A "White Christmas" in the Keys

     The shopping season is coming to a close and it is time for all of us to celebrate Christmas for what it is really suppose to be.  Time with your friends and families, celebrating it in a way that is right for you.   For some people it has to be cold and snowy for it to be Christmas.  Others like to be in a rural scene or even a California sunny day for others.

     But for me, this is my idea of a "White Christmas."   However you celebrate, I hope yours is a merry one.

St. Croix Flavor of Rum Festival

     St. Croix Rum Festival “Flavor of Rum” is an annual event to promote St. Croix’s historical culture of spirits, food, music and arts. St. Croix Rum Festival takes place on Sunday, May 29, 2016 at the historical Fort Frederik in Frederiksted, St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands; overlooking the magnificent backdrop of the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility. Flavor of Rum is a one day event full of fun experience!

     This is the best opportunity to taste, sip and enjoy some of the world’s finest rums.   You’ll fine great food from some of St. Croix’s finest restaurants, live music, and a celebration of Virgin Islands joyful energy, culinary and musical richness and culture!   St. Croix Rum Festival is filled with entertainment:

     Keep these dates open, the information will be coming in the months prior to the event, but this has the potential of being a really fun festival on an island loaded with rum, culture and beauty.

Finally, a Day Drifting in the Dinghy Through Mud Key

     The weather has finally headed north and the 80 degree weather has hit Key West again.    Today is the perfect day to jump into the dinghy with camera in hand and enjoy some water time.   The seas were less than a foot as I headed out toward Channel Key to make the big turn to the North and Jewfish Basin.  A short trip across Jewfish Basin and into the channels of Mud Key.

     Mud Key is a Mangrove island that has various channels that chris - cross through the mangroves and provide the birds and the other wild life a secure home.   If you have you eyes open, you will see many of the islands birds and looking into the crystal clear waters, you will see a wide variety of marine life as well.

     Today as I arrived at the island and was headed into the first

channel, I was greeted by three osprey that circled above me and squawked at me for being in their fishing grounds.   I cruised ahead into the mangrove channel and to find  several other species of birds including gulls and a variety of wading birds.

     As I aprocached Mud Key Beach, I noticed a frigate bird and another osprey overhead.   Just around the corner was a condo of seagulls on some dead mangrove branches.   It is interesting to see areas where the mangroves have died and in the middle you will often find brand new shoots of young mangrove filling in where the ones had died.

      I love the Keys and the small latitudes because in the middle of December you can cruise out 12 to 15 miles out to sea in you swimsuit and get a tan in the warmth of the 80 degree sunshine.   On the way back, the wind did pick up a bit and shortened my trip a little, but what a wonderful and to long awaited trip to the uninhabited parts of the Keys.

Cana Brava 7 Year Old Reserva Aneja Rum

      Today we have a new addition to Caña Brava's line of rums. The 86 Company  announced the release of Caña Brava 7-Year-Old Reserva Añeja Rum.   This is their first dark aged spirit in the portfolio.  Holding to the standards of the award-winning, Caña Brava 3-Year-Old Carta Blanca Rum.  This expression was distilled and blended by legendary master of rum “Don Pancho” Fernandez in Panama.  There was a large amount of input from the professional bartenders in the spirit to work as a replacement for rye whiskey in classic and contemporary cocktail development.

     Caña Brava 7 begins with a selection of young and fresh rums handpicked by the "Don Pancho". The rums were blended to create base of aged rums which is then put back into used bourbon casks and further aged  util they have reached seven years before bottling.   

     “Caña Brava 7's character emphasizes the fresh cut sugarcane flavors associated with their style while the aging has added depth and richness you would expect from rum with this age.  The surprisingly dry finish and higher than normal proof.” according to Robert A. Burr.

Conch Time Cocktail

     I've had a bit of time lately to work in the Rum Lab again.  It has given me an opportunity to play with some new ideas.  Today we are looking a cocktail that brings several elements together to leave a sophisticated flavor behind as you sit down for the evening or just head out on the aft deck of the boat for a little bit of relaxation.






Conch Time Cocktail

• 2 oz.  Siesta Key Beer Barrel Aged Spiced Rum
• 1/2 oz.  Sweet Vermouth
• Dash of Angostura Bitters
• 1/2 oz. Licor 43
• 1 Maraschino Cherry
• 4  Ice Cubes

Directions:

 Pour rum, licor 43 and vermouth into a Shaker with ice cubes. Add Bitters, shake until chilled and strain into a rocks glass with 4 cubes of fresh ice and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Open Letter To The USBG From Flor de Cana

In an effort to be fair and show both sides of the situation in Central America with the sugarcane field workers, here is a letter from Carla Palazio, Office of the Presidency, Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua .   

Dear Members of the USBG:

     As you are likely aware, Flor de Caña is fielding inquires and follow-ups from bartenders who are concerned about working conditions at Ingenio San Antonio Sugar Mill (ISA). This comes on the heels of recent press about sugarcane workers with a kidney disease of unknown origin (i.e., Mesoamerican Nephropathy or CKDu).

     We share their passion. For many years now, we have been dedicating significant resources to this complex epidemic that is yet to be fully understood by the medical and occupational health communities. However, since we consider the articles incomplete, we would like to shed additional light on our efforts.

     While the press articles rightfully share concern and sympathy for workers with this unsolved kidney disease, they fail to reflect our own commitment and how deeply we care for, value, and invest in our workers. The articles have not discussed our openness to collaborating with many parties who have a vested interest in understanding, diagnosing and proposing solutions to this situation, nor referenced our research collaborations with academic medical partners such as Boston University and Baylor University. In fact, our current operational procedures reflect changes we've made based on the recommendations from these partners.

     We believe our continued work to advance knowledge and prevention programming is critical because our people are our greatest assets. This desire to protect their health and safety is in keeping with our 125-year legacy of building industry infrastructure that supports the development and welfare of our workforce. To that end, we hope to continue with what we have always done, which is put the education, transparency and health of our workers and communities at the forefront, even if it puts us in the crosshairs of debate.

     We look forward to continuing this dialogue with the USBG membership as ISA continues to work with the aim of eradicating CKDu. We will continue to communicate to you as things progress.

Thank you,

Carla Palazio

Office of the Presidency

Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua

One in Four Regret Drunken Behavior at Christmas

     The "Holiday Party Season" has arrived and this is an article that I think is  very important to keep in mind before you head off to your company party and end up making a fool of your self.   I've seen it before; I'll see it again and I've been guilty of it myself, but don't let it happen to you this season.  I think that this article makes it clear that a quarter of the people that drink too much at their holiday parties truly regret it in the days afterward.

     Drinkaware is warning revelers to watch how much alcohol they drink over Christmas, as research shows one in four regret drunken behavior over the festive season.    The research was carried by Opinion Matters on behalf of the alcohol education charity and showed 26% of adults have regretted something they did at a work Christmas party after drinking too much.

     The top five regrets were kissing or trying to kiss a colleague (37%), criticizing a superior or colleague (24%), being aggressive with a colleague (17%), over sharing personal issues (15%), and drinking too much and passing out from alcohol (13%).   Furthermore, 13% of workers confessed to pulling a sick day following the office Christmas party - the majority of whom were men (17%) compared to women (10%).  

What's more, more than half of those absences were due to embarrassment or regret over their behavior the night before (57%), while 36% were simply too hungover to go to work.   On a more serious note, approximately 50% of those who criticized their boss or superior and around 62% of those who acted aggressively were issued with warnings for their actions.

     "The festive season is a time to socialize with colleagues but as our research shows many of us may end up drinking more than we intended to, risking our health and potentially our professional reputation," said Elaine Hingal, chief executive of alcohol education charity Drinkaware.

     "The more alcohol you drink, the more vulnerable you are to a risky or even dangerous situation.   "Try making every other drink a soft one and avoid drinking in rounds to help you to drink at your own pace."

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/12/one-in-four-regret-drunken-behaviour-at-christmas/

The Wintery Skies of a Key West Evening

     Summer has all of the hot reds and oranges in the late afternoon, but winter in the Keys offers some of the most beautiful merging of the sun, clouds and the sea.  All of the ocean's shades of blue highlighted by the yellows of the sun and the whites and grays of the clouds.  Such a beautiful time down here in the littler latitudes.

UNITED STATES BARTENDERS GUILD OPENS DIALOGUE ON MESOAMERICAN NEPHROPATHY

The United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) has published an open letter from Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua as it seeks to “open a dialogue” on Mesoamerican nephropathy, a kidney disease thought to be disproportionately affecting cane harvesters in Central America.

     Mesoamerican nephropathy, or CKDu, is a currently unexplained epidemic of chronic kidney disease prevalent in communities along the Pacific coast. The disease mostly affects young and middle-aged male labourers in the agricultural sector, particularly sugarcane workers. 

       Although very little is known about the causes of CKDu, the rum industry, and in particular its sugar cane production, has come under intense criticism in recent years over concerns that working conditions could contribute to workers developing the disease.

     Aaron Gregory Smith, USBG executive director, said in an email that the Guild has “established a discussion forum” in order to “encourage open debate on the issue in a productive manner”. As part of its work, it has contacted research institutions and other NGOs to gain insight.

     Carla Palazio, from Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua, which produces Flor de Caña Rum, wrote the open letter to the USBG after receiving correspondence from bartenders concerned that working conditions at its Ingenio San Antonio Sugar Mill.

     “We share their passion,” Palazio opens. “For many years now, we have been dedicating significant resources to this complex epidemic that has yet to be understood by the medical and occupational health communities. However, since we consider the articles incomplete, we would like to shed additional light on our efforts.”   Palazio says that although press articles share concern and sympathy for workers with the unsolved kidney disease, they fail to reflect Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua’s commitment to its workers.

     In addition, the articles do not discuss the company’s “openness to collaborating with many parties who have a vested interest in understanding, diagnosing and proposing solutions to this situation, nor referenced our research collaborations with academic medical partners such as Boston University and Baylor University,” she writes.   The company’s current operational procedures reflect changes made based on the recommendations of these partners, she adds, referring to the company’s “continued work” to advance knowledge and prevention of the disease.

     The USBG concludes that the step towards establishing a dialogue is “only the first step”, and that it is looking forward to working with members, partners and other community stakeholders to “provide more insight” to the progress being made to fight the disease.

Those wanting to join the dialogue or looking for further information should contact the USBG.

Historic Beenleigh Rum Distillery Has Been Opened to Visitors

     Beenleigh Rum, owned by Bickford's Group,  is Australia's oldest rum and its distillery.   The Bickford's Group spokesman, Chris Illman, said visitor reactions to tours of the distillery, that officially started December 2, 2015, have been "nothing but positive".    "Consumers are looking to understand how to make great spirits.   This provides the opportunity to change how people view rum in this country." 

  The Queensland heritage register-listed Beenleigh Rum Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in Australia and is a rare survivor of Australia's early sugar industry. It commenced operations in 1884 and was the legal successor to a floating moonshine still, the SS Walrus, which drifted between cane plantations evading police in the early 19th century.

     The Distillery was original built on the banks of the Albert River"   The story of farmers who dabbled in this game of making rum."   Between 1981 and 2005 a museum featuring displays on the history of sugar and rum production in the Beenleigh area was open at the distillery.    The stills, vats and photos were relocated to the historic village at Beenleigh.    Queensland heritage register-listed Beenleigh Rum Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in Australia and is a rare survivor of Australia's Australia's oldest rum distillery has opened its doors to visitors for the first time since the 1980s.early sugar industry.    It commenced operations in 1884 and was the legal successor to a floating moonshine still, the SS Walrus, which drifted between cane plantations evading police in the early 19th century.   Between 1981 and 2005 a museum featuring displays on the history of sugar and rum production in the Beenleigh area was open at the distillery.    The stills, vats and photos were relocated to the Beenleigh Historical Village.  

     “The distillery has faced many challenges in its time, including being completely swept away in the 1887 Albert River flood, with the now iconic red building being built in the 1890's.    "It's the oldest continuously operated distillery in the Australia.  The story of this venerable distillery continues to be told to future generations," Chris Illman , Bickford Group Spokesman, said.

Gavin Butler

     On top of public tours of the distillery, Gavin Butler, manager and mixologist, said, "We can share with them the history of when the property was founded to the current day." "We'll take them to distillery and show them how we make the rum, as well as the great barrel room where we finish the rum.   "Visitors can also taste the products in the visitor’s center."

     Chris Illman said the number of tourists visiting South East Queensland is promising for the distillery.   "Four million people travel to Brisbane and the Gold Coast each year, both from interstate and internationally," Mr Illman said.  "Beenleigh is right in the middle so there is a huge opportunity for 200,000 people to visit annually.   "We're at such a close proximity to those hubs; it's a huge opportunity for local business to leverage off that."   Logan Mayor, Pam Parker, who has been a strong advocate for greater tourism in Logan, said the distillery showcased the region's history.   "It is wonderful to see history honored in this way," "I have no doubt tourists will embrace this trip down memory lane,” Mayor Parker said in her statement.

To book a tour of the Beenleigh Rum Distillery or for more information contact Gavin Butler at gavin.butler@beenleighrum.com.au.

Read More at http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/historic-and-iconic-rum-distillery-open-to-tourists-20151202-gldt9t.html

What is Killing Sugarcane Workers Across Central America?

     There has been a lot of talk about the sugarcane field workers contracting serious kidney diseases.  Kristina Wolf came up with this article from The Guardian in El Salvador.  This is an article that looks into the problem, to which they have not found what exactly causes it, but it is killing tens of thousands  sugarcane field workers throughout Central America.

Chronic kidney disease has killed tens of thousands of young men and is becoming more deadly. But nobody knows exactly what it is, or what to do about it

     It is stage five they fear the most. Stage five is the mysterious sickness in its deadliest form. "I'm entering stage five," Edilberto Mendez tells me as his wife looks on fretfully. I'm in their small home on the floodplains of Lempa River, in the dank sugar-lands of rural El Salvador, where they live in a community with about 150 other families. "How many others in the village have died of this?" I ask.   "Three close friends, just last year," says Edilberto. His wife interrupts, counting out on her fingers. "And my nephew, my brother, and Ramon, Carlos, Pablo…" She pauses. "I know three Pablos who have died of this."

     Edilberto's kidneys are beginning to fail. It means dialysis. "This is what they've told me," he says with a defensive shrug. "But I'm still walking around. I've seen many people have dialysis. As soon as they try it, they die. I don't want it." Edilberto has his wife to support, his deaf-mute 27-year-old son, and his six-year-old granddaughter.   "If you don't have dialysis you'll die," I say. "And then what will happen to your family?"   "They will be homeless."   Behind him, Edilberto's wife has started to cry. Holding a tissue to her face, she weeps: "He's the only one I have."   "Of those you know who have already died of the disease," I ask, "how many have worked in the sugar fields?"   "All of them."

    It goes by many names, but around here they call it "the malady of the sugar cane". It's a quiet epidemic that has been preying on Central America for at least 20 years, killing impoverished landworkers in their tens of thousands across Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala. And it is becoming ever more deadly. Between 2005 and 2009, incidents in El Salvador rose by 26%. By 2011 the chronic kidney disease (CKD) that is killing Edilberto had become the country's second-biggest killer of men.

     That year the health minister, María Isabel Rodríguez, made a dramatic appeal to the international community for help, telling them: "It is wasting away our populations." But nobody knows what to do about it, because nobody knows what exactly it is. In the wealthier west, CKD is largely caused by hypertension or diabetes, but most of the victims here have neither. And it attacks the kidneys in an unusual way. Rather than damaging the filtering system, as in ordinary CKD, this disease seems to have an impact on the tubules – the part of the kidney where the composition of the urine is determined. At the moment, the only scientific consensus is that it's real, and unexplained. I have travelled to El Salvador to investigate the mystery of the malady.

     Since its discovery, a near-silence has cocooned the disease – a situation that has benefited the industry that so many victims work for. Profitable and vast, Central America's sugar-cane industry supplies 23% of the US's raw sugar imports. In 2011 the EU imported El Salvadorian sugar worth more than €4.7m: it is the country's second-biggest export.   The companies themselves say they are not to blame.    Nicaragua Sugar Estates, one of Central America's largest plantations, has conducted internal studies, and one in 2001 pointed to "strenuous labor with exposure to high environmental temperatures without an adequate hydration program" as an important factor. Still, in December spokesman Ariel

Granera told the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity: "We're convinced that we have nothing to do with kidney disease. Our productive practices do not generate and are not causal factors for CKD."

     But an increasing number of researchers in the US now believe the CKD is being caused by heat stress and dehydration – that the laborers are, in effect, working themselves to death. A standard day for an El Salvadorian sugar worker lasts between four and five hours, with double shifts during the summer planting season, when temperatures top out at 40C.

Read More at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/14/kidney-disease-killing-sugar-cane-workers-central-america

Martin Cate

     Martin Cate, Owner of Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco, has said this about the situation on his Facebook page.   "Some of you will have seen Bobby Heugel's post by now about Flor de Cana rum. I had glanced at the Guardian article from earlier this year but didn't pay a lot of attention to it, then saw the Vice story. Having now taken the time to read both, as well as some of the medical journal reports, I think the decision to remove Flor De Cana from our shelves is warranted and reasonable. I would feel much better if both ISA/Pellas Group would make more efforts to improve the health and safety of their workers- and that those efforts are corroborated by the workers themselves and verified by independent media and NGOs."

    I feel like this is a serious industry that has the potential of harming the rum industry and needs some serious attention by all of the facets of the sugar industry.  Sugar is big industry and its products are very wide ranging.  The industry as a whole needs to become deeply involved in finding a solution to the problem. 

     

Mixing With "Diet Mixers" will Get You "Buzzed" Sooner Than High Calorie Mixes

     White Rum and diet cola is a favorite drink for many bar customers, but those that partake in the diet mixer will have up to 18% higher blood alcohol content than those who mix with higher calorie mixes.   This doesn’t just mean you are “blowing higher”, your blood alcohol content is actually higher.

     “A study to be published in a forthcoming issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that using diet soda as a mixer can dramatically increase breath-alcohol content (BAC) without increasing your awareness of being impaired.”

     Research into the impact of mixers on breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) showed that those who drink white rum mixed with diet cola had higher BrAC than those who drink the same amount of rum mixed with regular cola.  

     Test subjects that consumed alcohol with low-calorie mixers had nearly a fifth more alcohol on their breath than their high-calorie counterparts, an article published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence said.   It referred to a previous study showing that as much as an 18% higher BrAC level was detected with carbonated diet soda compared to calorific soda.   The study suggests that alcohol is more readily absorbed into the blood stream with low-calorie mixers than with high-calorie mixers.  

     Consumers often try to limit the calorie intake of their alcoholic drinks by using diet mixers.  Those concerned about the speed with which they become intoxicated could rethink their choice of mixer based on the findings.

     “Alcohol contains calories and consumers often limit added calories to alcohol the use of low calorie mixers,” the study, led by Dr Amy Stamates of Northern Kentucky University, said.   However, evidence from her’s and others’ research suggests that “mixing alcohol with diet beverages results in higher breath and blood alcohol concentrations (BrAC) when compared with the same dose of alcohol mixed with a sweetened mixer”.

You can read more on the subject at http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/06/diet-soda-mixers-can-lead-to-quicker-intoxication/

Luxury Rum Showing Signs of a Slowdown as US Growth Stalls

     Luxury rum growth may have passed its peak as new figures forecast a severe slowdown over the next five years.   Year-on-year global growth in the value of luxury rum will drop to 34% in 2015 to 2020, down from 81% for the previous five years, according to a Euromonitor report on luxury spirits. A key driver of the slowdown will be the US, which will see growth fall to 7% from 84% in 2010-2015. The UK, another core rum market, will drop to 6% from 10%.

     Rum has been at the center of attention for several spirits companies over the past few years.   Appleton Estate Rum has shown a significant growth under the ownership Gruppo Camparin since its take over in 2009.       An August report indicated that rum had increased its premium and ultra premium sales from 4.2m cases in 2009 to 6.7m cases in 2014. 

 

     Rum has had a reputation of being fragmented , spending much of it efforts on local and trying to maintain its party reputation.   Today the producers of the higher end rums like Diplomatico, Plantation, Havana Club and Bacardi,  to name a few are creating an awareness of their premium and ultra premium products.   The goal is to introduce the public to a sipping mystique, creating a new group of customers that look at rum higher end expressions much like they do at whiskey and scotch’s top expressions.

        Last Summer Bacardi launched a new range of sipping rums called Single Cane Estate Rums, describing them as the "new single malt" of the category.

      The slowdown is not just in the rum category,  but throughout the most of the high end spirits.   It will be really important to the industry to keep on top of what is happening as far as the sales of high end spirits and specifically rum as the next 4 or 5 years goes.

Read more at http://www.just-drinks.com/news/luxury-rum-heads-for-slowdown-as-us-growth-stalls-figures_id118806.aspx

The Overseas Highway

     I started working on this idea a month or so ago, but with some changes happening and just really busy getting my world in order to start my new adventures, this kind of got put on the back burner. Today is a really rainy day here in Key and a freezing cold 74 damp degrees outside, perfect to get back out on the aft deck rum lab and work on a new cocktail.

     I'm not much for mixers, so I like to work with things like wine, liqueurs, and fresh fruits to create these new cocktails.  Today's idea is working with a very nice rum from Peru called Cartavio XO and a extra dry and a sweet Vermouth.  This makes a nice befor or after dinner cocktail or just one to sit on the patio with and just sip and enjoy.



The Overseas Highway

• 1 oz. Cartavio XO
• 1 oz. Gallo Extra Dry Vermouth
• 1 oz. Gallo Sweet Vermouth
• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• Twist of Lemon

Place all of the ingredients except the lemon peel into a shaker filled with ice.  Shake until fully chilled and strain over fresh ice in a tumbler.  Garnish with the twist of lemon and serve.


     

Seeing the Tree for the Forest

     So many times you wander through the woods, but you don't see the trees or look up them to see what they are really about.  Take some time to sit at the base of a tree and look up and see the way et reaches for the sunlight and the blue of the skies.  I t is beautiful and enlightening vision.  ;o)

Repeal Day 2015

     We bring this day up every year, and how many of us really know what happened.  I know that I was surprised when I found out what the amendments really said and that initially there was no change until the states made the use, sale or transportation of "intoxicating" beverages legal.

     First of all lets look at the "origin of prohibition", the 18th Amendment, then the 21st Amendment that "ended Prohibition".es is hereby repealed.

THE 18TH AMENDMENT

RATIFIED JANUARY 16, 1919

SECTION 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

SECTION 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

SECTION 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

THE 21ST AMENDMENT

RATIFIED DECEMBER 5, 1933

SECTION 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

SECTION 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use there in of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

SECTION 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

The Signs Come Down on December 3, 1933

     On February 20, 1933 Congress proposed the 21st Amendment.  Then on April 10th, 1933 Michigan became the first to ratify the amendment and on December 5, 1933 Ohio,Pennsylvania and Utah were the last three to ratify the amendment giving it the 36 states necessary to complete the ratification and making it a part of the Constitution of the United States.

     Freedom to use, manufacture, sell or transport intoxicating beverages wasn't here yet. The second section bans the importation of alcohol in violation of state or territorial law. This has been interpreted to give states essentially absolute control over intoxicating beverages.   Many of the states still remained "dry" long after its ratification. The state of Mississippi was the last to allow the sale of intoxicating beverages.  Even today the states delegate the authority over alcohol granted to them by the 21st Amendment to their municipalities or counties (or both), which has led to many lawsuits over First Amendment rights when local governments have tried to revoke liquor licences and permits.  

The Party Began on this day in 1933

     Many of the Post-Prohibition laws and distribution system are still in effect today in most states and making it difficult for brands of liquor to reach the entire market here in the United States and even harder for spirits that are produced outside of the United States and her Territories. 

     Today is definitily a day of celebration for Americans that enjoy a cocktail or 15 in the case of Ernest Hemingway and others I'm sure.   Enjoy your day and celebrate in an appropriate and responsible way, Cheers!!!!  ;o)