Bathtub gin
Bathtub gin refers to illicitly produced spirits that became popular during Prohibition in the United States, which lasted from 1920 to 1933. This type of gin was typically created by mixing industrial alcohol, often made from methyl (wood) alcohol, with juniper oil and other flavorings to mask the harsh taste. The resulting beverage was a cheap and dangerous imitation of traditional gin, with reports of severe health risks, including blindness and death, due to the toxic ingredients used. The term "bathtub gin" likely originated from the practice of mixing these spirits in large containers, like bathtubs, or from the limited space available for filling bottles. Despite its illegality, bathtub gin was widely consumed, highlighting the challenges of enforcing Prohibition laws as many people found ways to circumvent them. Organized crime networks played a significant role in its distribution, while speakeasies became popular venues for enjoying these drinks. The widespread production and consumption of bathtub gin ultimately contributed to the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, and its influence can still be seen today in the popularity of mixed drinks and flavored cocktails.
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Bathtub gin
Widespread consumption of illegal liquor by all classes of society was one indication of how difficult it was to enforce Prohibition. Despite its illegality, alcohol was always available, though there were no controls on ingredients. This meant it could be anything from foul tasting to downright lethal. Bathtub gin was one of the more infamous and prevalent alcoholic beverages concocted during the period.
In January of 1920, Prohibition officially ended the legal sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol in the United States. Consumption, however, did not abate. Rather, people found numerous ways to circumvent the law. Industrial, nonpotable alcohol was commonly redistilled in an attempt to make it drinkable and turn it into cheap gin, and medicinal alcohol could still be obtained at the druggist. Good liquor smuggled by bootleggers and medicinal or industrial alcohol that had to be doctored were both supplied by organized crime groups. The latter needed additives simply to make it palatable.
“Bathtub gin” refers to illicit alcoholic spirits typically made by adding juniper oil, other flavorings, and water. The resulting concoction was considered a cheap imitation of gin, a type of grain alcohol. The most common alcohol used to make bathtub gin was methyl (wood) alcohol, which can cause blindness or even death when ingested. Poisons such as high concentrations of methyl alcohol were often added by the government to render industrial alcohol undrinkable and to act a deterrent to would-be drinkers.
The slang term “bathtub gin” was introduced at some point during the 1920s, but its exact origin is debated. Some claim it originates from the practice of mixing the drink’s ingredients in large containers such as bathtubs. Others say the term came about because the preferred bottles could only fit under a bathtub faucet when adding water to the mixture.
Impact
The ease of obtaining or making bathtub gin and its ubiquitous consumption throughout the 1920s demonstrated the futility of enforcing a law that was generally flouted by the public. Organized crime distributed bathtub gin, speakeasies popularized it, and tens of thousands died from consuming poisoned alcohol. By the end of 1933, Prohibition was repealed. A carryover from those bathtub gin days, born of the need to disguise the taste of the illegal concoctions, continues in today’s mixed drinks and flavored cocktails.
Bibliography
Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s. New York: Harper Perennial Classics, 2010.
Blum, Deborah. ThePoisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. New York: Penguin, 2010.
Drowne, Kathleen. Spirits of Defiance: National Prohibition and Jazz Age Literature, 1920–1933. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2005.