Remember, Remember the 5th of December or... "The end of an Error"

Remember, remember, the 5th of December
The Alcohol Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Alcohol Treason
Should ever be forgot.

The act of Prohibition - was the intent
To sober up men by the Government.
Thousands of barrels of beer poured out.
The future of drink left gravely in doubt!

Only by protest did we survive,
To toast those brave souls who could not imbibe!
Only by those votes on December Five,
could we drink to the end of a thirteen year dry!

My apologies to those who originally wrote the 5th of November (Guy Fawkes) poem for my total bastardization of it.

And so the idea of the Noble Experiment ended with a vote on December 5th, 1933. The State of Utah voted wet and became the 36th in the union to ratify the 21st Amendment ending Prohibition in the United States. That day, President Roosevelt signed the repeal into effect stating "I think this would be a good time for a beer."

What can I say? Prohibition started on January 16th, 1920 and ended December 5, 1933. That is a very long time between refills my friends. Some though, were still able to partake, the writer H.L Mencken celebrated the repeal of prohibition on December 5th with a glass of water — “my first in 13 years.” Although not everyone's drinking was effected, the country would never be the same.

Prohibition offered up the chance to organized crime to reap huge profits on the transportation and sale of illegal alcohol. Distilleries and breweries were closed, and the nation suffered from years of gang violence.

While drinking in bars was almost always a men's activity, the speakeasys, or illicit drinking establishments were not so provincial and by the time prohibition ended, women stood with men at the bar, waiting for that first drink.

Today is a day to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Today is a day to celebrate your freedom - your freedom to celebrate!

What to drink?  Check out the Huffington Post's 5 Cocktails For Repeal Day

For me, it's Beer for Breakfast!

For my Connecticut friends,
Did you know?

Connecticut and Rhode Island were the only states that did not ratify
the 18th Amendment!

The Black Duck (as in the bar in Westport) was a famous rum running vessel
that supplied New England with booze during prohibition.

The Great Captain Island Lighthouse in Greenwich was used as a depot for
illegal drink before being brought onto the mainland.

For more information on demon alcohol and the drunkards who drink it, visit here:
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/

Enjoy your day and have a great and safe Repeal Day!!!

People should not be afraid of their governments,
Governments should be afraid of their people.  V.

I Scoff at Your 18th Amendment, Repeal Day, Beer for Breakfast and The Scofflaw Cocktail

On January 15th, 1924 the word Scofflaw came into being. The result of a contest held by
The Boston Herald newspaper to come up with a word describing someone who illegally drank alcohol during the period of US prohibition (1920-1933), two people came up with the combination of "scoff " (to speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way) and "law".

The mere fact that they needed a word to describe the many people who were drinking four years after the 18th Amendment went into effect says something about the Noble Experiment called prohibition.  It was the first time in the history of the country that an amendment to the constitution actually limited personal freedoms rather than guaranteeing them.

Europe was quick to honor those in the US still drinking.   Harry's New York Bar in Paris came up with a new drink (purportedly by a bartender named Jock).  I think it's fitting to have this drink today, for tomorrow is the anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th and ended prohibition.

The Historical Inebriant: The Scofflaw Cocktail
http://liquor.com/articles/the-myth-of-prohibition/

Ingredients:

2 oz Bourbon or rye whiskey
1 oz Dry vermouth
.25 oz Fresh lemon juice
.5 oz Grenadine
2 dashes Orange bitters

Add all ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, & strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The article where this drink originates is an interesting one if you want to visit.

Also, as we remember the final day of prohibition take a quick look here:

What To Drink While Watching A PBS Doc About Prohibition: The Scofflaw

If you have not yet seen Ken Burns documentary on the Great Experiment please do.
You can visit the site here, but please see it in it's entirety.

So, what about tomorrow - which is Repeal Day.  How will you celebrate the day and exercise your 21st Amendment rights?  Occupy a bar, have a quiet beer at home, attend a Repeal Day party?

If you live in the DC area - you will want to check this out:
For Repeal Day, party like it’s 1933

San Francisco:
5¢ Beer Day: 1930s “Repeal Day” Prohibition Party

In my own home state of Connecticut:
"Repeal Day" Parties Celebrate Anniversary of Prohibition's End

The point is, as Americans,  we all have a duty to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Please take a moment to visit Repeal Day.Org created by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, it's a great site with links to his excellent blog and well worth the trip - for as Jeffrey says:

I propose that December 5th should be a national holiday celebrated by Beer for Breakfast*. 

That is what I will be doing tomorrow.  I hope to see you on a bar stool near me soon!

 

*While prohibition ended in 1933, it would be years until distilled spirits would be available. 

Drinking Soundtrack of the Week

In honor of the anniversary of the passage of the 21st Amendment in the US (which ended prohibition on December 5th, 1933) The Kinks perform their song "Demon Alcohol" live.

To view all Drinking Soundtrack of the Week posts, click here and scroll down.

Drinking Soundtrack of The Day

I have been doing the Drinking Soundtrack of The Week for a while, and more recently focusing (tongue in cheek) on the coming apocalypse. I really think the only interesting thing to come out of all the apocalypse discussions on the social media pages is how many different misspellings there are for "Apocalypse" but who knows... on December 21st I may be proved wrong.
Today is World Aids Day (see the previous post for today for more info) and while getting some info for that post I was thinking of the continent of Africa which is truly suffering from that disease.  It also made me think of Darfur, where a different fight continues, which made me think of Syria where the fighting is again happening, or Gaza... the list goes on and on and it influenced my search for the DSOTW choice.

A different type of Zombie Apocalypse is happening as we speak, The Cranberries sing about it in their song originally written about Ireland, but it's truth is universal.

Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying...

Another mother's breakin',
Heart is taking over.
When the violence causes silence,
We must be mistaken.

It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying...

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?

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Stop the hate

Stop the violence

Stop the killing

In my world, we should drink until we can no longer scream,

or carry a stick,

or load a weapon,

or even think of building a bomb.

The Drinking Soundtrack of The Week returns to the Apocalypse tomorrow with "Highway to Hell" - a great song to drink to.

World AIDS Day

According to The World Health Organization (WHO), in 2011 there were 2.5 million new HIV infections worldwide.  An estimated 1.7 million people would die from the disease that year.

60% of young people who are infected with HIV are not even aware of it.

63% of young people who are infected with HIV are women.

We can all do something very simple to help reach the zero goal:

Get Tested - Stay Protected

Great article from the Huffington Post:

World AIDS Day 2012: 10 Facts To Know, Ways To Help

International Computer Security Day, Hélène Boucher, The Hodges Meteorite and The Southern Bound Meteor Shot

Today is International Computer Security Day.  I would post more about this day but the organization's site: www.computersecurityday.org has not been updated since 2009.  I'll go out on a limb and say that your virus software should be kept a bit more up to date than that.  And change your password once in a while too.

For simple computer safety tips:
lifehacker.com/5720731/resolved-keep-your-computer-safe-clean-and-backed-up-in-2011
bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/keep-your-computer-safe-online/

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On this day in 1934, the French aviatrix Hélène Boucher, holder of the women's airspeed and altitude records, would die in a test flight crash at the age of 26. She was posthumously named a knight of the French Légion d'honneur.

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In the "odds similar to winning a 500 million dollar Powerball Lottery" category:

On this day in 1954, Eugene Hodges, was struck by a meteorite while napping in her home in Sylacauga, Alabama. The Hodges Meteorite crashed through her roof, bounced off a piece of furniture and struck Hodges while she napped on her sofa.  It remains as the only documented incident of a person being struck by an object from space.

For an interesting article:
http://archive.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/061130/meteorite.shtml

The Historical Inebriant: Southern Bound Meteor Shot
http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink2137.html

Ingredients:

1 cherry
1/2 oz Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
1/2 oz Goldschlager® cinnamon schnapps
1 splash 151 proof rum

Use a large shot glass. Remove stem from cherry and drop in glass. Pour in Southern Comfort and Goldschlager. Carefully float in a splash of 151 Rum. With a cigarette lighter ignite 151 Rum on fire and serve. Put out fire before drinking.

Seoul, Soju and The Femme Fatale

Apologies,  my internet was down this morning and that's usually when I write the blog.

Excuse the condensed version today.

On this day in 1394, Korean king Yi Seong-gye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty, would move the capital of Korea from Kaesŏng to Hanyang, today known as Seoul. A exciting city of over 10 million, Seoul boasts beautiful Eastern palace architecture,

with a culture that is now one of the most tech savvy on the planet. Korea is one of the most cell phone dense countries in the world with a 98% usage rate among its population. Home to Kpop and Kdrama there is one more product making its way West.

Soju is a beverage that is similar to saki in that it is primarily made from rice, however it is distilled so it really is more like a vodka. You are starting to see it pop up in restaurants and some liquor stores.

The Historical Inebriant: The Femme Fatale
http://www.jinrousa.com/recipe.asp

Ingredients:

3 oz Jinro Soju,
1 oz Monin Pomegranate Syrup,
1/2 oz sweet and sour,
Float of champagne

Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds.  Serve straight up

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Before there was "Halo" or "Grand Theft Auto" or "Madden NFL" or "Call of Duty"...

On this day in 1972, Atari announces the release of their newest video game Pong.

33 1/3, These Three Ships, The Rach 3, The Rachmaninoff Cocktail and The End of the World as We Know It.

Today, is the 333rd day of the year with only 33 days remaining till the end of the year.
Unfortunately, there are only 25 days left till the end of the world.

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On this day in 1520, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to find a new spice route, would navigate through a strait at the southern end of South America that would later bear his name. The three ships under his command would carry the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.

Of the five vessels to begin a voyage to circumnavigate the world, only one, the Victoria, would travel the whole distance.  Magellan himself would be killed in the Philippines.

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On this day in 1909, Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff would debut the performance of his Piano Concerto No. 3, considered to be one of the most technically challenging piano concertos ever written. Referred to simply as the Rach 3, and made popular by the movie "Shine" the piece remains as a dividing line between the truly talented and the truly gifted (or the truly crazy) pianists .

While his personal life was turbulent and haunted by demons, his professional life was indeed blessed.  Born to amateur pianists, Rachmaninoff's teachers would include his cousin, Alexander Siloti, who had been one of the most promising of Franz Liszt's pupils. He was also a friend to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, to Alexander Scriabin and the famed pianist Vladimir Horowitz.

A masterful composer and a truly gifted pianist, Rachmaninoff also had two physical attributes that aided in his success. He possessed a remarkable memory, and was able, upon hearing a piece of music once, to replay it, the next day or the next year, note by note exactly as performed and he also had extremely large hands, large enough to be able to play the cord C Eb G C G with his left hand.

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The Historical Inebriant: The Rachmaninoff Cocktail
http://www.ehow.com/how_6100801_make-rachmaninoff-cocktail.html

Ingredients:

1 oz. vodka
1 oz. cherry vodka
½ oz. maraschino liqueur
½ oz. heavy cream
½ oz. absinthe
Dash orange bitters

Fill a cocktail shaker half-full with crushed ice. Add the vodka, cherry vodka, maraschino liqueur, heavy cream and absinthe to the cocktail shaker. Cover the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the orange bitters to the cocktail and garnish the rim of the glass with a fresh lemon wedge. Serve while ice cold.

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25 Days Left!

Paperback Writer, What Papa Drank and Green Issac's Special

November is National Novel Writing Month. Begun in July of 1999 by freelance writer Chris Baty NaNoWriMo had 21 participants. In 2000, the project was moved to November, doubtless a better time of year to stay at home and write.  This year, over 300,000 will participate.

With the goal of simply getting people to write, the project's rules are simple: write a 50,000 word novel between Nov 1st and Nov 30th. Even the description of what is considered a novel is simple according to their website, "If you believe you're writing a novel, we believe you're writing a novel too."

To complete NaNoWriMo, participants must write an average of roughly 1,667 words per day to achieve the 50k word mark and while that number seems high, it's actually on the low side for a full novel.

There are no official prizes for the winners, but anyone who reaches the 50,000 word mark is declared a winner and receives a printable certificate, a nifty (Winner) web icon and the satisfaction of calling themselves a novelist. If you've always had that on your bucket list, next year may be the time to cross it off.

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As a side note there was an interesting article in the NYT about Philip Greene’s new book, “To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion.  If you're a fan of Hemingway or his characters, you will want to check out this article:

How to Drink Like Hemingway

Per the publisher Penguin website:

In To Have and Have Another, Ernest Hemingway enthusiast and cocktail connoisseur Philip Greene delves deeper into the author’s drinking habits than ever before, offering dozens of authentic recipes for drinks directly connected with the novels, history and folklore, and colorful anecdotes about the man himself. With this cocktail companion, you will be able to fully enjoy Hemingway’s works beyond the limits of the imagination—pick up this book and taste how “cool and clean” and “civilized” Frederic Henry’s martini was in A Farewell to Arms, or sip a Bloody Mary, a drink rumored to be named by Hemingway himself!

and a recipe from the book...

The Historical Inebriant: Green Issac's Special

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/how-to-drink-like-hemingway/

Ingredients:

2 ounces London dry gin
4 ounces coconut water (not milk)
Juice of 1 lime
2 to 4 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake all ingredients well with ice, then transfer contents of shaker into a Collins glass, adding more ice as needed. Garnish with a lime wedge or peel.

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For all of this year's NaNoWriMo participants!