Are you excited as we are for Repeal Day, also known as Christmas-and-New-Year’s-Rolled-Into-One Day, the most sacred day for for fun people? We certainly hope so, because it’s basically the holiest of holy days for the nightclub and bar crowd. To help you, your staff and your guests bask in the glory that is Repeal Day, we’re sharing 15 Prohibition Era cocktails with you. After all, who wants to hoist a glass of water to toast this hallowed holiday?
Cheers!
The Whiskey Sour is a classic Prohibition Era cocktail that is still popular today.
The Sidecar is considered by some to be the definitive Prohibition cocktail. And did you know that there are two versions of the Sidecar, English and French? The English version is made with 2 parts Cognac, 1 part triple sec or orange liqueur, and lemon juice. The French version calls for equal parts of all 3 ingredients.
Yes, the Mint Julep was already a popular cocktail well before Prohibition. But this libation’s popularity grew even stronger when it was realized that its ingredients masked the flavor of cheap bootleg spirits.
Originally, the Gin Rickey called for bourbon. It’s believed that the bourbon was swapped out for because it was easier to obtain (oh there it is, in that bathtub) and didn’t require any aging.
Corpse Revivers are a family of hangover “cure” cocktails, and includes Corpse Reviver No. 1, Corpse Reviver No. 2, the Kentucky Corpse Reviver, and the Savoy Corpse Reviver. Corpse Reviver No. 1 is Cognac based and was popular during Prohibition.
Corpse Reviver No. 2 is gin based and also features absinthe. It is arguable the most popular Corpse Reviver cocktail.
The French 75, which can be made with Cognac or gin, was considered an elegant and refined cocktail because of its use of Champagne.
Reportedly Chicago gangster Al Capone’s drink of choice, the South Side Fizz is made with gin, lemon juice, club soda, mint, and simple syrup.
Gin was ever present during Prohibition, and it’s the star of the Bee’s Knees.
The Hanky Panky is equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, plus two dashes of Fernet Branca.
A classic gin cocktail, the Tom Collins is made with gin, lemon, sugar, and soda water.
Gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, and egg white are the ingredients in a White Lady.
Named after the famous 1920s silent movie star, the Mary Pickford offered an alternative to gin-based cocktails since it calls for white rum, pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur, and grenadine syrup.
Cuba’s close proximity to Florida, and the dominance of gin in speakeasies, made the Bacardí Cocktail popular during Prohibition.
It’s said that Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States who won a record four presidential elections, celebrated the repeal of the 18th Amendment with his supposed favorite drink: the Dirty Martini.