Bathtub+Gin



The topic of prohibition greatly interested me in that it was a noble social experiment that miserably failed in the Gatsby’s era. Not only was it rejected by the masses, but it also created organized crime to illegally produce and sell alcoholic beverages. Interesting enough, the Eighteenth Amendment and to Volstead Act did not outlaw the actual consumption of alcohol, but stated “no person shall manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, or furnish any intoxicating liquor //except as authorized by this act//.” A year after this was passed, the Internal Revenue Bureau authorized “home brews for home consumption,” sparking the production of homemade drinks nicknamed Bathtub Gin. Ironically, the gin was not made in a bathtub, but the water mixed with the alcohol had to be added in the tub since a normal faucet was not tall enough to fill the large containers of alcohol. Evidentially, this drink tasted very bad so oils and spices were added for flavoring, a technique that developed into cocktail making today.

As we know, Jay Gatsby was involved with some questionable business and Fitzgerald himself was a heavy alcoholic, though he could legally obtain it in Paris where he wrote part of __The Great Gatsby__. However, alcohol did play a part in the downfall of both the author and his character. In __The Great Gatsby__, Tom confronted Gatsby on a hot summer day calling him a “common swindler” unworthy of Daisy’s love. The argument escalated until Tom threatened to reveal Gatsby’s illegal activities. Right then and there, Gatsby knew he could not prevail so “he gave that up and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away” (Fitzgerald, 142). In the case of Fitzgerald, his consumption of alcohol is one of the main causes of his rapidly deteriorating health in the 1930s. Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940.

Sources: "ALLOWS HOME BREW OVER HALF PER CENT." __The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia__. 27 Jan. 2009 .

"Bathtub Gin | How to Make your own Gin at home? |." __A Grandiose Blog - Cocktails, Gadgets & More__. 27 Jan. 2009 .

"A Recipe for Bathtub Gin." __The Tailored Woman__. 27 Jan. 2009 .