Saturday is Repeal Day in America. If you're not familiar, that's when the United States repealed the 18th Amendment, which began Jan. 17, 1920, and didn't end until the ratification of the 21st Amendment on Dec. 5, 1933. That's right. Thirteen long years of Prohibition.
Before Prohibition started, people flooded liquor stores to stock up and saloons to get one last buzz. This reminds me of when Four Loko was under scrutiny, and my brother rummaged local convenient stores for remaining stocks of the caffeinated malt beverage. While it was illegal to manufacture, sell and distribute "intoxicating liquors" throughout Prohibition, it wasn't illegal to consume them. The ban prompted, among other things, at-home creations like moonshine and "bathtub gin," which sounds horrid, but then when I think about 13 years without booze, bathtub gin probably tasted amazing.
Here we are decades later, and I'm wondering why Repeal Day isn't celebrated like Cinco de Mayo or St. Patty's Day. I'm wondering why it's not a day off. So although I can't give you the day off, we can celebrate together with a Prohibition-inspired cocktail.
I mentioned the role that moonshine and other not-so-tasty spirits played during Prohibition. However, modern-day moonshine, of course, isn't your great-grandfather's recipe. To me, it's essentially unaged whiskey, which isn't a bad thing. Will it replace the bourbon in my bar? No. But, it can certainly have a home there.
Having no experience with today's commercialized moonshine, I decided, with the help of my neighborhood liquor store clerk, on Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon Cherry Moonshine. Since it's a little sweet for my taste, I omitted the sugar cube that's standard in an Old Fashioned and added a shot of rye whiskey. Also, while we're tinkering with recipes, you'll use a grapefruit peel to rim your glass instead of orange. Enjoy!
Repeal Day Old Fashioned
Makes 1
Bitters
1.5 ounces cherry moonshine
1.5 ounces rye whiskey
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add 2-3 dashes of bitters, then moonshine and whiskey. Stir very well to chill. Bend a grapefruit peel to release its essential oils and run it around the rim of the glass. Garnish with a cherry from the moonshine jar, plus the twisted grapefruit peel.
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This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2015.