Inspired by a visit to see Tony Conigliaro at the unnamed bar at 69 Colebrooke Row in London last fall, where Manhattans are aged in glass vessels to sublime and subtle effect, the barrel aged cocktails I’ve been serving at Clyde Common this year are a decidedly American curiosity.
The rub of aging cocktails in a glass bottle is that the whole premise is built upon subtlety, as we know that spirits aged in glass or steel do so at an unremarkable pace. Being from the United States, where – as everyone is aware – bigger equals better, I pondered the following question: what if you could prepare a large batch of a single, spirit-driven cocktail and age it in a used oak barrel?
A hundred some-odd dollars in liquor later, I was nervously pouring a gallon of pre-batched rye Manhattans into a small, used oak cask whose previous contents were a gallon Madeira wine. I plugged the barrel and sat back in anxious anticipation; if the experiment was a success I’d have a delicious cocktail to share at the bar – if it was a failure then I’d be pouring the restaurant’s money down the floor drain.
Over the next several weeks I popped open the barrel to test my little concoction until I stumbled upon the magic mark at five-to-six weeks. And there it was, lying beautifully on the the finish: a soft blend of oak, wine, caramel and char. That first batch sold out in a matter of days and I was left with a compelling need to push the process even further.
Now, three gallons of Negroni might not be practical for the home enthusiast, but the average bar or restaurant should be able to afford that sort of quantity quite easily. For those of you trying this at home, try searching the internet for one-gallon charred oak casks (stay away from the fancy lacquered kind meant for display in dens and 1980s wine bars) and be sure to let us know what you find in the comments section below.
We procured a small number of used whiskey casks from the Tuthilltown distillery and proceeded to fill them with a large batch of Negronis; and that’s when the magic of barrel aged cocktails grabbed our attention. After six weeks in the bourbon barrel, our Negroni emerged a rare beauty. The sweet vermouth so slightly oxidized, the color paler and rosier than the original, the mid-palate softly mingled with whiskey, the finish long and lingering with oak tannins. We knew we were on to something unique and immediately made plans to take the cask aging program to the next level.
Negronis are now prepared in five-gallon batches and poured into multiple bourbon barrels. Robert Hess’ ubiquitous Trident cocktail is currently resting inside single-malt barrels. The El Presidente (à laMatt Robold), Deshlers, Remember the Maines, they’re all receiving the oaked treatment in a little storage room in the basement of the restaurant that I refer to as my “office”.
Once the cocktail is aged long enough for my taste, I then drain the bottle, straining out any charred bits of wood, and bottle the contents for use by my bartenders. To order, the cocktail is then measured out and poured over ice in a mixing glass, stirred, strained into a cocktail glass, and then garnished with the appropriate garnish. It’s quick and simple, as all of the real work has already been done by the barrel.
Anyway, on to the recipes. As simple as it seems to do, I figured not everyone is going to want to do the math to get started on some of these recipes, so here are a few I’ve figured out:
Negroni
Makes Three Gallons
128 oz (approximately five 750ml bottles) dry gin
128 oz sweet vermouth
128 oz Campari
Stir ingredients together (without ice) and pour into a three-gallon oak barrel. Let rest for five to seven weeks and pour into glass bottles until ready to serve.
Manhattan
Makes Three Gallons
256 oz (approximately ten 750ml bottles) rye whiskey
128 oz (approximately five 750ml bottles) sweet vermouth
7 oz Angostura bitters
Stir ingredients together (without ice) and pour into a three-gallon oak barrel (I prefer a barrel that has previously stored sherry, Madeira, or port wine). Let rest for five to seven weeks and pour into glass bottles until ready to serve.
Trident
Makes Three Gallons
128 oz (approximately five 750ml bottles) aquavit
128 oz dry sherry
128 oz Cynar
7 oz peach bitters
Stir ingredients together (without ice) and pour into a three-gallon oak barrel (I prefer a used single malt barrel). Let rest for five to seven weeks and pour into glass bottles until ready to serve.
Feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
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The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
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I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
Those who know me well are aware that I’ve been going on about this for years, but for some reason I’ve only just now remembered that I have my own website and can carry on the effort here.
Folks, there are a few drinking holidays here in the United States, but I’m here to tell you that none of them are as important as the new celebration I’m proposing for this great country of ours. Allow me to start from the beginning:
Saint Patrick’s Day Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17th), a national holiday in Ireland, is a feast day that commemorates Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It was brought to the United States by Irish immigrants and is now celebrated by Irish and non-Irish alike. Cities with large Irish populations host huge celebrations with parades, where scores of drunken fraternities swallow huge amounts of Guinness Stout, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Mickey’s Malt Liquor. Sometimes corned beef is eaten.
Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the the victory of Mexican troops over the French occupational army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. It has been adopted as a commercialized drinking holiday by the United States, where people flock to chain Mexican restaurants to gulp down huge quantities blended margaritas, shots of Jose Cuervo tequila and bottles of Corona beer. Chips and salsa are served.
Halloween Halloween (October 31st) began as a Celtic Pagan festival, named as the evening (e’en) before All Hallow’s Day on November 1st. Halloween wasn’t widely celebrated in the United States until the middle of the 20th century, and is now the sixth most profitable holiday for retailers. It is celebrated by this country’s drinking-age population in the form of dressing up in very slutty costumes and consuming large amounts of alcohol. Any kind. Dry ice is often involved.
Repeal Day
Repeal Day (December 5th) is not celebrated by anyone in this country, yet it is the only day which truly has any connection with alcohol. December 5th is the anniversary of the day the United States repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and gave us all the constitutional right to consume alcohol. I’ve been celebrating Repeal Day for years by forcing this information down the throats of my customers, and now I’m forcing it on you. Here are a few reasons why I think Repeal Day should be a major drinking holiday in the United States:
We have the constitutional right to do so. How many forms of pleasure are guaranteed by the Constitution? None, unless you’re one of those who get an inflated sense of ego from holding a firearm or speaking in public. Me, I’m going to stick with alcohol.
It’s at the right time. Conveniently located about halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas, at a time when we’re probably not with our families, the Fifth of December represents a great time to get together with friends and celebrate our constitutional rights.
Repeal Day doesn’t exclude. Are you an American, or are you located in the United States? Congratulations, you’re invited to join our party! Sorry, gay leprechauns, but Saint Patrick’s Day is off limits. Being French on Cinco de Mayo is about as cool as being British on the Fourth of July. But December Fifth is a day that’s open to anyone!
It’s easy! There are no outfits to buy, costumes to rent, rivers to dye green. Simply celebrate the day by stopping by your local bar, tavern, saloon, winery, distillery, or brewhouse and having a drink. Pick up a six-pack on your way home from work. Split a bottle of wine with a loved one. Buy a shot for a stranger. Just do it because you can.
Thanks for reading about what I hope will become a more widely-celebrated day in this country. Please help spread the word about Repeal Day, and tell a friend. Cheers!
I’m putting this on my calendar now. Sounds like a perfect holiday.
ps- you should boing boing this post… seriously.
09 Nov 2006 at 7:59 pm 2. Scooter
This is so fucking brilliant. Plus, Canadians would be sooooo jealous.
I’m down. I want in on the ground floor. Fuck Halloween.
10 Nov 2006 at 5:05 pm 3. Stephan Fox
Thank you very much for this information, Jeffrey! I manage a bar in Columbus Ohio and there are definitely going to be drink specials and a major celebration that night!
I hear ya Jeff. I’m going to start promoting this day as well. It should also be recognized as the end to one of our country’s biggest mistakes, prohibition. Never forget.
Conveniently liquor is sold in “5ths” I believe You can somehow tie this in.
Keep up the good work.
-Tyler
22 Nov 2006 at 2:22 pm 6. bivialtor
great idea!
sorry to play the pedant (prefer playing the fool: better lines), but Halloween (aka All Hallow’s Eve, i.e., the evening preceding All Saints Day (“All Holies Day,” thence “All Hallow’s Day”)) would be expressed as “e’en” as an abbreviation for “evening” (or, more literally, “even,” often used interchangeably with “evening,” as in “eventide”).
and, no, I’ll not proffer any citations for the above. I made it all up. No, really.
Since the 5th is also my birthday, and this year being the 25th, I will do everything in my will to make this day known to everyone possible. Thanks so much for clueing me in.
Canadians won’t be jealous; American Prohibition was certainly good for Canadian business, but I think we can raise a glass across the border for one day every year. On your part in celebration, on our part in congratulations on returning to the wet side.
01 Dec 2006 at 1:40 pm 13. JON
you are my hero
01 Dec 2006 at 8:46 pm 14. evilrose
It must of worked because tonight I saw a commercial for Repeal Day December 5th. Way to go and Happy Celebrating.
I read this story a while back, and was literally blown away when I opened my New York Times this morning and saw what your article had led to. You’ve singlehandedly created a day we can all be proud of, mr. Morgenthaler.
05 Dec 2006 at 2:13 pm 19. boobs
Sounds like a great reason to celbrate. I’m canadian but i totally support any reason for friends to get together and a have a couple of drinks for a cause. Even though i’m not an amaerican i will still join in americas new reason to drink, because we all can.
05 Dec 2006 at 2:15 pm 20. boobs
Sounds like a great reason to celebrate. I’m canadian but i totally support any reason for friends to get together and a have a couple of drinks for a good reason. Even though i’m not an american i will still join in americas new reason to drink, because we all can.
05 Dec 2006 at 4:53 pm 21. Daniel
Sorry, no. The Twenty-First Amendment was written to ensure that it did not guarantee such a right: “Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.” The effects of Section 2 are at least two-fold. First, Federal control over interstate commerce was abridged; in the absence of this section, states could have prohibitted domestic manufacture and purely intra-state transactions, but inter-state sales would have remained the province of the national government. Second, any significance here of the Fourteenth Amendment is also negated. In fact, the Twenty-First Amendment doesn’t even prevent the Congress from now outlawing inter-state commerce in alcohol. And, if Congress more ambitiously sought to impose national prohibition by ordinary statuory law, then courts could entertain the same specious arguments as are now being used to prevent states such as California from decriminalizing some drug use.
Happy Repeal Day, everyone! (Thanks again for the pointer, Shelley ). Yes, 73 years ago today, state conventions affirmed the pointlessness of restricting individual liberties in an attempt to protect people from themselves. Now if we could only get governments to extend that principle and remove remaining nanny laws. A toast: Libertas inaestimabilis res est.
05 Dec 2006 at 6:10 pm 24. Kurt
Daniel is right. There is a difference between having a Constitutional right (freedom of assembly) and the lack of a constitutional ban (alcohol and, I suppose, chicken dancing). It is 100% false to say “We have the constitutional right to do so. How many forms of pleasure are guaranteed by the Constitution? ” While I like the idea of this celebration, I dislike willfully uninformed masses — especially when drunk. Anyway, drink up!
Okay, so the 21st Amendment doesn’t guarantee us all the right to consume alcohol. But it did repeal the amendment that did, and I stick by my guns: the fifth of December is a day to be celebrated.
Thanks for the info, guys! I need to shower and put on my Repeal Day outfit. There are drinks to be consumed, and service staff to be tipped!
[...] If you read any cocktail blogs other than this one (and, by God, you really should), you already know this is Repeal Day, the seventy-third anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. To celebrate, I dove into a vintage cocktail book, Robert Vermeire’s Cocktails: How to Mix Them, which first appeared in print in Great Britain in 1922, when the Untied States were in the middle of their crazy delusion called Prohibition. I thought it would be fun to find a recipe that was current during that period. [...]
i’ve been going nuts about repeal day sense my first year as a legally drinking adult. it’s my favorite holiday; openly secular, openly all about getting a buzz on, and the only holiday that is based on actual people in this country gaining a freedom. it’s an excellent thing.
I’m late for 2006 but there is no way I’ll miss this for 2007! Thanks for the great suggestion.
22 Jun 2007 at 12:09 pm 35. John
Love the site. Here in Western PA we actually started a club call the B.O.A.R.D. (The Brotherhood of Appreciating Repeal Day) We have five members and are planning our first party for Dec. 5th 2007.
That sounds great! Keep us updated about the Brotherhood, I’d love to know what you have planned for this year!
Jeff
15 Nov 2007 at 10:13 pm 37. Richard
Last month on November 5th, a date popularized recently by the movie V for Vendetta, over $4 million dollars was raised online in a single day for a presidential candidate who has worked tirelessly for Americans’ liberty in Washington DC for decades. You probably haven’t heard of him.
December 5th seems like a fitting date for a campaign donation to the candidate YOU think best defends your liberty. Maybe one who understands and cares that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on the new Prohibition, the war on drugs. One who realizes that the solution that is far worse than the problem, and always has been. Just like Prohibition.
Celebrate alcohol prohibition, and do something about full prohibition.
I agree with your argument that Prohibition still exists in the United States, and I feel I should mention that this celebration is not limited to the alcohol industry.
I, a bartender, started this celebration as a way to enlighten Americans about the years this country spent in a very dark time, a time that should be remembered today.
Repeal Day belongs to all of us and was created by someone who wants to change the way Americans think and act about Prohibition of all sorts.
Thank you for commenting.
Jeff
19 Nov 2007 at 10:45 am 39. DW
Shouldn’t it be “Repealment Day”? I realise that grammar is hardly a priority in discussing a new drinking holiday–but, that aside, I really think that Repealment has more of a satisfying ring to it than Repeal, and that’s important if we want this to catch on.
Halloween is the 6th most profitable event for retailers? I would have guessed 2nd. (Unless you count “Black Friday”, the day after thanksgiving, as a holiday separate from Christmas. Then maybe third.)
20 Nov 2007 at 5:40 pm 41. REF
in college we actually used to celebrate December 5th as “the fifth day of christmas.” christmas decorations went up, santa hats were worn, and you couldn’t come in the door without your own fifth of liquor.
20 Nov 2007 at 5:41 pm 42. REF
however i am all for celebrating repeal day. screw the 18th amendment
[...] great video showing what life would be like if the Volstead Act had never been repealed. Also click HERE for a very good Bartender’s blog on the same [...]
26 Nov 2007 at 11:46 am 44. Tammi
Great article! I can’t wait to celebrate. It’s going on my permanent special dates calendar…..Now where to celebrate….
27 Nov 2007 at 11:08 am 45. Andrew
Hahaha! This is on my birthday! Awesome!
28 Nov 2007 at 8:31 pm 46. blingdawg
awesome. i will now spread the wonders of december 5th to everyone who even makes eye contact with me
30 Nov 2007 at 11:16 am 47. Bimburg
I sprained my drinking muscle a couple of weeks ago. I made a promise that I wouldn’t drink again until January 2. I made that promise before I learned of this holiday. I plan on trying the muscle again on that day. Just a light workout, you understand. No heavy lifting.
We’re having a party. Dec. 5th. Check out our blog for the complete story. Thanks.
30 Nov 2007 at 9:03 pm 49. wyzowl
It’s my birthdy.
01 Dec 2007 at 7:08 pm 50. Danno
You, sir, have just won the internets.
Cheers!!!
03 Dec 2007 at 1:53 pm 51. AShley
I am so glad that someone else has as much passion about this day and I do! I try telling everyone to come out and join the best day of the year…a to celebrate the fact that we can drink! Yay for Repeal Day! Thanks for getting the word out!
04 Dec 2007 at 7:20 am 52. Chris
I am stationed in Japan and I have brought tomorrow’s holiday to an international audience! The guys on my ship are going out to show that though we should “Remember, remember, the 5th of November,” we’ll never remember the 5th of December!
[...] Jeffrey Morgenthaler is spot on with his comments on the the often overlooked, though momentous occasion in American history, now known as Repeal Day: [...]
[...] In what is probably, now, another Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com Tradition, The Editors of Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com would like to remind you readers that to day is Repeal Day [...]
05 Dec 2007 at 10:54 am 55. Tim
HAPPY REPEAL DAY!
Let’s not argue the petty details (although I would submit that, the repeal of prohibition re-established the right to drink free of government interference. In the U.S. we are free to do whatever we want unless the state or Federal governments pass a law restricting those rights. Some rights cannot be abridged by law, the Constitution being the highest form of law in the U.S., but that does not negate the inherent or natural rights that exist without legislation), let’s drink to the triumph of individual freedom over the well-intentioned but misguided nanny-state that was Prohibition. CHEERS!!!
06 Dec 2007 at 3:04 pm 56. Nathanael Nerode
I want a way for a teetotaller to celebrate Repeal Day.
After all, the social pressure to drink alcohol was never higher than during Prohibition, and the amount of drunkenness was never higher. So I certainly approve of the end of Prohibition.
But I’m not about to celebrate by drinking alcohol!
I did my part here in Indianapolis. I looked at my Cocktail book collection and picked my 1930 “World Drinks and How To Mix Them” by Cocktail Bill Boothby. Grabbed a few friends and off we went to spread the word……
Everywhere we went we picked drinks out of the book with some great results. I also found a new favorite watering hole.
Win Win Win
Next year. The big 75th
Now on to the next holliday’s.
To all a Marry Christmas and a Liquid new year.
[...] started pushing Repeal Day a few years ago with some thoughts on why we should celebrate repeal day and even started the Repeal Day [...]
03 Dec 2008 at 10:10 am 64. Greg
I wanted to make a few handouts to educate those we may encounter on our crawl around Birmingham. May I have permission to use some of your graphics? I love the banners.
[...] Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of the 18th Amendment, and the unjustly Prohibition of tasty adult beverages; a day which many are taking as Repeal Day. [...]
05 Dec 2008 at 3:13 pm 69. John
today is my first repeal day celebration. jeff, you are a hero.
02 Jan 2009 at 9:16 pm 70. Alicia
Just found your excellent website when searching for a good ginger beer recipe. As a homebrewer in juneau alaska I’ve found your suggestions and complimentary links especially invigorating and served with that special bit o’ flair. Just a note on repeal day: we’ve been celebrating for years now (all through college and the aftermath) and are proud to say our homestate of maryland is well on the way of possibly making this a national holiday (not really). But truthfully we’ve gotten stories from our friends who have carried on the torch to their own places of settlement.
As theme-party geeks we used to go all out by making our 1930’s home look the part of a barbershop closed for the night, making the partygoers enter from the back door, going to the local vintage store and dressing the part, a bathtub full of gin, and plenty of jazz and blues and our pool table in full use.
It was always the best party of the year and I am glad to see public references to its existence.
thanks!
10 Feb 2009 at 1:02 am 71. Rhiannon
Please see the parallel between alcohol prohibition and the current drug prohibition. It is just as unfair and deadly. Please repeal it.
10 Feb 2009 at 1:03 am 72. Rhiannon
Please see the parallel between alcohol prohibition and the current drug prohibition. Drug prohibition is just as unfair and deadly. Please repeal it.
[...] first, a short primer for those who might not know what Repeal Day is all about. A few years ago, I wrote a piece on this website urging people to embrace a new celebratory holiday: the day Prohibition was repealed, December [...]
[...] bartending and mixology blogger Jeffrey Mogenthaler, arguably one of the first to propose treating the anniversary as a holiday, created the Repeal Day [...]
The boys at Spur Gastropub in Seattle published a link to your site and I am so glad to see others promoting Repeal Day so that it can finally be recognized as one of our greatest (if not *the* greatest) U.S. holiday. I’m currently celebrating by posting a series on the oldest bars in Seattle to the http://seattletwist.com blog.
[...] well worth celebrating, don’t you think? We have our friend Jeffrey Morgenthaler to thank for coming up with the idea to make this a widely-celebrated national holiday, and it’s getting more and more well-known [...]
I love the idea of a Repeal Day holiday. We have a couple of holidays just for us down here in key west like Fantasy Fests and we can always come up with a good reason to drink every day ;) but Yes, I’m with you Jeffrey, I’ll start doing my part to promote Dec. 5 Repeal Day as a national holiday.
I absolutely hate it when someone sends me a box full of sex toys in the mail. Sure, it might sound like fun to some of you (you know who you are), but receiving a big box of free sex is much more trouble than it’s worth. Believe me. So I get a [...]
Those who know me well are aware that I’ve been going on about this for years, but for some reason I’ve only just now remembered that I have my own website and can carry on the effort here.
Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17th), a national holiday in Ireland, is a feast day that commemorates Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It was brought to the United States by Irish immigrants and is now celebrated by Irish and non-Irish alike. Cities with large Irish populations host huge celebrations with parades, where scores of drunken fraternities swallow huge amounts of Guinness Stout, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Mickey’s Malt Liquor. Sometimes corned beef is eaten.
Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the the victory of Mexican troops over the French occupational army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. It has been adopted as a commercialized drinking holiday by the United States, where people flock to chain Mexican restaurants to gulp down huge quantities blended margaritas, shots of Jose Cuervo tequila and bottles of Corona beer. Chips and salsa are served.
Halloween (October 31st) began as a Celtic Pagan festival, named as the evening (e’en) before All Hallow’s Day on November 1st. Halloween wasn’t widely celebrated in the United States until the middle of the 20th century, and is now the sixth most profitable holiday for retailers. It is celebrated by this country’s drinking-age population in the form of dressing up in very slutty costumes and consuming large amounts of alcohol. Any kind. Dry ice is often involved.
08 Nov 2006 at 8:33 pm 1. McAuliflower
I’m putting this on my calendar now. Sounds like a perfect holiday.
ps- you should boing boing this post… seriously.
09 Nov 2006 at 7:59 pm 2. Scooter
This is so fucking brilliant. Plus, Canadians would be sooooo jealous.
I’m down. I want in on the ground floor. Fuck Halloween.
10 Nov 2006 at 5:05 pm 3. Stephan Fox
Thank you very much for this information, Jeffrey! I manage a bar in Columbus Ohio and there are definitely going to be drink specials and a major celebration that night!
15 Nov 2006 at 10:07 am 4. paul
I hear ya Jeff. I’m going to start promoting this day as well. It should also be recognized as the end to one of our country’s biggest mistakes, prohibition. Never forget.
22 Nov 2006 at 12:10 pm 5. Dr. Brownfinger
Conveniently liquor is sold in “5ths” I believe You can somehow tie this in.
Keep up the good work.
-Tyler
22 Nov 2006 at 2:22 pm 6. bivialtor
great idea!
sorry to play the pedant (prefer playing the fool: better lines), but Halloween (aka All Hallow’s Eve, i.e., the evening preceding All Saints Day (“All Holies Day,” thence “All Hallow’s Day”)) would be expressed as “e’en” as an abbreviation for “evening” (or, more literally, “even,” often used interchangeably with “evening,” as in “eventide”).
and, no, I’ll not proffer any citations for the above. I made it all up. No, really.
But thanks for the Dec. 5th message.
“Bottoms up!”
cheers, biviator
22 Nov 2006 at 3:59 pm 7. Jeffrey
Thanks for the heads-up, but it was more of a typo than anything! It’s corrected now, and all is well with the world…
22 Nov 2006 at 8:58 pm 8. Shanee
Since the 5th is also my birthday, and this year being the 25th, I will do everything in my will to make this day known to everyone possible. Thanks so much for clueing me in.
24 Nov 2006 at 1:33 pm 9. doug
good sir, you deserve a medal!
27 Nov 2006 at 12:15 pm 10. Lisa
Count me in!
27 Nov 2006 at 7:11 pm 11. Chipping the web - 0×0A -- Chip’s Quips
[...] I’m all over this new holiday. In fact, I’ll start celebrating today. Never mind, I’ve been celebrating for months. Thanks, Shelley. [...]
27 Nov 2006 at 8:27 pm 12. raincoaster
Canadians won’t be jealous; American Prohibition was certainly good for Canadian business, but I think we can raise a glass across the border for one day every year. On your part in celebration, on our part in congratulations on returning to the wet side.
01 Dec 2006 at 1:40 pm 13. JON
you are my hero
01 Dec 2006 at 8:46 pm 14. evilrose
It must of worked because tonight I saw a commercial for Repeal Day December 5th. Way to go and Happy Celebrating.
02 Dec 2006 at 9:22 am 15. FlaLiquorMan
Great Idea !
I wish I thought about this…
05 Dec 2006 at 12:58 pm 16. tBoner
This is freaking GENIUS!!!!!
05 Dec 2006 at 1:39 pm 17. StB
Fantastic idea. Time to help get the word out!
05 Dec 2006 at 1:58 pm 18. MAIRZ
I read this story a while back, and was literally blown away when I opened my New York Times this morning and saw what your article had led to. You’ve singlehandedly created a day we can all be proud of, mr. Morgenthaler.
05 Dec 2006 at 2:13 pm 19. boobs
Sounds like a great reason to celbrate. I’m canadian but i totally support any reason for friends to get together and a have a couple of drinks for a cause. Even though i’m not an amaerican i will still join in americas new reason to drink, because we all can.
05 Dec 2006 at 2:15 pm 20. boobs
Sounds like a great reason to celebrate. I’m canadian but i totally support any reason for friends to get together and a have a couple of drinks for a good reason. Even though i’m not an american i will still join in americas new reason to drink, because we all can.
05 Dec 2006 at 4:53 pm 21. Daniel
Sorry, no. The Twenty-First Amendment was written to ensure that it did not guarantee such a right: “Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.” The effects of Section 2 are at least two-fold. First, Federal control over interstate commerce was abridged; in the absence of this section, states could have prohibitted domestic manufacture and purely intra-state transactions, but inter-state sales would have remained the province of the national government. Second, any significance here of the Fourteenth Amendment is also negated. In fact, the Twenty-First Amendment doesn’t even prevent the Congress from now outlawing inter-state commerce in alcohol. And, if Congress more ambitiously sought to impose national prohibition by ordinary statuory law, then courts could entertain the same specious arguments as are now being used to prevent states such as California from decriminalizing some drug use.
05 Dec 2006 at 5:15 pm 22. NYD
Great post. Thanks for the history lesson. Will be marking it down on my calendar, spreading the news and celebrating… Responsibly of course.
05 Dec 2006 at 6:01 pm 23. Chipping the web - years of resentment -- Chip’s Quips
Happy Repeal Day, everyone! (Thanks again for the pointer, Shelley ). Yes, 73 years ago today, state conventions affirmed the pointlessness of restricting individual liberties in an attempt to protect people from themselves. Now if we could only get governments to extend that principle and remove remaining nanny laws. A toast: Libertas inaestimabilis res est.
05 Dec 2006 at 6:10 pm 24. Kurt
Daniel is right. There is a difference between having a Constitutional right (freedom of assembly) and the lack of a constitutional ban (alcohol and, I suppose, chicken dancing). It is 100% false to say “We have the constitutional right to do so. How many forms of pleasure are guaranteed by the Constitution? ” While I like the idea of this celebration, I dislike willfully uninformed masses — especially when drunk. Anyway, drink up!
05 Dec 2006 at 7:14 pm 25. Jeffrey
Okay, so the 21st Amendment doesn’t guarantee us all the right to consume alcohol. But it did repeal the amendment that did, and I stick by my guns: the fifth of December is a day to be celebrated.
Thanks for the info, guys! I need to shower and put on my Repeal Day outfit. There are drinks to be consumed, and service staff to be tipped!
Talk to you all tomorrow.
Jeff
05 Dec 2006 at 8:32 pm 26. A Dash of Bitters » Happy Repeal Day!
[...] If you read any cocktail blogs other than this one (and, by God, you really should), you already know this is Repeal Day, the seventy-third anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. To celebrate, I dove into a vintage cocktail book, Robert Vermeire’s Cocktails: How to Mix Them, which first appeared in print in Great Britain in 1922, when the Untied States were in the middle of their crazy delusion called Prohibition. I thought it would be fun to find a recipe that was current during that period. [...]
06 Dec 2006 at 11:15 am 27. DrDrinkBastard
December 5th is Veteran’s Day for bartenders. Buy them a drink on their special day.
08 Dec 2006 at 8:49 am 28. Married ...with dinner
21st amendment…
No, not the brewpub… The constitutional thingie.
As described by The Cocktail Chronicles, tonight’s the night to celebrate Repeal Day…
…the fabulous new drink holiday proposed by Jeffrey Morgenthaler to commemorate the end o…
12 Dec 2006 at 1:52 pm 29. jasonfifi
i’ve been going nuts about repeal day sense my first year as a legally drinking adult. it’s my favorite holiday; openly secular, openly all about getting a buzz on, and the only holiday that is based on actual people in this country gaining a freedom. it’s an excellent thing.
12 Dec 2006 at 1:52 pm 30. jasonfifi
oops, since*
15 Dec 2006 at 9:52 am 31. Tom
Excellent idea, I am fully on board. It’s celebratory, and civic-minded.
This could, perhaps, spark a rash of new holidays celebrating each of the most important amendments. I look forward to it.
21 Feb 2007 at 5:28 pm 32. Sara R
I love it. A truly creative way to celebrate America’s freedom. Who knew learning could be so very fun!!
20 Mar 2007 at 11:03 am 33. Brian
No one discriminates against gay leprechauns! *cough* Tom Cruise *cough*
19 May 2007 at 11:33 am 34. Anastacia
I’m late for 2006 but there is no way I’ll miss this for 2007! Thanks for the great suggestion.
22 Jun 2007 at 12:09 pm 35. John
Love the site. Here in Western PA we actually started a club call the B.O.A.R.D. (The Brotherhood of Appreciating Repeal Day) We have five members and are planning our first party for Dec. 5th 2007.
22 Jun 2007 at 1:42 pm 36. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
John
That sounds great! Keep us updated about the Brotherhood, I’d love to know what you have planned for this year!
Jeff
15 Nov 2007 at 10:13 pm 37. Richard
Last month on November 5th, a date popularized recently by the movie V for Vendetta, over $4 million dollars was raised online in a single day for a presidential candidate who has worked tirelessly for Americans’ liberty in Washington DC for decades. You probably haven’t heard of him.
December 5th seems like a fitting date for a campaign donation to the candidate YOU think best defends your liberty. Maybe one who understands and cares that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on the new Prohibition, the war on drugs. One who realizes that the solution that is far worse than the problem, and always has been. Just like Prohibition.
Celebrate alcohol prohibition, and do something about full prohibition.
16 Nov 2007 at 4:06 am 38. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Richard
Thank you for writing.
I agree with your argument that Prohibition still exists in the United States, and I feel I should mention that this celebration is not limited to the alcohol industry.
I, a bartender, started this celebration as a way to enlighten Americans about the years this country spent in a very dark time, a time that should be remembered today.
Repeal Day belongs to all of us and was created by someone who wants to change the way Americans think and act about Prohibition of all sorts.
Thank you for commenting.
Jeff
19 Nov 2007 at 10:45 am 39. DW
Shouldn’t it be “Repealment Day”? I realise that grammar is hardly a priority in discussing a new drinking holiday–but, that aside, I really think that Repealment has more of a satisfying ring to it than Repeal, and that’s important if we want this to catch on.
20 Nov 2007 at 7:48 am 40. nathan
Halloween is the 6th most profitable event for retailers? I would have guessed 2nd. (Unless you count “Black Friday”, the day after thanksgiving, as a holiday separate from Christmas. Then maybe third.)
20 Nov 2007 at 5:40 pm 41. REF
in college we actually used to celebrate December 5th as “the fifth day of christmas.” christmas decorations went up, santa hats were worn, and you couldn’t come in the door without your own fifth of liquor.
20 Nov 2007 at 5:41 pm 42. REF
however i am all for celebrating repeal day. screw the 18th amendment
22 Nov 2007 at 10:14 pm 43. Dec 5th - A New American Drinking Holiday | The Hernandez Life
[...] great video showing what life would be like if the Volstead Act had never been repealed. Also click HERE for a very good Bartender’s blog on the same [...]
26 Nov 2007 at 11:46 am 44. Tammi
Great article! I can’t wait to celebrate. It’s going on my permanent special dates calendar…..Now where to celebrate….
27 Nov 2007 at 11:08 am 45. Andrew
Hahaha! This is on my birthday! Awesome!
28 Nov 2007 at 8:31 pm 46. blingdawg
awesome. i will now spread the wonders of december 5th to everyone who even makes eye contact with me
30 Nov 2007 at 11:16 am 47. Bimburg
I sprained my drinking muscle a couple of weeks ago. I made a promise that I wouldn’t drink again until January 2. I made that promise before I learned of this holiday. I plan on trying the muscle again on that day. Just a light workout, you understand. No heavy lifting.
30 Nov 2007 at 2:26 pm 48. John
We’re having a party. Dec. 5th. Check out our blog for the complete story. Thanks.
30 Nov 2007 at 9:03 pm 49. wyzowl
It’s my birthdy.
01 Dec 2007 at 7:08 pm 50. Danno
You, sir, have just won the internets.
Cheers!!!
03 Dec 2007 at 1:53 pm 51. AShley
I am so glad that someone else has as much passion about this day and I do! I try telling everyone to come out and join the best day of the year…a to celebrate the fact that we can drink! Yay for Repeal Day! Thanks for getting the word out!
04 Dec 2007 at 7:20 am 52. Chris
I am stationed in Japan and I have brought tomorrow’s holiday to an international audience! The guys on my ship are going out to show that though we should “Remember, remember, the 5th of November,” we’ll never remember the 5th of December!
04 Dec 2007 at 8:46 am 53. Frank151 » Blog Archive » Happy Repeal Day!
[...] Jeffrey Morgenthaler is spot on with his comments on the the often overlooked, though momentous occasion in American history, now known as Repeal Day: [...]
05 Dec 2007 at 10:46 am 54. Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com » Happy Repeal Day!
[...] In what is probably, now, another Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com Tradition, The Editors of Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com would like to remind you readers that to day is Repeal Day [...]
05 Dec 2007 at 10:54 am 55. Tim
HAPPY REPEAL DAY!
Let’s not argue the petty details (although I would submit that, the repeal of prohibition re-established the right to drink free of government interference. In the U.S. we are free to do whatever we want unless the state or Federal governments pass a law restricting those rights. Some rights cannot be abridged by law, the Constitution being the highest form of law in the U.S., but that does not negate the inherent or natural rights that exist without legislation), let’s drink to the triumph of individual freedom over the well-intentioned but misguided nanny-state that was Prohibition. CHEERS!!!
06 Dec 2007 at 3:04 pm 56. Nathanael Nerode
I want a way for a teetotaller to celebrate Repeal Day.
After all, the social pressure to drink alcohol was never higher than during Prohibition, and the amount of drunkenness was never higher. So I certainly approve of the end of Prohibition.
But I’m not about to celebrate by drinking alcohol!
07 Dec 2007 at 3:02 am 57. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Nathanael
We all celebrate Repeal Day in our own way, I suppose.
Cheers.
Jeff
07 Dec 2007 at 7:58 am 58. Bruce Tomlinson
Thank You Jeff
Hope you had a great time in Manhattan.
I did my part here in Indianapolis. I looked at my Cocktail book collection and picked my 1930 “World Drinks and How To Mix Them” by Cocktail Bill Boothby. Grabbed a few friends and off we went to spread the word……
Everywhere we went we picked drinks out of the book with some great results. I also found a new favorite watering hole.
Win Win Win
Next year. The big 75th
Now on to the next holliday’s.
To all a Marry Christmas and a Liquid new year.
28 Jan 2008 at 6:35 pm 59. Jeremy
I will make Repeal Day an event at my place.
Jeremy J. J. Allen
Tin Spirits
Grapevine, TX
29 Jan 2008 at 1:50 pm 60. Justin Time
inflated sense of ego from holding a firearm or speaking in public?
Are you for real? If someone dares speak up or owns a firearm they are just stroking their ego according to you?
Insane.. but then again.. drunks are like that.
11 Nov 2008 at 12:56 pm 61. Niv
I’ve never given serious thought to Repeal Day until now. I’ll be sure to celebrate and spread the word!
20 Nov 2008 at 1:36 pm 62. Jeffrey Morgenthaler » What Are You Doing on Repeal Day?
[...] few years ago I posted some thoughts about why Americans should celebrate the anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition, and since then [...]
01 Dec 2008 at 9:00 am 63. Repeal Day is Almost Here!!!! | The Scotch Blog
[...] started pushing Repeal Day a few years ago with some thoughts on why we should celebrate repeal day and even started the Repeal Day [...]
03 Dec 2008 at 10:10 am 64. Greg
I wanted to make a few handouts to educate those we may encounter on our crawl around Birmingham. May I have permission to use some of your graphics? I love the banners.
04 Dec 2008 at 4:03 pm 65. Jason
On your main page you stated that Repeal Day is the only holiday that celebrates a law that guarantee our rights, but that is not correct.
December 15th is Bill of Rights day.
It has been around since 1941. It celebrates “All of the Bill of Rights for all Citizens” It’s also a Presidentially declared holiday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights#Display_and_honoring_of_the_Bill_of_Rights
Regards,
/Jason
05 Dec 2008 at 4:23 am 66. Agatha
Its my birthday too, so i guess its an all drink day for me and friends you all can join too………
05 Dec 2008 at 6:29 am 67. Breakfast à la carte - Crispy on the Outside
[...] Repeal Day! Where I’ll be part of the “overwhelming response” of celebrating nerdy [...]
05 Dec 2008 at 12:31 pm 68. Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com » Repeal Day 2008
[...] Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of the 18th Amendment, and the unjustly Prohibition of tasty adult beverages; a day which many are taking as Repeal Day. [...]
05 Dec 2008 at 3:13 pm 69. John
today is my first repeal day celebration. jeff, you are a hero.
02 Jan 2009 at 9:16 pm 70. Alicia
Just found your excellent website when searching for a good ginger beer recipe. As a homebrewer in juneau alaska I’ve found your suggestions and complimentary links especially invigorating and served with that special bit o’ flair. Just a note on repeal day: we’ve been celebrating for years now (all through college and the aftermath) and are proud to say our homestate of maryland is well on the way of possibly making this a national holiday (not really). But truthfully we’ve gotten stories from our friends who have carried on the torch to their own places of settlement.
As theme-party geeks we used to go all out by making our 1930’s home look the part of a barbershop closed for the night, making the partygoers enter from the back door, going to the local vintage store and dressing the part, a bathtub full of gin, and plenty of jazz and blues and our pool table in full use.
It was always the best party of the year and I am glad to see public references to its existence.
thanks!
10 Feb 2009 at 1:02 am 71. Rhiannon
Please see the parallel between alcohol prohibition and the current drug prohibition. It is just as unfair and deadly. Please repeal it.
10 Feb 2009 at 1:03 am 72. Rhiannon
Please see the parallel between alcohol prohibition and the current drug prohibition. Drug prohibition is just as unfair and deadly. Please repeal it.
27 Mar 2009 at 8:38 pm 73. BEEFEATER - LONDON DRY GIN - AND SPONSORED TDN | A Mountain Of Crushed Ice
[...] In the US, repeal day came dec5 in 1933 and that is really a day to celebrate! [...]
24 Nov 2009 at 2:03 pm 74. Jeffrey Morgenthaler » Repeal Day is December Fifth
[...] first, a short primer for those who might not know what Repeal Day is all about. A few years ago, I wrote a piece on this website urging people to embrace a new celebratory holiday: the day Prohibition was repealed, December [...]
01 Dec 2009 at 11:34 am 75. Toasting Repeal Day 2009
[...] bartending and mixology blogger Jeffrey Mogenthaler, arguably one of the first to propose treating the anniversary as a holiday, created the Repeal Day [...]
02 Dec 2009 at 10:00 pm 76. Repeal Day 2009
[...] For other thoughts on Repeal Day, check out Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s blog entry on Repeal Day. [...]
03 Dec 2009 at 5:26 pm 77. Peter A.
The boys at Spur Gastropub in Seattle published a link to your site and I am so glad to see others promoting Repeal Day so that it can finally be recognized as one of our greatest (if not *the* greatest) U.S. holiday. I’m currently celebrating by posting a series on the oldest bars in Seattle to the http://seattletwist.com blog.
Cheers,
Pete
05 Dec 2009 at 12:54 pm 78. Looka!» Blog Archive » Happy Repeal Day!
[...] well worth celebrating, don’t you think? We have our friend Jeffrey Morgenthaler to thank for coming up with the idea to make this a widely-celebrated national holiday, and it’s getting more and more well-known [...]
19 Apr 2010 at 9:07 am 79. Key West Scooter Rental guy
I love the idea of a Repeal Day holiday. We have a couple of holidays just for us down here in key west like Fantasy Fests and we can always come up with a good reason to drink every day ;) but Yes, I’m with you Jeffrey, I’ll start doing my part to promote Dec. 5 Repeal Day as a national holiday.