Arlington author Garrett Peck features Washington’s underground alcohol culture in his newest book, “Prohibition in Washington, DC: How Dry We Weren’t.” Peck set out to study speakeasies, bootleggers and vintage cocktails to learn how a city so full of drinking kept passing laws to keep America sober. How was Prohibition different in D.C.?
The big thing was that the city was meant to be a model dry city. They thought, ‘Gosh, if Prohibition is going to work, it has to work in our nation’s capital.’ The president and Congress were determined to make it work here. Of course, it completely flunked. Before, we had 300 licensed saloons. During Prohibition, we had up to 3,000 speakeasies. What’s unique is that we have Congress here. Although they are passing Prohibition, they employed their own bootleggers. I think that even though it’s a local history, what happened here in D.C. really echoed nationally.
What was the research and writing process like for this book?
I had the idea for the book last September, and I pitched it to the History Press last Thanksgiving. Two days later, they said they wanted it out by spring, in time for cherry blossoms. They gave me six weeks to get it done. I had a lot to do. It was a crazy six weeks. As in, oops, there went Christmas.
Did Prohibition have any lasting effects on the city?
There was the loss of D.C.’s brewing culture. Before Prohibition, we had four breweries in the city, two in Foggy Bottom and two in Capitol Hill. You think about our culture here, people drink spirits and cocktails, but beer went by the wayside. That’s partly because of Prohibition. Now, there is a strong demand for beer. People do really want to drink beer. It’s an untapped market. It’s actually a good town to drink beer in because of our hot summers.
Amy Myers
