“January 16, 1920. The day America took its last drink.” Alois’s diary entry marks the beginning of Prohibition, which had been declared across the United States. But as his writing suggests, reality was another matter. Life at the Four Deuces went on even though it was officially closed. Those who knew the secret code continued to gather at Alois’s bar. This was the beginning of the speakeasy era — establishments that didn’t officially exist on the map but were all the livelier for it.
“Everything changed,” we read further in Alois’s diary. “Top quality European wines and spirits disappeared. All we had was what we smuggled in or distilled in the garage. We learned to mask the sharp scent of alcohol with fruit, spices and sugar. Brand new flavor combinations were born every night.” It was during this time that most of the cocktails we now consider classics were created: Bee’s Knees, Southside, Sidecar and many others. Alois added one of his own: a mix of whiskey, pineapple, smoked tea and vermouth. He named the drink Blind Tiger, after the nickname used for secret bars.
One evening, after the last of the guests had left and the lights had gone out, a muffled conversation could be heard from Torrio’s office. “This kid has a knack for drinks—and for people,” Capone was heard saying. At that moment, Alois had no idea that this single sentence would lead him beyond the bar, beyond Chicago and far beyond the borders of America.
