Bacchus Behave
The year was 1933. The United States was four years into the Great Depression. And Prohibition was in its 14th year.
In 1920, righteous crusaders had succeeded in convincing Congress that the American people were on the road to ruin with morality and good judgment clouded by the evils of liquor, and the 18th Amendment was passed, banning the production, transport, and sale of alcohol.
Americans stopped drinking — in public, that is. Human nature being what it is, they found ways of surreptitiously enjoying homemade, bootlegged, and smuggled beverages. Speakeasies popped up in cities everywhere.
By 1933, it was universally recognized that crime rates had not dropped as a result. Prohibition was generally ineffective.
But the general public was out of practice after 13 years without cocktail parties. They needed a resource that would help them reenter the world of sophistication and grace associated with consummate hosting duties.
Enter Alma Whitaker: feminist, reporter, and society columnist for the Los Angeles Times from 1910 to 1944. Whitaker’s solution was the book Bacchus Behave: The Lost Art of Polite Drinking.
The book is exceedingly rare (fewer than 10 copies seem to be available across used bookseller sites) and the dust jacket is scarce.
If you do find a copy, the flap of the dust jacket contains this description:
“A brand new kind of book to fit the new era. Fashion’s handbook to correct usage in selection, quality, mixture, temperature, containers, accompaniments, and service of spirited beverages. The book is for which hostesses have sighed into their sherry and strong men have cried into their beer.
“Gentle hints to hostess, host, and guest. Tells HOW, WHEN and WHY to serve civilized people with: cocktails, Gin, Liqueurs, Rum, Beer, Whiskey, Brandy, Wines, Champagne, Punches and Cups.”
Gorgeously styled, both on the dust jacket and cover of the book itself, are three cocktalians, looking sophisticated in Art Deco form as they imbibe.
It hints at the gentle education on civilized drinking etiquette that Whitaker presents inside, delivered with her signature wit and wisdom, such as:
Never get drunk
Above all — never get drunk at someone else’s expense
If the waiter fails to refill your glass, accept his superior judgment on your behalf.
In addition to giving her readers bits of her own wisdom, Whitaker also has tips for successful buffets and recipes for beverages and canapés.
I doff my hat to acknowledge the important role that Ms. Whitaker played in ensuring that Americans didn’t carouse themselves into oblivion as they celebrated the repeal of Prohibition.
For that, she was Classy AF.
