Prohibition era drink recipes.

[sourceninja]

I'm trying to put together a theme party in the next few months for some close friends. Basically we are going to dress up the basement as a speakeasy and serve food/drink from the mid 20s to the early 40s (yes I know technically prohibition ended in the 30s).

I'm looking for any good suggestions for drinks, food, or music. My plan is to do a tasting menu of 4 to 5 small foods inspired by the era, and have 3 to 4 drinks on the menu for each for Rye (or just whiskey), Gin, Vodka, and Rum. We are also going to home brew beers styled after the period and of course will have good bourbon, scotch, and wine on the menu.

The plan is to be as authentic as possible and allow us to have a escape from our normal lives for an evening. So what's your favorite prohibition drink? The culture doesn't have to be US only, we could also bring in drinks from Europe from the same time period.

 

[theknight571]

How about a Singapore Sling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Sling

I Googled and found a lot of different recipes. My wife's cousin makes them, and I like the ones he makes. I'll see if I can get his recipe and post it.

Edit:

Found this link: http://www.thekitchn.com/roundup-boardwalk-empireprohib-156591

 

[sjwaste]

Can't go wrong with the Singapore Sling - I second that one. I also like the Old Fashioned, but back then it was probably just called a Fashioned.

 

[RossMAN]

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/moonshiners

 

[lxskllr]

Can't help with drink recommendations(don't do mixed drinks), but you can find music for the night here...

http://www.jazz-on-line.com/

 

[sourceninja]

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/moonshiners

Heh, I don't think we will be breaking the law for entertainment, although it's been a dream of mine to own a legal distillery or brewery one day.

lxskllr, thanks for the jazz link, that will work perfectly.

 

[lxskllr]

lxskllr, thanks for the jazz link, that will work perfectly.

You especially want Fats Waller. He has the Prohibition sound :^)

His playing once put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the "surprise guest" at Capone's birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters didn't intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fats_Waller

 

[sourceninja]

Just bumping to see if anyone has anymore suggestions.

 

[rudder]

http://www.olesmokymoonshine.com/

 

[Juddog]

Can't go wrong with the Singapore Sling - I second that one. I also like the Old Fashioned, but back then it was probably just called a Fashioned.

^^ I'm also a fan of the Old Fashioned!

 

[NuclearNed]

http://www.olesmokymoonshine.com/

I live pretty close to that distillery - they give out free samples. I haven't tried their product myself, but a coworker said that it is truly awful. However, I had genuine moonshine many years ago - pretty potent stuff.

 

[NuclearNed]

^^ I'm also a fan of the Old Fashioned!

Another Old Fashioned fanatic. Although they have to be made correctly - I had one in Vegas over Christmas that was carbonated <shudders>

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Last Word
equal parts
*gin
*green chartreuse
*maraschino liqueur
*lime juice
Personally, I like upping the gin and cutting back the other stuff a bit to cut the sweetness.

Bees Knees
1.5oz Plymouth Gin
.75oz Meyer Lemon Juice
.75oz Honey Simple Syrup

 

[Juddog]

Another Old Fashioned fanatic. Although they have to be made correctly - I had one in Vegas over Christmas that was carbonated <shudders>

It's funny looking up old fashioned walkthroughs on youtube and reading the comments. People try all sorts of weird stuff with it, and there are all sorts of nasty comments on their techniques.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

btw, keep in mind w/ prohibition drinks that traditional recipes may often be sweeter to mask the inferior alcohols used at the time.

 

[mizzou]

get a bunch of clear whiskey and drink them straight from mason jars

make sure everyone wears dirty clothes and doesn't use deodorant either

 

[Juddog]

get a bunch of clear vodka and drink them straight from mason jars

make sure everyone wears dirty clothes and doesn't use deodorant either

ftfy

 

[Iron Woode]

Most of that liquor came from Canada, mostly Ontario.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum-running_in_Windsor

Also Canada Dry ginger ale. It was commonly used for mixed drinks back then.

if you're going to do a prohibition thing, you should include period stuff like Flappers, music and even dances like the Charleston.

 

[AmerDoux]

Classic Sidecar:

2 oz good quality brandy/cognac
1 oz cointreau
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

Put in a shaker with ice and shake for a few seconds to chill. Pour into a chilled martini glass. you can garnish with a twist of lemon and/or dip the rim of the martini glass in lemon juice and then in raw sugar.

Highly recommend going top shelf for the alcohols.

 

[skimple]

I agree - get some legal moonshine and mason jars! Awesome theme!

 

[KeithTalent]

Can't go wrong with the Singapore Sling - I second that one. I also like the Old Fashioned, but back then it was probably just called a Fashioned.

:awe:


I like a good Sidecar.

KT

 

[NuclearNed]

:awe:


I like a good Sidecar.

KT

the Sidecar is my current favorite drink.

 

[preslove]

A vodka/gin gimlet is a nice simple one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimlet_(cocktail)

 

[KeithTalent]

the Sidecar is my current favorite drink.

They are good.

Boulevardier is my favourite though: bourbon, sweet vermouth, and campari with an orange/orange peel garnish. A Negroni, but with bourbon which makes it a little warmer and better. Delicious!!

Here is a great article on the drink and how unappreciated it is: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/case-study-the-boulevardier/

KT

 

[Brigandier]

Highly recommend going top shelf for the alcohols.

That automatically makes it not a prohibition era drink.

I think the OP has to get the cheapest, nastiest alcohol and make it taste good.