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In 1929, it was estimated that every week bootleggers brought twenty-two thousand gallons of whiskey, moonshine and other spirits into Washington, D.C.'s three thousand speakeasies. H.L. Mencken called it the "thirteen awful years," though it was sixteen for the District. Nevertheless, the bathtub gin-swilling capital dwellers made the most of Prohibition. Author Garrett Peck crafts a rollicking history brimming with stories of vice, topped off with vintage cocktail recipes and garnished with a walking tour of former speakeasies. Join Peck as he explores an underground city ruled not by organized crime but by amateur bootleggers, where publicly teetotaling congressmen could get a stiff drink behind House office doors and the African American community of U Street was humming with a new sound called jazz.
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"...pops the cork off this conflicted era in the nation's capital, complete with vintage cocktail recipes, a walking tour of Prohibition-related sites, [and] plenty of entertaining history." --Hill Rag, May 2011
"In short, it's a fascinating account of our past." --Washington Life, May 17, 2011
"The reader will come away amused, astonished, and greatly relieved that the days of Prohibition have long passed." --AlcoholReviews.com, May 18, 2011
"District residents were incredibly good at finding a way around the ban on booze." - DCist, October 31, 2011
"Peck churned out one quirky anecdote after another, giving the audience a catalog of fun facts to pull out at happy hours." - National Journal Daily, May 8, 2012
About the Author
Garrett Peck is a literary journalist and craft beer-drinking, wine-collecting, gin-loving, bourbon-sipping, Simpsons-quoting, early morning-rising history dork. He is the author of The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet and leads the Temperance Tour of Prohibition-related sites in Washington, D.C. Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren't is his second book. A native Californian and Virginia Military Institute graduate, he lives in lovely Arlington, Virginia.
Garrett Peck is an independent historian and literary journalist. He is the author of four books: "The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet;" "Prohibition in Washington, DC: How Dry We Weren't;" and "The Potomac River: A History and Guide." Peck's fourth and latest book, "The Smithsonian Castle and the Seneca Quarry," was released in February 2013.
Peck also leads the "Temperance Tour" of Prohibition-related sites in the nation's capital, as well as tours of Seneca quarry. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and earned a master's degree in international affairs at George Washington University. Peck has worked nearly two decades in marketing and is a former U.S. Army officer. A native Californian, he lives in Arlington, Virginia. www.garrettpeck.com
This is a great local history by someone who leads the Prohibition tour around D.C. and obviously has a great personal interest in the subject matter. An interesting read for any Washingtonian curious about what was happening in D.C. during Prohibition, and how the city where the law was passed acted during the noble experiment. Peck interviews local relatives of Prohibition figures and explores the haunts of Prohibition excess and the most notable local characters. A great read for anyone interested in the subject matter.
This book is so much more than a mere re-hash of Mr. Peck's popular "Temperance Tour." The book is well-researched and includes many "then and now" pictures, lots of interesting facts -- e.g., during Prohibition, any well-heeled Washingtonian could get a drink by snagging a invitation to an embassy event -- and even some vintage highball formulas. The book makes a great gift.
Historian and author Garrett Peck has written an informative, interesting, and entertaining book about Prohibition in Washington, DC. For those who pass sites in DC every day, it's a particularly great read --"Oh, so that's what went on in this building eighty years ago?" For those looking to liberate themselves from the Appletini and other similar "concoctions," the recipes in "Cocktail Interlude" will provide welcome relief. Whether you enjoy history, liquor, DC, or just some enjoyable reading on a Sunday afternoon, this book will be very satisfying.
What fun! Peck nicely combines his skill as a tour guide (he leads a Temperance Tour in DC) and as a popular historian to good effect. "How Dry We Weren't" is a breezy read that gives the reader a real appreciation of the lunacy of Prohibition and its rotten effects on our nation's capitol.
Those of you who resent Republican attempts to legislate morality will take heart from Garrett Peck's fascinating story of "Prohibition in Washington: How Dry We Weren't." Peck's description of t genesis and ultimate he failure of prohibition demonstrates the futility of trying to force other Americans to adopt standards contrary to common sense and popular will. Peck's entertaining and easy to read tale of the bootleggers and speakeasies in Washington DC during prohibition is filled with irony. Most interesting is the hypocrisy of the Congressmen and Senators who voted dry to appease their constituents and then retired to their offices or private venues to imbibe. Anyone who takes the time to read this book will get a close-up of the Washington of nearly a hundred years ago and, if they live in or have been in Washington, will recognize many of the venues.
Following on the heels of his first book, "The Prohibition Hangover", Garrett Peck's new book covers the history, the impact, and the legacy of prohibition on the city of Washington, DC. If you live in DC, you'll recognize the many locations cited in the book. (Some are still in business today.) If not, you'll get a flavor for the city, which was supposed to be the Temperance Movement's "poster child" for the dry cause, but was anything but. The book makes clear that hypocrisy in politics is nothing new - presidents and Congressmen alike publicly supported prohibition, while privately imbibing in their own personal stashes of booze.
The book is light and fun - it's filled with old-time photos and maps, and even includes a section of cocktail recipes from Washington's history (including the original "Joe Rickey", called "air conditioning in a glass").
All-in-all, a fast and fascinating read on a unique chapter in American history.
Great, fast Christmas break read. Lots of historical tidbits and very interesting for a DC resident. However, my main gripe is that most chapters are only just historical tidbits that just scratch the surface of information before moving on. Kind of kept me wanting a little more in-depth research, but overall an enjoyable book.
Author Garrett Peck knows how to keep his readers entertained. He starts with a fascinating topic--how DID we manage to actually change the U.S. Constitution to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages? And what was it like to live those years in Washington? Peck weaves many engaging tidbits into this crazy story and tells many side tales about businesses that went bust or shady characters that suddenly learned valuable new trades when the rules of the game changed suddenly and then almost-as-suddenly changed back again. "How Dry We Weren't" sums it all up, and I recommend a good glass of wine or a favorite bottle of beer as you sit back and enjoy this very engaging book.
