The 21st Amendment bar, a Beacon Hill institution, Boston, MA
Photo by Garrett Peck
On December 5, 1933, Utah ratified the 21st Amendment, sending Prohibition to the history books. Ever since known as Repeal Day (or more colloquially as "Cinco de Drinko"), the 75th anniversary of the occasion was celebrated in 2008 with festivities nationwide. The brainchild of this anniversary is Eugene, Oregon-based bartender and blogger Jeffrey Morgenthaler, who hosts the website RepealDay.org. He includes a history of the day, as well as tips on how to celebrate.
In Boston, Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks paired a six course meal with vintage cocktails, while in San Francisco, Elixir, the second-oldest bar in the City (founded 1858), hosted a costume party in a make-belief soft-drink parlor. In New York, Choose Responsibility hosted a party at the 21 Club, a former speakeasy in Midtown Manhattan.
Without a doubt, Washington, DC held the celebration to beat all celebrations in 2008. The DC Craft Bartenders Guild hosted a Repeal Day Ball for 300 people at the City Tavern Club in Georgetown. Special bartender guests included Tony Abou-Ganim and Jeffrey Morgenthaler, as well as many of the best bartenders DC has to offer. A large group of bartenders from New York and Philadelphia came down for the ball, many of whom volunteered at the event. The day before the occasion, I was on WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show to talk about Prohibition in DC (25 minute audio segment on Windows Media and iTunes).
The 75th anniversary in 2008 raised public awareness of Repeal Day, and the celebrations will continue annually. Watch this site for more information as plans develop!
Press
Dewar’s Scotch is owned by Bacardi USA, the rum company, and hosts a Dewars Repeal Day website.
The Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) is the main lobbying organization for the spirits industry. It hosts a Prohibition Repeal page.
National Public Radio commemorated the Cullen Act anniversary on April 7, 2008 (the act legalized 3.2% beer) with a nearly 8-minute report on “All Things Considered.” It interviewed Professor William Rorabaugh, who in 1979 published The Alcoholic Republic, a seminal book on American society and alcohol. The interview can be heard online.
"Washington's Dry Spell" by Washington Post reporter Dan Zak (December 7, 2008) chronicled how the nation's capital never really dried up during Prohibition, and discussed the lingering effects from Prohibition seventy-five years later.
Got a Repeal Day event planned that you'd like to add to the list? Send me an e-mail with the details!