The Thicket

The Thicket Gin & Ingenious Invention in 18th Century London In 1816, Scottish immigrant William Carnochan constructed the Thicket Rum Distillery near Darien, Georgia, inspired by the myrtle-laden vegetation of the 400-acre Colonial Plantation. Darien, established...

The Midnight Ride

The Midnight Ride Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride and his Distillery Stop  Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, a crucial event before the Revolutionary War, is commonly associated with his urgent alert to the colonial militia. However, beyond this familiar tale,...

The Children’s Hour

The Children’s Hour Franklin D. Roosevelt won the hearts of booze-loving Americans and is mostly known for his promise to end nationwide Prohibition with the 21st Amendment. When Roosevelt came into office he first signed the Cullen–Harrison Act legalizing the...

Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon

Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon Heinold’s First and Last Chance in Oakland, California opened in 1883. Johnny Heinold was born in Germany and bought the building located near the ferry between Oakland and Alameda for $100. He converted the small...

JELL-O Shots

JELL-O Shots JELL-O is known today as “America’s Most Famous Dessert.” It was invented by a cparenter named Pearle Bixby and his wife. Both lived in Rochester, New York, in the small town of Leroy, where they run a local cough syrup manufacturing,...

The Whiskey Ring

The Whiskey Ring The Whiskey Ring was a political scandal in 1875. The scheme started with distilleries bribing government officials, and these officials helped distillers to avoid federal taxes. After the Civil War whiskey tax increased to 70 cents a gallon. The...

The Great Boston Molasses Flood

The Great Boston Molasses Flood In 1919 Boston was a center for rum distilling in North America. On January 15, around 12:30 p.m. the city of Boston was flooded with ca. 2.3 million US gal of molasses when the main spill tank of Purity Distilling Company (United...

The Rowdy Mayor Of Atlanta

The Rowdy Mayor Of Atlanta A rowdy is defined as “a person who behaves in a rough disorderly fashion”, and it may surprise that the first Mayor of Atlanta was a self proclaimed “Rowdy”, owned a saloon, and was selling still pots. Atlanta,...

The Oldest Bar in Georgia

The Oldest Bar in Georgia Georgia was founded as a dry colony forbidding the import, production, and trade of rum and brandies in the Colony. In November 1737 William Stephens, newly installed Secretary of the Colony of Georgia arrived in Savannah. Two month after his...