How to Make a Gin Rickey Drink + Prohibition Facts You Should Know

During prohibition drinks like the Gin Rickey and Bee's Knees grew in popularity.

Prohibition outlawed the manufacturing and sale of alcoholic beverages, but that didn’t stop determined citizens from imbibing.

Here are several Prohibition-era terms that are important to know as well as how to make the Gin Rickey and Bee’s Knees.

Though it might seem like a strange concept, Prohibition contributed to men and women drinking together in public becoming commonplace.

According to MentalFloss, pubs were mostly frequented by men before this era. “Once alcohol became illegal, speakeasies that were already breaking the law saw no real need to discriminate who they sold to, so women joined in the fun,” the outlet wrote.

How to make the Gin Rickey and Bee’s Knees cocktails

Both are gin cocktails that became popular in the 1920s. The Gin Rickey typically consists of “gin (usually), fresh lime juice, and seltzer on the rocks in a highball glass.

The Bee’s Knees is equally simple and refreshing. The cocktail is “thought to have emerged during Prohibition-era America when bathtub gin was all the rage.

Adding spoonfuls of honey to such bitter alcohol certainly would have helped to mask the harshness, and when mixed with the lemon, would create a more appetizing and sweet concoction.

When did Prohibition take place?

Prohibition began in the United States in 1920 and ended in 1933. The Volstead Act and the 18th Amendment federally banned the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Interestingly, it was never technically illegal to consume alcohol.

While this new law may have had good intentions, the consequences of Prohibition were mostly negative. Prohibition eliminated jobs for thousands of individuals, as well as cost the federal government billions of dollars in lost tax revenue.

One of the most notable consequences of Prohibition was an increase in corruption and organized crime. Though drinking did decrease during this era, it certainly didn’t put an end to alcohol consumption, and in the end, Prohibition was deemed to be a failure.