Dinner & A Book - Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

Join me and my guest, Kathy Freese as we learn some sobering facts about prohibition in Daniel Okrent's "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" as we prepare some intoxicating dishes on Dinner and a Book.

On January 16, 1920 the streets were jammed as people began stockpiling beer, liquor, and wine before midnight when Prohibition began with the creation of the 18th amendment. Most people today know about Prohibition from the movies about Al Capone and The Untouchables. But, how did Prohibition come to be? Who were the players? What were the outcomes and was it worth it? Let's join my guest, Kathy Freese, as we discuss this strange period in American history while preparing a menu of tasty dishes prepared with alcohol before the clock strikes midnight.

Okrent, who has rescued an important, relevant, and colorful chapter of American history, explores Americans' relationship with the bottle dating back to the colonial era and analyzes the long-term effects of Prohibition on everything--from the rise of the Mafia and the Ku Klux Klan to language, art, and literature. Fast-paced and fascinating, his narrative assembles a wide collection of comical stories and outrageous personalities, such as the hatchet-wielding Carrie Nation. He explodes clichés and bypasses widely known tales of bootlegging and bathtub gin in favor of more unfamiliar accounts.