What Was Prohibition?

5. Speakeasies, Bootleggers, and Bathtub Gin

The roaring twenties began with gangsters operating bootleg operations. Rumrunners brought illegal rum up from the Carribean, while homemade stills and bootleggers supplied much of the country with alcohol. Speakeasies were hopping with bathtub gin. This term came to encompass all types of homemade alcohol, much of which was of poor quality.

The glamor of the speakeasies was reminiscent of the gay nineties, a time period where liquor flowed, people dressed to the nines, and there was a heightened sense of gaiety and excitement. Ever fearful of a bust by the Feds, most speakeasies were highly guarded with hidden doors and passwords. Inside, the music played, and the party never ended. It was the age of the flapper and good times.