Speakeasy bar, 1933
I love the cocktails of the 1920s, invented by Prohibition-era mixologists trying to cover up the taste of bathtub gin. The Bee's Knees, which stirs lemon juice and honey in with the liquor; the Sidecar (personal favorite) which blends lemon juice and orange-infused liqueurs like Cointreau with whiskey. At one point I acquired the 1930s Savoy Book of Cocktails thinking to gain even more, um, experience.
I gave it up up though. Those Jazz-Age cocktails are just too potent. During Prohibition (1920-1933), of course, they were even more so because the bootlegged liquors were so often poisonous. Drinking at speakeasies - the illicit backroom bars that sprouted across the U.S. in response to alcohol regulations - could be a little like playing Russian roulette. That's often forgotten because of the seductive gloss that the period has acquired in retrospect, the glitter of flappers in their beaded dresses, the glamour of secret clubs humming with the new jazz.
But I called my blog "Speakeasy Science" anyway. Why? Well, first because I just wrote a book, The Poisoner's Handbook, which is set in Jazz-Age New York. Second because I like the period so much, I'm mulling over another book set in the same free-spirited time. I like the historical feel of the name. I've always been interested in the intersection of science and culture and I find moments in history, where those two forces pull at each other, to be wonderfully illuminating. Speakeasy itself appeals to my sense of word play - I like the idea of speaking easily about science.
And finally - some science stories are so good that they can even light up a bar conversation. So here's to cocktail worthy science! Just slide that Sidecar right over.
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Hi, Deborah. This looks great. I heartily encourage you to weave in some of the stories from the book, which are just wonderful.
You might find this interesting:
http://drinkboston.com/2007/08/24/operation-1919-seeking-lost-ingredien…
Great stories to come, promise. I love the story about Operation 1919, searching for the special ingredients in 1920s cocktails. I tend to be fascinated by the names of old cocktails: Mary Pickford (white rum, unsweetened pineapple juice, grenadine) or Red Death (vodka, amaretto, triple-sec, bourbon, sloe gin, dash of orange juice, dash of lime juice). Do you think they had harder heads back then?
hey, that's great. keep coming back!
Deborah, I love the blog - both content and *gorgeous* aesthetic layout and graphics. I'm a natural products pharmacologist and toxicologist by training and can't believe I've missed buying your book. I'll take care of that in a few minutes!
This particular post brought to mind a funny story from down here in North Carolina last week where members of Willie Nelson's band were busted for marijuana and moonshine - yes, untaxed moonshine! They could probably afford to drink anything they'd like but I guess the taste for a classic Prohibition-era beverage never goes away.
david, thanks so much. it took me a long time to start this because i wasn't sure what kind of perspective i wanted to take in a blog and how to make it, well, mine. so your comments, coming from someone who does such a great job on scienceblogs, really mean a lot to me. and the fact that you're a toxicologist makes it even better! my book's not out til the 18th but i'd love to hear what you think of it. wish my book tour was bringing me to the north carolina - i loved the story about willie nelson's band and moonshine. i wrote a lot about that - white liquor/white mule - in my book, but my best memories of it are from my first newspaper job at a small paper in north georgia. once went out with ATF to bust up a still. and the firefighters used to sneak me little bottles of the stuff. lucky i'm still standing!