Jeffrey Morgenthaler

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 December 5th is the anniversary of the day the United States repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and gave us all the constitutional right to consume alcohol.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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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!

Well, the response to Repeal Day hasn’t been this good since the first Repeal Day. I’ve talked to bartenders, bloggers, mixologists, and ordinary drink-minded people all over the country who are getting excited about celebrating December Fifth with me.

• Paul over at Drink This Blog is behind us all the way, and is spreading the word to bartenders in person and with his brand-new classic cocktail blog.
• The folks behind Modern Drunkard Magazine love Repeal Day. They’re talking about it in their forums, they’ve linked to us, and they’re even working on a story for the next issue! If you’ve never visited Modern Drunkard, do yourself a favor and read up, it’s a brilliant tongue-in-cheek look at modern drinking culture.
• The guys over at DC Drinks are my kind of guys. Not only do they write one of the best-written drink blogs on the ‘net, replete with brilliant cynicism and witty commentary, but they’re so behind Repeal Day that they’re making me look bad. They’re going to be celebrating the Fifth at Billy Martin’s Tavern in Washington, D.C., which opened its doors on December 5, 1933. Repeal Day O.G.!
• The Art of Drink is the mothership of drink blogs.  Darcy O’Neil has put together a site that collects the best of what’s out there and I’m so glad he’s decided to join me in celebrating Repeal Day.  Hi, Darcy!
• I wish I had a lot of time on my hands – like Michael from Days that End in ‘Y’ – because if I did, I’d certainly try to put together a site that was as comprehensive as his.  He’s got one of the most frequently-updated sites out there, and he knows it.  He even suggested to me that if he doesn’t do something for Repeal Day, we should all let him have it.

There you have it, folks.  We’ve got almost 20 more days left until the big day, so get out there and exercise your First Amendment right to uh, talk about the, uh, Twenty-First Amendment.  Something like that.

Jill and Dale DeGroff over at the Museum of the American Cocktail are celebrating Repeal Day with us…

Is December 5th marked on your calendars? No? Well it should be. It was on this day in 1933 that the 21st Amendment was ratified, thus ending Prohibition.

…and they’ve found some great videos online.

Hop on over to the Museum for a great piece on Repeal Day, and then click the big buttons below to watch the videos.

I’m honored to read that Gawker had a nice little blurb about Repeal Day today. They didn’t mention this site, but they did point to a fabulous article over at Chow about the new day of celebration.

Thanks, Gawker and Chow! The Twenty-First Amendment and I are forever in your debt.

Also, in honor of the word spreading about December 5th, I’m creating a category dedicated to Repeal Day, so you can catch all of your Repeal Day news in one place. Here’s the link.

Well, thanks to all of you, Repeal Day is quickly on its way to becoming a widely-celebrated day in this country. I appreciate all of your hard work spreading the word about this important day in American history.

Did you know that beer was made legal eight months before wine and liquor? Budweiser may be celebrating this moment, but I prefer to hold out for December 5th every year.

I found a liquor store in Brooklyn that will be celebrating Repeal Day with us by having a sale that lasts until midnight!

Have any Repeal Day news or events of your own? Send them to me and I’ll try to post them here.

Every once in a while I’ll get a letter from someone in the business, and I just can’t help but share it with you all. Today I received this in the mail from the good people at Dewar’s Scotch:

Hello Jeff,

I can see you are ready to toast Repeal Day!

As you know, December 5th will mark the anniversary of Repeal Day; it was on this date in 1933 that the 21st Amendment was ratified and Prohibition was terminated. And, Dewar’s Scotch – the first legal whisky to arrive in the U.S. – hit New York’s South Street Seaport docks the moment the law was put into action. Joseph Kennedy, Sr. (JFK’s father) happened to be the US agent for the brand.

Now, a lot of people have suggested that Joseph Kennedy was a bootlegger, which he may or may not have been. But what he really was, was the owner of a company named Somerset Importers. Somerset owned the exclusive rights to import Dewar’s Schotch and Gordon’s Gin, and right before Repeal, Somerset stocked up. Big time. Once Prohibition was over, they sold the premium liquors for a hefty profit, and Joe was a rich man.

Why not celebrate this significant day in American history with some vintage cocktails – The Dewar’s Old Fashioned; Dewar’s Highball; Ward Eight; and the Rob Roy. Try out the recipes, and enjoy at your favorite speakeasy.

Lesley

Now, I can’t vouch for the quality of the recipes she sent along, because I’m not intimately acquainted with the flavor of Dewar’s Scotch. This may have something to do with the fact that Dewar’s Scotch has never flown me to Scotland to tour their facility and then write several articles about the experience. They have also never sent me a box containing their entire product line to sample and review. So, until I’m more familiar with their products through one of these methods, I’ll just have to explore other liquors.

Next up, Dewar’s has taken things one step further for all of us and our very important cause. They’re taking out a full-color insert in the December 5th edition of The New York Times announcing their commitment to Repeal Day. Here’s a preview:

Wow! I’d love to stop and say thanks right now, but Dewar’s had to take it to the next level for us. Watch this video they put together.

Thanks for all of your support, Dewar’s! Now, can we get any other liquor companies on board?

Okay, so I’ve been pressured into offering this stuff (well, there’s only one shirt for now – CafePress kinda sucks) so I’m doing it. I don’t even know if you’ll be able to get this shirt before Repeal Day, but it’s worth a shot. I just bought myself a navy blue one. I like the white text.

Here’s the link to the CafePress store.

I do want to mention that I haven’t marked this t-shirt up one cent, so I’m not making any money off this. Zilch. Not a dime. I wouldn’t try to get rich off the Twenty-First amendment, I just want to advertise it on your chest. So it may seem a little spendy, but I’m paying exactly what you’re paying – CafePress gets all the money. And my navy blue model is on its way here.

Whew, it’s been a long month! Are you guys ready for Repeal Day? I’m certainly ready to celebrate after all of the recent hard work. We’ll be out toasting the town and educating the masses tonight, so I’ll be sure to take the camera along and post pictures upon my hazy return home.

Thanks again to all of you out there who got on the bandwagon and helped me spread the word about this. Celebrate in style tonight, but please be careful and make sure you have a designated driver. I want to make sure you’re all around for the 75th anniversary of Repeal Day in two years, okay?