Repeal Day In The USA

Matt Robold is a rum connoisseur and writer for RumDood.com.

Every nation has it’s own holidays.  These may be in remembrance of the birth of the nation, the birth of an important person, or to honor those who fell defending the nation.  In the USA there is a strong movement to recognize a new holiday, a day that reminds us that sometimes you just need a good drink.  That day, of course, is Repeal Day.

On January 16, 1920, the prohibition of the sale of alcohol became the law of the land, and an entire nation went dry.  There was no longer to be any boozing of any sort.  No beer, no whiskey, no gin, no rum was to be sold within the borders of the Land of the Free.

What was called “The Great Experiment”, as we all know, turned out to be a horrendous failure.  As soon as the saloons and bars closed, the speak-easies and underground clubs opened.  While American distilleries and breweries shut their doors, foreign alcohol soon flooded into the nation’s now empty glasses.

A great deal of harm was done during Prohibition, from which much of this nation’s drinking culture has yet to recover.  One of the often overlooked side-effects of Prohibition was the near total loss of what was possibly the one truly unique American contribution to the culinary arts (no, not deep-fried Twinkies): Bartending.

With the legitimate bars and clubs closed, American bartenders by-and-large took their craft overseas.  They worked in Europe, Cuba, South America…greatly enriching the cocktail culture in those countries while the same culture withered away in its homeland.

After 14 years of bathtub gin and syrupy-sweet drinks (to cover the taste of poor quality hooch), the American public had finally had enough, and demanded the repeal of Prohibition.  On December 5th, 1933, the 18th Amendment was repealed, and booze could once again flow into the cups, mugs, and stemware of millions of thirsty Americans.

Today, December 5th, is Repeal Day.  It is the 75th anniversary of Repeal Day as a matter of fact.  For 75 years now, Americans have not had to stoop to drinking gin made in tubs or row boats out into international waters just to get a daiquiri (unless you want one made with Cuban rum).  In that 75 years, a lot has happened to American drinking culture.

America’s palate has yet to fully recover from the sickly-sweet syrups and muddled fruit that invaded it’s cocktails to make them drinkable.  The nation that was born out of rum and gave birth to bourbon whiskey adopted flavorless vodka as the standard-bearer of what spirits should taste like (i.e. nothing).  The craft of bartending was almost entirely destroyed, giving way to a more “line-cook” approach that is still prevalent today in so many bars across the 50 states.

The good news is that times, they are a’changing.  As is being noticed all over the country, the classical cocktail movement is on the rise.  Bars, bartenders, and customers are starting to branch out from the [insert-fruit-here]-tinis and Jack & Cokes to ordering a Manhattan (even with vermouth!), a Martinez, or a martini made with (can it be?) gin.  People are rediscovering bitters, syrups, tinctures, the use of eggs in drinks, and integrating the old knowlege and craft with the technologies of today.

And, as our good friend Camper English points out, not everything that came out of Prohibition was bad.  Without Prohibition, we probably wouldn’t love tequila, rum(!), or be able to enjoy an Old Fashioned the proper way…with muddled fruit.

So if you’re an American, today is a day that deserves the proper respect and reflection.  Go out tonight and have a drink to celebrate the fact that you CAN have a drink.  In fact, even if you aren’t an American, have a drink to toast the fact that almost 300 million people can enjoy a drink today because it’s Repeal Day.  Celebrate what the American bar culture contributed to the world, and celebrate that same culture’s continuing triumphant return.

Cheers!

Tagged as: cocktails, prohibition, repeal day