Local freelance writer, Rita Cook, teamed up with Jeffrey Yarbrough, the CEO at bigInk and a former restaurateur and club owner, to write a book about the backroom booze business in Dallas. “Prohibition in Dallas and Fort Worth: Blind Tigers, Bootleggers and Bathtub Gin,” reveals the history of how folks in Dallas found a drink during prohibition. The book also features interviews and recipes from local mixologists. I haven’t seen the book, but the press release announcing its arrival says:
Dallas and Fort Worth hold a rich history during the prohibition era in the 1920s. Although the United States had banned alcohol production and sales, Texans did not have a problem finding a saloon or dance hall to swing by for a drink. The days of homegrown moonshine and bathtub gin may be over, but these ideas transformed the classic Texan cocktail recipe. These concepts stayed on the minds of Texans through the years and inspired bartenders to use influences from the past and highlight them in contemporary cocktails. With “Prohibition in Dallas & Fort Worth”, readers can dive into the history of their favorite contemporary cocktails and gain a better understanding of DFW’s past that shaped the modern scene that Texans experience today.
Many of the photographs in the book were shot by D‘s go-to guy, Kevin Marple. The new book is available at local stores and online at Historypress.net for $19.99. It retails as an E-BOOK via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple’s I-bookstore, Google’s E-bookstore & Overdrive.
