1900's

This is believed to be a picture from Rhum Chauvet taken around 1910. Rum Chauvet was a company on Guadeloupe that blended Rum from different distilleries from Martinique and Guadeloupe. 

Both federal and local government had difficulties enforcing Prohibition over the course of the 1920s.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was initially assigned to enforce the "Volstead Act" ,  bu it was later transferred to the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prohibition, or Prohibition Bureau. 

In general, Prohibition was enforced much more strongly in areas where the population was sympathetic to the legislation–mainly rural areas and small towns–and much more loosely in urban areas. Despite very early signs of success, including a decline in arrests for drunkenness and a reported 30 percent drop in alcohol consumption, those who wanted to keep drinking found ever-more inventive ways to do it.

The illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor, known as “bootlegging" - from the smugglers' custom of hiding packages of valuables in the legs of their large boots - went on throughout the decade, along with the operation of  "speakeasies" “ - stores or nightclubs that sold alcohol, the smuggling of alcohol across state lines and the informal production of liquor (“moonshine” or “bathtub gin”) in private homes.

In addition, the Prohibition era encouraged the rise of criminal activity associated with bootlegging. The most notorious example was gangster Al Capone, who earned a staggering $60 million annually from bootleg operations and speakeasies.

An unfortunate consequence of Prohibition was the production of low quality - and often dangerous - liquor to satisfy the drinker's demands for liquor. These spirits became known as "Bathtub Gins" - any style of homemade spirit made in amateur conditions such as a common bathtub. 

Recognizing the need for quality - and safe - alcoholic spirits, entrepreneurs  began to import properly produced products from the Caribbean. 

Ships loaded with Rum, Whiskey and other spirits would drop anchor just in international waters - just out of reach of the authorities. Smaller, faster boats that could easily outrun the slower Coast Guard ships. The captains of these "contact ships" would toss a bundle of large-denomination bills bound by elastic bands onto the anchored ships, tload their liquor orders onto their boats and speed towards shore to load it onto trucks headed for New York, Boston and other cities. One such stretch of ocean known for anchored liquor-selling boats was famously called “Rum Row,” and became so populated that it appeared to be a floating city from shore. It ran from New York to Atlantic City, 12 miles out in international waters to avoid the U.S. Coast Guard.

In addition to being credited with inventing Rum Row, Bill is also said to have developed the "smugglers ham" or "burlock" -aka sacks by the US Coast Guard). These sacks provided a more convenient form of moving and transporting the illegal liquors between vessels.  A "ham" consisted of a pyramid stack of 6 bottles - stacked 3,2,1 - wrapped tightly in straw and burlap.  These bundles could be easily stacked top to tail and were quicker and safer to move between vessels than the standard wooden cases of 12.  Some "bullocks" were even stuffed with salt which, if about to be boarded by authorities, could be thrown overboard where they would sink with the weight of the salt hiding any incriminating evidence.  Later the salt would dissolve and leave the sack floating back to the surface for collection - and sale - once again.

As it became clear that the Coast Guard was overmatched while attempting legal enforcements, the government began to commission faster vessels and negotiate alliances with foreign governments to capture the Rum Runners. After the Coast Guard obtained fast “six-bitter” patrol boats and by 1926 could block the contact boats from making it ashore, many Rum Runners to dump their liquor into the ocean to avoid arrest. In 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that American-flagged ships with illegal liquor could be seized up to 34 miles from shore pushing Rum Row farther out to sea which made it more difficult to make a profit. 

A bootlegger and speakeasy operator during Prohibition, Ernest Gantt, AKA Donn Beach or Don the Beachcomber, spent his early professional career aboard merchant ships gaining exposure to the culture of the South Pacific. At the end of Prohibition, he saw a need for American escapism to a tropical experience. 

Living in the Los Angeles area at the time, he had ready access to themed movie props. Utilizing his knowledge of spirits, he opened his first restaurant in 1933 focusing on capturing the essence and paying tribute to his love of the South Pacific. Patrons were whisked away to a world far away - without having to travel halfway around the globe! His philosophy was simple: “If you can’t get to paradise, I’ll bring it to you."

Often called "The Father of Tiki", one of his major contributions to the cocktail world was a legacy of mixology - he is credited with inventing an astounding 84 different Tiki cocktails! He stocked his bar with inexpensive rums from the Caribbean  and invented an array of faux-tropical drinks, using fruit juices and unfamiliar liqueurs. 

His restaurant empire eventually grew to 35 locations around the United States and spurred numerous others such as Trader Vics. 

At the height of the Tiki craze in the 50's and 60's, restaurants like the Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale were packed! 

Unfortunately, due to negative impressions of tropical locations during the Vietnam conflict and an increasingly dis-interest public looking for the "next fad", Tiki's popularity began to wain in the 1970's. Nightclubs and bars began to focus on experiences such as Disco and the Polynesian themed restaurants began to shutter.

At the end of the 90's and into the 2000's, however, Tiki has shown a resurgence. Heavily attended events such as the Hukilau and Tiki Oasis have exposed this lifestyle to a whole new generation of rum and cocktail enthusiasts.

All good things must come to an end and, unfortunately, so did the Royal Navy's centuries old tradition of providing a daily ration of rum to thirsty sailors known as "Jack Tars". July 31, 1970 ended this tradition and has become known as Black Tot Day.

In the Seventies, the government questioned the compatibility of distributing a rum ration in relation to the modern role of a Royal Navy sailor. Essentially, they were concerned that alcohol and sophisticated weaponry were probably a recipe for disaster. The Admiralty conceded that there was no longer any official need for daily rum and so the tradition sadly came to an end.