In 1920, buying your sweetheart a drink on Valentine’s day was clandestine and risky. Probation had begun on January 17th, 1920 and across America, it was a scramble to get bootleg liquor to smoky speakeasies tucked away in hotel basements and hidden Jazz bars. Bartenders had to great creative to cover up a particularly bad batch of hastily made whiskey or to stretch limited, sporadic supplies. Adding juices, honey, and other inventive ingredients grew into many iconic drinks still popular today. A prohibition favorite, the martini, came from the relative ease of making illegal gin. Here are some of the famous beverages during the ban and two new Fischer and Wieser recipes with a twist on the martini.
STRAWBERRY LEMON DROP MARTINI
2 ounces (1/4 cup) quality vodka
3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) triple sec
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lemon juice (Juice from 1/2 large lemon)
3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) simple syrup
1 tablespoon Fischer & Wieser Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves
Ice
Lemon slice and sugar, for glass rim
Strawberry and lemon for garnish
Moisten the rim of a chilled martini glass with a lemon slice, turn the glass upside down and twist into the sugar, set aside.
Add vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, simple syrup, Strawberry Rubarb preserve, and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds or until very cold. Strain into the prepared martini glass and serve immediately.
BLACKBERRY LEMON DROP MARTINI
2 ounces (1/4 cup) quality vodka
3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) triple sec
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lemon juice (Juice from 1/2 large lemon)
3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) simple syrup
1 tablespoon Fischer & Wieser Blackberry Lemon Preserve
Ice
Lemon slice and sugar, for glass rim
Blackberries and lemon for garnish
Moisten the rim of a chilled martini glass with a lemon slice, turn the glass upside down and twist into the sugar, set aside.
Add vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, simple syrup, Blackberry Lemon preserve, and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds or until very cold. Strain into the prepared martini glass and serve immediately.
Popular drinks from the 1920s:
French 75
What’s in it: Gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and dry champagne or sparkling wine.
Where it comes from: The French 75 was popularized at the Stork Club in New York. It is mentioned in the movie Casablanca and was also the era’s bad boy of literature, Ernest Hemingway’s favorite cocktail.
Sidecar
What’s in it: Cognac, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice over crushed ice, and a sugar rim.
Where it comes from: The official version of the story is that the Sidecar was created in Harry’s New York Bar.
Bee’s Knees
What’s in it: Gin, lemon juice, and honey.
Where it comes from: Adding a sweet element to a cocktail became popular during Prohibition because it was an easy way to mask the taste of poorly made liquor.
Mary Pickford
What’s in it: White rum, pineapple juice, maraschino liqueur, and grenadine.
Where it comes from: Mary Pickford was known as America’s sweetheart in the 1920s and starred in movies of the era.
