Speakeasies in the 1920's
During the 1920's, the nation was going through a period of prohibition due to the Volstead Act of 1919. This act was supposed to make alcohol illegal, but what it really did was cause the nation to go into a sort of rebellion. People did everything they could to get their hands on a drink. They would make up secret names for alcohol such as "Coffin Varnish" and "Horse Liniment," and often times they would find clever ways to carry it without being noticed. Some of the most interesting ways they found to carry it were in eggs inside egg cartons, in garden hoses, in baby carriages, in hollowed out canes, and in false books.
Secret clubs and meetings controlled by organized crime members sprang up all over America and Canada. They were called "Speakeasies," and they sold illegal alcohol during prohibition. To get into a speakeasy, you needed to know the secret handshake, password, or knock. The clubs were hidden in the backs of stores or even underground, and were a great source of entertainment. People could meet to drink bootlegged alcohol, gamble, watch dancing girls, and listen to Jazz and other popular music of the times, not much different from clubs today.
Secret clubs and meetings controlled by organized crime members sprang up all over America and Canada. They were called "Speakeasies," and they sold illegal alcohol during prohibition. To get into a speakeasy, you needed to know the secret handshake, password, or knock. The clubs were hidden in the backs of stores or even underground, and were a great source of entertainment. People could meet to drink bootlegged alcohol, gamble, watch dancing girls, and listen to Jazz and other popular music of the times, not much different from clubs today.
The Invention of Cocktails Since alcohol was in such high demand and there was so little to go around, people started inventing ways to make it stretch. One way they did this was be creating milder drinks such as cocktails by watering the alcohol down with added fruit juice, sugar water, and soft drinks. While this was also done to cater alcohol towards the female crowd by making it less harsh, it also helped to lower the cost of such beverages as cocktails and other mixed drinks.
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