A Sip of History: 3 Popular Great Depression Era Cocktail Recipes

Life in America during the 1930s was not easy, thanks to one of the worst economic disasters ever: The Great Depression. From a historical perspective, it seemed all the joy and revelry of the Roaring Twenties had ground to a halt, and everybody — rich or poor — had to make sacrifices.

We can learn a lot about American history through drinking culture. In our “Sip of History Series,” Bottle Raiders explores the relationship between popular cocktails of each decade in America throughout the 20th century. For each decade, we provide three popular cocktail recipes so readers can get a taste of what daily life was like.

So far, our Sip of History Series has explored the early days of mixology from 1900 to 1910 and the Roaring Twenties, an era where the country had an all-out booze ban yet was ironically one of the golden ages of mixology.

The 1930s in America was a period marred by hardship. The Dust Bowl took place in the American prairies after multiple severe dust storms, which made it nearly impossible to grow anything in what was supposed to be the agricultural mecca for America. Economically, the situation was even worse as the country was heavily in the throes of the worst financial catastrophe it had ever seen: The Great Depression. According to the History Channel, American families in the 1930s lived their lives by the following motto:

“Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.”

This motto easily applies to the cocktail culture during The Great Depression, and you’ll find that quite a few of these recipes favor minimalism, making these drinks quite easy to make at home. But before we get to our mixology component, let’s have a little history lesson about The Great Depression.

A History of the Great Depression

‘Black Thursday’: Day 1 of an Economic Disaster

In September 1929, speculative trading made the American stock market extremely volatile.

A lot of these stocks were bought with cash payments covering just a small amount of their actual value, and the rest was covered by a loan from investment companies. Though some economists voiced concerns about a crash, the market continued to rise in what Investopedia reports was a bull market, where investors expected prices to continue rising — until they didn’t.

On Black Thursday — Oct. 24, 1929 — the stock market experienced a “catastrophic decline.” That crash is considered the singular worst economic crash in history.

Share prices dropped by 4.6% on Wednesday, Oct. 23 and on Black Thursday, nearly 12.9 million shares were traded on Wall Street. It was difficult for stockbrokers to keep track of the volume of trade requests, so some reports were inaccurate which caused a panic on Wall Street. The outlet reports that even the police were sent to the New York Stock Exchange due to fears of rioting.

Though investment companies attempted to quell the panic by purchasing stocks, the market continued to experience a major sell-off on “Black Monday” and “Black Tuesday” the following week. Prices declined by 12.8% and 12% those following days, and those were considered by many economists to be the days that led up to The Great Depression.

What Life Was Like During The Great Depression

The History Channel reports that in 1932, a quarter of the American workforce was unemployed. Individuals who were lucky enough to have jobs typically faced wage cuts or had their hours reduced. Some might think that affluent types like lawyers or doctors were spared from this economic crisis, but that was not the case as their incomes reportedly dropped by up to 40%.

From a gender standpoint, women who were typically homemakers often entered the workforce so families could have extra income. They typically occupied positions like secretaries, teachers, nurses and switchboard operators.

The women who stayed at home were taught to stretch their dollar as far as possible from a culinary standpoint, and some interesting recipes emerged from the era. Chowhound reports recipes like Prune Pudding, Potato Soup, Chipped Beef and Cream and — yeegh — Water Pie.

Yet economic strain caused psychological scars, and The History Channel cites that the suicide rate reached “an all-time high” during 1933. The rise of the “poor man’s divorce,” where frustrated husbands abandoned their families was common. The outlet reports that over two million men and women were “traveling hobos.” After an initial spike, violent crime dropped at a steep rate between 1934 and 1937, and this continued into the 1960s.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal

New York Gov. Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in March 1933. As part of his platform, the president believed big government would help get the country out of The Great Depression.

In his first few days in office, Roosevelt kicked off what he called “The New Deal,” issuing laws to reform the banks and offer emergency, agricultural and work relief programs. He created the Social Security Act, the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

In 1939, as the New Deal drew to a close, the U.S. Economy improved significantly and helped aid those who were afflicted by The Great Depression. The program additionally left a long legacy of union protections and set a precedent for the government’s involvement in the United States economy.

3 Popular Cocktail Recipes From The Great Depression

Blood And Sand

(Photo: Diageo Bar Academy)

The Blood and Sand was first mentioned in the 1930s edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book. This scotch whisky-based cocktail takes its name from Rudolph Valentino’s 1922 bullfighter flick, “Blood and Sand.” Food & Wine refers to the Blood And Sand as “a bit of an oddball in the classic cocktail world” due to its use of scotch, which is rare.

Because of its peated and smoky flavors, scotch is often considered a challenging spirit to tinker with in terms of mixology. However, if you use an unpeated scotch, no worries there. The use of orange juice additionally makes this a quirky cocktail, as OJ isn’t exactly considered a “top-notch” mixology ingredient. Regardless, the Blood And Sand fits in with the oddball vibe of a lot of Depression Era recipes.

With equal parts Scotch, orange juice and Cherry Heering — a Danish cherry-flavored liqueur — the Blood And Sand is a pretty simple drink to make. Not to mention, it’s a good cocktail to try if you’re not so sure scotch is your thing.

We’re quite partial to Food & Wine’s modern riff on this classic cocktail and recommend using a blended scotch whisky like Johnnie Walker Black, which we have reviewed here. For this recipe, you’ll need a fine mesh strainer, a chilled martini glass and an orange twist for a garnish in addition to the ingredients below.

Ingredients:

• .75 ounces Johnnie Walker Black Scotch Whisky
• .75 ounces sweet vermouth — consider Carpano Antica.
• .75 ounces Cherry Heering.
• .75 ounces of freshly squeezed orange juice.
• Orange twist to garnish.

Directions:

Mix scotch, vermouth, Cherry Heering and OJ in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake it up for 20 seconds.

Double strain through a mesh strainer into a cocktail glass. Use orange twist for garnish.

Death In The Afternoon

(Photo: GH Mumm/Instagram)

The prolific American writer Ernest Hemingway was no stranger to cocktail culture. The famous Hemingway Daiquiri from the 1920s was rumored to have been his creation — though the history behind that cocktail is murky.

This cocktail, however, is said to be his creation, and it was published in a 1935 cocktail book called So Red The Nose, or Breath in the Afternoon. The cocktail is also commonly called the “Hemingway” or the “Hemingway Champagne.” The book featured cocktail recipes from famous authors including Frank Buck and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

We’ve decided to go with the original 1935 recipe word-for-word — just the way Hemmingway liked it. The author recommended drinking 3 to 5 of these slowly, which might lead to a literal death in the afternoon, so drink at your own pace.

As far as the liquid goes, we recommend using Pernod Absinthe — which we’ve reviewed here — and G.H. Mumm Champagne.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of chilled G.H. Mumm Champagne.
• 1.5 ounces — 1 jigger — of Pernod Absinthe.

Directions:

Pour 1 jigger of absinthe into the champagne glass. Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink 3 to 5 of these slowly.

The Greyhound

(Photo: Tito’s Vodka)

According to Wine Enthusiast, the first recipe of The Greyhound cocktail was published in The Savoy Cocktail Book, just like its counterpart, the Blood and Sand. The original recipe called for gin and grapefruit jelly of all things, and its name was simply The Grapefruit Cocktail. Whether you want to call it a Grapefruit Cocktail or a Greyhound, this citrusy libation is easy to make and refreshing to boot.

For this recipe, gin or vodka can be used. We recommend using Suncliffe Dry Gin, which contains wild-foraged botanicals like manzanita, western elderflower and ponderosa pine bark.

If vodka is your spirit of choice, we recommend using Tito’s, a popular gluten-free vodka brand known for its distinctively clean profile.

You’ll need a highball glass, a rosemary sprig for a garnish and plenty of ice. If you want to spruce things up and turn this cocktail into a Salty Dog, simply garnish the glass with a salted rim.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces Tito’s Handmade Vodka or Suncliffe Dry Gin
• 4 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
• Rosemary sprig

Directions:

Add Tito’s Handmade Vodka and grapefruit juice to an ice-filled glass. Stir. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.