SPVAQ22021 - 21

alcoholic beverages switched
to sweet soda and other
approachable drinks.
Farmers lost buyers for barley,
corn, rye, fruit for brandy, cider
apples and specialty grapes.
Growers suffered economically or
converted their crops. Heritage
apple trees and grape vines
suitable for making wine were
uprooted and replaced with eating
apples and sweeter grapes.
To add to the upheaval, many
alcohol-producing businesses went
bust, never to revive.

THE END OF PROHIBITION
When Prohibition ended, it
didn't really end. The 21st
Amendment repealed Prohibition, but restrictions remained.
States-and sometimes even
localities-were allowed to
make their own laws. And that
they did. From state to state,
sometimes county to county, you
could find blue laws prohibiting alcohol sales on Sunday,
limits on the alcohol content in
beer and wine, bans on liquor
and happy-hour advertising,
differences in distribution laws
and who could sell alcohol, dry
and " wet " counties, and so much
more.
But, slowly, American habits
began changing once again.
Two groundbreaking Tiki bars
opened right after Prohibition
ended, capitalizing on the public's
newfound freedom to imbibe.
Don the Beachcomber. Ernest
Raymond Beaumont Gantt had
made moonshine in California
during the nation's dry years,
then opened his new restaurant
when liquor was once again legal.
Gantt's restaurant became known
as Don the Beachcomber, and
Gantt changed his name to Donn

Beach. His cocktails featured
rum, along with tropical juices,
orange liqueur and sweet syrups,
and were festooned with tiny
umbrellas. He is generally credited
with starting the Tiki drink craze,
creating dozens of drinks such
as the Zombie, Cobra's Fang,
Tahitian Rum Punch, Three Dots
and a Dash, and Navy Grog.
Trader Vic's. Victor Bergereon
opened his Tiki spot in San
Francisco soon after. Three drinks
that Trader Vic's restaurant is
known for were served in special
containers, decorated in tropical,
totem-inspired themes: Fog
Cutter, Scorpion Bowl, and Hot
Buttered Rum.
Both restaurants spread
throughout the U.S.-Trader Vic's
throughout the world-expanding
the popularity of tropical
cocktails. The popularity of Tiki
drinks may have waned, but their
bright flavors, inspiring visions of
sandy beaches and hints of island
breezes kept them as regulars at
many bars.
Navy Grog. This potent drink,
which Donn Beach called " a
robust rum punch dedicated to
the gallant men of the American
navy, " was targeted to those
who wanted a manly drink.
It was one of Frank Sinatra's
favorites at the Palm Springs Don

the Beachcomber restaurant,
while President Richard Nixon
preferred the Trader Vic's
version.

WORLD WAR II
When the U.S. joined the war
after the December 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, distilling
became an official war undertaking. Most U.S. distilleries were
converted to produce industrial
strength alcohol for making
smokeless gunpowder, torpedo
fuel, plastics, medical supplies
and other necessary war products, so they weren't allowed
to make alcohol for drinking.
Although the restrictions on
distilling were lifted briefly in
1943, grain was still rationed for
the war need, leaving little left
for distilling or brewing.
Distilleries, however, were able
to sell spirits they had distilled
previously. Still, bouncing back
from Prohibition, some were
conservative about giving up
too much of their stock. Others
blended their liquor, enabling
them to use both old and new.
Because of limited whiskey
distilling, imported rum became
more popular-a boon for
Tiki bars. The Andrews Sister's
recording of " Rum and Coca-

NAVY GROG
▷	 1 OZ. WHITE PUERTO RICAN
RUM
▷	 1 OZ. DARK JAMAICAN RUM
▷	 1 OZ. GOLD DEMERARA RUM
▷	 1 OZ. HONEY SYRUP (WARM
EQUAL PARTS HONEY AND
WATER TILL BLENDED; COOL
BEFORE USING)
▷	 ¾ OZ. FRESH LIME JUICE

▷	 ¾ OZ. FRESH GRAPEFRUIT JUICE
▷	 ¾ OZ. CLUB SODA WATER
▷	 MINT SPRIG AND LIME WEDGE
FOR GARNISH
Add ingredients to a shaker filled
with crushed ice. Shake for 30
seconds. Strain into a chilled
rocks glass with fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with mint and lime.

SPIRITED VIRGINIA | APRIL | MAY | JUNE 2021 21
SPVAQ22021

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