‘1923’: How to Make a Gin Rickey Drink + Prohibition Facts Fans Should Know
In 1923 Episode 3, Jack and Elizabeth visit a speakeasy, where they sip Gin Rickey’s and Bee’s Knees cocktails. The Taylor Sheridan series takes place during a fascinating time in American history. Prohibition outlawed the manufacturing and sale of alcoholic beverages, but that didn’t stop determined citizens from imbibing. Here are several Prohibition-era terms that are important to know as well as how to make the Gin Rickey and Bee’s Knees.
[Warning: 1923 Episode 3 spoilers ahead.]
Jack Dutton and Elizabeth Strafford visit a speakeasy in ‘1923’ Episode 3
In 1923 Episode 3, Jack and his fiance Elizabeth Strafford visit a speakeasy in Bozeman, Montana. Speakeasies were illicit establishments that sold bootleg alcohol during Prohibition. Although they were illegal, speakeasies were profitable and numerous in the 1920s.
Jack orders gin cocktails for Elizabeth and his friends and notes the Easterners in Bozeman. Women wear flapper-style dresses and dance the Charleston to jazz music. Elizabeth and Jack soon join in on the festivities, despite their unfamiliarity with the dance.
Though it might seem like a strange concept, Prohibition contributed to men and women drinking together in public becoming commonplace. According to MentalFloss, pubs were mostly frequented by men before this era. “Once alcohol became illegal, speakeasies that were already breaking the law saw no real need to discriminate who they sold to, so women joined in the fun,” the outlet wrote.
How to make the Gin Rickey and Bee’s Knees cocktails from ‘1923’ Episode 3
At the speakeasy, Jack asks the bartender to make him what the “fancy folks” are drinking. The men sip Gin Rickeys while the women have Bee’s Knees. Both are gin cocktails that became popular in the 1920s. The Gin Rickey from 1923 typically consists of “gin (usually), fresh lime juice, and seltzer on the rocks in a highball glass,” Imbibe Magazine explains.
The Bee’s Knees is equally simple and refreshing. The cocktail is “thought to have emerged during Prohibition-era America when bathtub gin was all the rage,” writes Spirits Beacon. “Adding spoonfuls of honey to such bitter alcohol certainly would have helped to mask the harshness, and when mixed with the lemon, would create a more appetizing and sweet concoction.
When did Prohibition take place?
Prohibition began in the United States in 1920 and ended in 1933. The Volstead Act and the 18th Amendment federally banned the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Interestingly, it was never technically illegal to consume alcohol.
While this new law may have had good intentions, the consequences of Prohibition were mostly negative. PBS explains that Prohibition eliminated jobs for thousands of individuals, as well as cost the federal government billions of dollars in lost tax revenue.
One of the most notable consequences of Prohibition was an increase in corruption and organized crime. Though drinking did decrease during this era, it certainly didn’t put an end to alcohol consumption, and in the end, Prohibition was deemed to be a failure.
New episodes of 1923 are released Sundays on Paramount+.
