Bourbon fascination

A CENTURY after the speakeasies and moonshine of the Prohibition era - when liquor was outlawed in the United States from 1920 to 1933 - cocktails inspired by that time are on the menu in La Maison du Whisky's (LMDW) inaugural Bourbon Month.

"During the Prohibition era, you couldn't guarantee the quality of the booze you were getting, but you could almost always guarantee a good cocktail," says LMDW's marketing and communications manager Charlotte Then.

With bartenders often having nothing on hand but low-quality moonshine, many Prohibition-style mixes included juice, sweetener, fresh garnish, and long pours or splashes of soda, she adds. "The essential idea was to mask whatever booze you could get your hands on, and make it not only drinkable, but enjoyable."