Prohibition's Secret Beer Gardens: Where To Drink?

During the Prohibition era in the United States, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were prohibited. However, it was not illegal to drink alcohol, and Americans could keep and consume any wine, beer, or spirits they had in their possession before the ban. This led to the rise of speakeasies, or illegal bars, and a black market for alcohol, with bootleggers finding creative ways to produce and distribute alcoholic beverages. Some wealthy individuals even bought out entire liquor stores before the ban to ensure they had a supply of alcohol.

While Prohibition aimed to reduce alcohol consumption and address societal issues related to alcohol abuse, it had mixed results. Alcohol consumption initially decreased but later increased as the support for the law waned. The emergence of black markets and crime syndicates dedicated to distributing alcohol also led to negative consequences, such as toxic bootleg alcohol that caused illnesses and deaths.

To survive during Prohibition, breweries and distilleries had to adapt their operations. Some companies diversified their product offerings, such as Anheuser-Busch, which started producing ice cream and non-alcoholic beverages. Others, like Coors, invested in different businesses, such as ceramics and pottery. Many breweries also sold the ingredients for making beer, such as malt syrup and yeast, which were legal to purchase.

Drug stores

During the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, drug stores continued to sell alcohol under the guise of medicine. The Volstead Act, which enforced Prohibition, included a few exceptions to the ban on distributing alcohol. One of these exceptions was that drug stores were allowed to sell "medicinal whiskey" to treat various ailments, from toothaches to the flu. With a physician's prescription, patients could legally purchase a pint of hard liquor every ten days. This pharmaceutical alcohol was often accompanied by seemingly absurd instructions, such as "Take three ounces every hour for stimulant until stimulated."

Many speakeasies, illegal drinking establishments, operated under the guise of being pharmacies, and legitimate pharmacy chains flourished. According to Prohibition historian Daniel Okrent, the drug store chain Walgreens expanded from around 20 locations to over 500 during the 1920s due to the windfall from legal alcohol sales. The number of registered pharmacists in New York State tripled during this period.

The sale of alcohol as medicine was one of the many loopholes and workarounds that Americans exploited during Prohibition. While the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors, it did not outlaw their consumption. Additionally, the Volstead Act allowed for the production of non-intoxicating wine for personal home use, with a limit of 200 gallons of homemade wine per household per year.

Private clubs

During the Prohibition era, private clubs became a popular way for people to continue drinking alcohol. These clubs were often referred to as "speakeasies", and they were a major and permanent shift in American social life.

The illicit bars ranged from fancy clubs with jazz bands and ballrooms to dingy backrooms, basements, and rooms inside apartments. No longer segregated, men and women revelled in speakeasies and house parties. Restaurants offering booze targeted women, uncomfortable sitting at a bar, with table service. Italian-American speakeasy owners sparked widespread interest in Italian food by serving it with wine.

Organised criminals seized the opportunity to exploit this new lucrative criminal racket, and welcomed women as patrons. Organised crime in America exploded because of bootlegging. Al Capone, leader of the Chicago Outfit, made an estimated $60 million a year supplying illegal beer and hard liquor to thousands of speakeasies he controlled in the late 1920s.

Speakeasies were generally ill-kept secrets, and owners exploited low-paid police officers with payoffs to look the other way, or enjoy a regular drink. Bootleggers who supplied the private bars would add water to good whiskey, gin, and other liquors to sell larger quantities. Others resorted to selling still-produced moonshine or industrial alcohol, wood or grain alcohol, and even poisonous chemicals such as carbolic acid.

The competition for patrons in speakeasies created a demand for live entertainment. Jazz music and the dances it inspired fit into the era's raucous, party mood. With thousands of underground clubs, and the prevalence of jazz bands, liquor-infused partying grew during the "Roaring Twenties", when the term "dating" was first introduced.

In Texas, many clubs receive their private club registration permit to operate in areas that don't allow all or some types of alcohol sales. These include lodges (e.g. Freemasons, Elks, Eagles) and veterans' organisations. Members join the club for a common reason, such as social, charitable, or religious purposes. Each member can invite up to three guests, as long as the guests stay with the member and don't purchase drinks on their own. Clubs can also have locker systems that let members store their own alcohol for consumption.

Restaurants

Some restaurants chose to diversify their offerings and add non-alcoholic drinks to their menus. This included soft drinks, fruit juices, and milk-based beverages like malted milk. Others may have sold "near beer", which was a legal, non-intoxicating beer with an alcohol content of less than 0.5%. However, near beer was not popular with many consumers, who preferred to obtain real beer through bootlegging and speakeasies.

Some restaurants may have also sold food products that could be used to make alcohol at home, such as malt syrup, yeast, and grape concentrate. These products were advertised for baking or making non-alcoholic beverages, but many people used them for home brewing. Restaurants may have also sold "wine bricks", which were blocks of crushed and dehydrated grapes that could be reconstituted with water to make wine.

In addition to modifying their menus, some restaurants may have chosen to operate speakeasies or collaborate with bootleggers to supply alcohol to their customers. Speakeasies were illegal bars that operated discreetly, often behind the front of legitimate businesses. By running a speakeasy or partnering with bootleggers, restaurants could continue to serve alcohol to their customers and generate additional revenue.

It is important to note that not all restaurants chose to adapt during Prohibition. Some may have closed down due to the loss of alcohol sales, especially if they were unable or unwilling to diversify their offerings. Overall, Prohibition had a significant impact on the restaurant industry, forcing businesses to be innovative and flexible to survive.

Pharmacies

During the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the sale, production, importation, and transportation of alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States. However, there were some exceptions to the ban, and creative ways to obtain alcohol emerged. One notable loophole was the allowance of alcohol for medicinal purposes, which led to pharmacies becoming a popular source of alcoholic beverages during this time.

The Volstead Act, which was passed in 1920 to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment, included a provision that permitted the use of alcohol for medicinal purposes when prescribed by a physician. This exception provided an opportunity for pharmacies to sell alcoholic beverages, and many took advantage of it. With a physician's prescription, individuals could legally purchase a pint of hard liquor every ten days. The list of "known ailments" that alcohol could be prescribed for was quite flexible and included everything from influenza and diabetes to lactation therapy and old age.

One notable example of a pharmacy that thrived during Prohibition is Walgreens. Founded in 1901 in Chicago, Walgreens grew from around 20 stores in 1919 to over 525 outlets by 1929. While the company attributes this growth to factors such as superb management and innovative store design, it is believed that a significant portion of their success during this period can be attributed to the sale of medicinal whiskey.

To obtain alcohol from a pharmacy during Prohibition, individuals needed a prescription from a licensed physician. The process was flexible, and physicians could prescribe alcohol without a strict physical examination if they believed it was necessary for the patient's ailment. This led to a thriving black market for prescription forms, with bootleggers buying them from unethical doctors.

In addition to pharmacies, churches also served as legal sources of alcohol during Prohibition, as sacramental wine was permitted under the Volstead Act. Overall, the medicinal alcohol loophole played a significant role in shaping the landscape of alcohol consumption during the Prohibition era, providing a legal avenue for those seeking to obtain alcoholic beverages.

Ice cream parlours

During the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States. While this led to a decline in alcohol consumption, it also spurred creativity among brewers and distillers, who found alternative ways to survive. One notable trend that emerged during this period was the rise of ice cream parlours.

Ice cream, which had been gaining popularity in the late 19th century with the introduction of novelties like the ice cream soda, sundae, and cone, became an even more widespread treat during Prohibition. The loss of alcohol as a social lubricant and comfort food left a gap that ice cream was well-positioned to fill. With better refrigeration technology and innovations in making and selling frozen treats, ice cream became a "refreshing and palatable food" that appealed to Americans seeking alternatives to drinking at the local saloon.

Several breweries that had been forced out of alcohol production turned to making ice cream, including iconic names like Anheuser-Busch and Yuengling. These companies leveraged their existing refrigeration infrastructure and manufacturing expertise to produce ice cream on a large scale. Anheuser-Busch even marketed their ice cream with the slogan, "eat a plate of ice cream every day."

The rise in ice cream consumption was not limited to products from former breweries. Overall, ice cream consumption increased by 55% between 1916 and 1925, while the population only grew by about 15%. This surge in demand encouraged innovation within the ice cream industry, leading to the creation of new treats like the Eskimo Pie (a chocolate-covered block of vanilla ice cream), the Good Humor bar (a similar treat but on a stick), and the Popsicle (a frozen juice treat on a stick).

The proliferation of ice cream parlours during Prohibition also contributed to the social aspect of consuming ice cream. With bars and saloons no longer an option for social gatherings, soda fountains and ice cream parlours became the new places to see and be seen. People flocked to these establishments to socialise and satisfy their sweet tooth, just as they had once done in bars.

In conclusion, the Prohibition era played a significant role in the rise of ice cream parlours and the widespread popularity of ice cream in the United States. The combination of a ban on alcohol, improved refrigeration technology, and innovative ice cream treats created the perfect conditions for ice cream to become a national obsession.

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