Whipped Cream Difficulties

In Prohibition-era Harlem, bootleggers sold cheap and sometimes toxic liquor and moonshine at rent parties and speakeasies for as little as 25 cents a pop.

Oh, my God! Has bootlegging returned to Harlem? Are folks selling mixtures of methyl alcohol out of the back of bodegas? Are we in for a return of the “jake leg“? (Speaking of Prohibition, methanol, and “jake leg”, Deborah Blum’s The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York is a damn spiffy book.)

The answer is…almost certainly not. The NYT‘s concern is that people are selling “potent sweet liquor drinks”, “a blend of various hard liquors and fruit juices”. So, basically, they’re selling cocktails without a license.

By way of Daring Fireball, here’s a vintage ad for Beefeater Gin that explains the proper mixing and enjoyment of the martini.

Summon the children just before you mix the martini. Announce to them that it is now grownup’s hour – and they are to pursue their play elsewhere. The martini hour is for those who are going to drink martinis.

Preach it, brother!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Mixology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.