While President Woodrow Wilson vetoed the National Prohibition Act (informally known as the Volstead Act), his veto was overridden by the House and the Senate.

Prohibition became law on October 28, 1919, as the 18th amendment to the United States Constitution.

The amendment prohibited the production, sale and transport of “intoxicating liquors,” although it did not define what “intoxicating liquors” might be.

Prohibition became effective at midnight on January 17, 1920.

Rather than turn America into a more decent society, it engendered disrespect for the law and the rapid growth of organized crime. By 1933, public opposition to Prohibition had become overwhelming.

Why did Prohibition become law in the first place? In the first two decades of the 20th century, America was a church-going, God-fearing culture. The Temperance Movement was instrumental in generating negative feelings about alcohol. By 1916, legal prohibition was already in effect in 26 of the 48 states.

The history lesson is over; how about some cocktails?

The Southside was the signature cocktail at New York’s legendary 21 Club, a former speakeasy. It’s also said to have been the favorite drink of notorious Prohibition-era bootlegger Al Capone and his gang, whose home turf was the south side of Chicago.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. MUDDLE one mint sprig with lime and simple syrup. Add gin and shake well.

2. POUR into a collins glass over crushed ice and stir until the outside of the glass frosts. Top with soda and garnish with sprig of mint.

The White Lady cocktail—probably not a favorite among gentlemen. Photo courtesy Tanqueray Gin.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker, fill with ice, shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE COCKTAIL RECIPES.

A delicious spring salad. Photo courtesy
LearnToCook.com.

What makes this a spring salad? Seasonal ingredients, including asparagus and green peas. The recipe, from LearnToCook.com, serves 4. The warm tomato vinaigrette can be used with any green salad, any time of the year.
RECIPE: FRESH PEA & ASPARAGUS SPRING SALAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PEEL thick stemmed asparagus about halfway up stalk. Otherwise, remove white/light portion at end of stalk.

2. SHELL the peas. Leave raw or blanch, if desired.

3. BOIL salted water in a large pot. When boiling, add the asparagus. Cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain and immediately put asparagus into ice water bowl. Leave for a couple minutes and drain again. Lay on a dishtowel and dry. Cut the asparagus in half or in thirds. OPTIONAL PREPARATION: We steamed the asparagus in the microwave.

4. COMBINE the lettuces, chives and parsley in a large bowl. Pour up to half the vinaigrette over the greens. taking care not to drench them in dressing (less is more).

5. ADD the peas and asparagus. Toss with the salad. If needed, add a little more dressing; season with salt and pepper. Serve.
 
WARM TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

1. HEAT the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat and add shallots. Turn the heat to low and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.

2. ADD ½ cup tomatoes and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar, garlic, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer another 15 to 20 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce.

3. SEASON to taste and stir in remaining tomatoes and capers.

4. SERVE warm on top of the salad.

We know from the novel that Gatsby was a bootlegger. In the summer of 1922, when novel is set, Prohibition was two and a half years old. (Read this delightful article on Jay Gatsby by Kevin Roose, who explores how Gatsby made his money and whether author F. Scott Fitzgerald may have attributed more wealth to him than he could actually have had.)

Aside from the Gin Rickey, the novel doesn’t mention what else people were drinking at those weekend-long extravaganzas. But given the popular cocktails of the Prohibition Era, Tthe Martini and the French 75 most certainly would have been on the menu.

So get your cocktail shaker ready and mix up your own Jazz Age cocktail menu for Mother’s Day. This is Part 1; Part 2 presents two more 1920s cocktails, the South Side and the White Lady.

Below:

GIN RICKEY RECIPE

Why did the Gin Rickey alone get mentioned in “The Great Gatsby?” It is said to have been the preferred pour of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s a wonderful warm weather drink.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. Build in a highball glass with ice. Stir and top with soda water.

2. Garnish with a lime wedge.
 

 
Preparation

1. Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.

2. Strain into a rocks glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon peel curl.

The French 75, a sparkler. Photo courtesy Tanqueray Gin.

[1] The Greek cousin of nachos (photos #1 and #2 © Chobani Greek Yogurt).

[2] A delight for feta fans.

[3] Ground cumin and whole cumin seeds (photo © Jiva Organics).

Today’s tip looks at adapting popular recipes to other cultures.

As an example, we’re giving Tex-Mex nachos a Greek makeover—a fresh spin on a party classic that uses feta and naan or pita crisps instead of Cheddar or Jack cheese and tortilla chips.

It also adds some heartiness with ground lamb, as some Tex-Mex nachos add ground beef.

This recipe, from Chobani Greek Yogurt, makes 6 servings. Enjoy it with beer, wine or iced mint tea.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEK NACHOS

Ingredients

For The Yogurt Salsa

 
For The Nachos

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F.

2. BROWN the ground lamb in olive oil over medium heat until fully cooked; then drain the oil.

3. RUB the naan bread with a small amount of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, cut into triangle wedges with pizza cutter, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes to the desired crispness.

5. COMBINE the yogurt, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, salt, and cumin in a food processor; process to the desired smoothness. Add more onion, cucumber, and/or feta cheese as desired.

6. ASSEMBLE the nachos by placing the triangle wedges of naan on a plate. Then top with the fresh spinach, then the ground lamb, yogurt salsa, olives, tomatoes and more feta cheese. Garnish with a sprinkle of Italian herb seasoning, as desired.

Find more Chobani recipes at Chobani.com.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF NACHOS
 
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*Italian Seasoning Recipe: If you don’t have an Italian seasoning blend, you can combine 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon dried sage. Keep in a tightly-closed jar. If you don’t have marjoram, use 2 teaspoons of oregano instead.
 
  

Most of the time we’re disappointed: The cupcakes taste like muffins, not cake; the chocolate cupcakes lack intensity of chocolate flavor; and the buttercream is too sugary. Let everyone else ooh and aah over such cupcakes: Our palate sets a higher bar.

House Of Cupcakes, a winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars program, has just arrived in Manhattan’s West Village.* House of Cupcakes gets it right.

Both chocolate and yellow cakes are excellent: light but full of flavor. The buttercream has just enough sugar, but not an overload. As a result, the cupcakes are spot-on and never cloying, despite the generous amount of frosting. There are also sugar-free and vegan cupcakes.

*It’s locared at 101 Seventh Avenue South at Grove Street (Sheridan Square).

The original House Of Cupcakes opened in Princeton, New Jersey in 2008. The overwhelming success of the store caught the eye of the founder of Party City, who helped the one-shop business develop into multiple locations and franchising.

He also cleverly snapped up licenses for Disney, Nickelodeon and Marvel characters, Barbie, Care Bears, Hot Wheels and professional sports teams including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, New York Giants, New York Jets and more in the works.

The net result: a cake and cupcake with wares that satisfy. Handsome gift boxes in Tiffany blue make a gift of these cupcakes a royal experience.

For more information on House of Cupcakes, visit HouseOfCupcakes.com or become a Facebook fan.

If you’d like your next career move to be a cupcake store, ask about a franchise and tell us when you open: We’ll be by for more cupcakes.