes, passage of the SCHIP taxes on tobacco, and the passage of smoking bans in North Carolina and Virginia. The fight against the nanny state never ends, but tonight’s a good time to take a break from it to enjoy the freedom restored by the 21st Amendment.
Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, bartender, cocktail consultant, and magician in Portland, Oregon. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in the print or online editions of The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, Reason, The Oregonian, and other publications.
Prohibition in the U.S. is an interesting story.
Actually, it’s reflected most clearly in the hugely overblown demonization of Cannabis, an intoxicant of dramatically less risk than Alcohol.