December 1933 saw a world in turmoil: The Nazis come to power in Germany; the Great Depression was in full swing; America seemed on the ropes and dry as the Mojave. The future seemed bleak, but then something momentous occurred: The peoples' representatives said NO to teetotaling and YES to civilized drinking! On December 5th, Utah became the 36th U.S. state to ratify the Twenty-First Amendment to the United States Constitution, establishing the required 3/4th of states needed to enact the Amendment (this overturned the 18th Amendment which had outlawed alcohol in the United States). Yes, even holy, rolling Utah agreed that Prohibition was for the birds.
Well, Friday, December 5th, 2008 marks 75 years since that day, and we at Loungerati are especially excited. See, enjoying decent cocktail forms one of the four pillars of our philosophy. The others being civilized attire, respectful behavior toward the opposite gender, and listening/dancing to great music that makes you say "wow". Incredibly, we couldn't have done it without Utah!
In addition, this watershed date not only has great historical importance to the cocktail-imbibing Lounger, it is also Loungerati's Second Birthday. Yes, on December 5th, 2006, I decided to make a break from the darkness that was a Lounge website called tommywhitetie.com. I reached out to fellow disenchanted Loungers who knew that website's promise to be a place where "good taste hardly goes out of style" was indeed as dead as the Sacco and Vanzetti. The place used to be a creative forum to exchange ideas, publish stories, cocktail recipes, and meet like-minded loungers. But like many good things (and no thanks to infighting and lack of leadership) the party ended. Those of us who saw the Lounge living as more than just a "singles pick-up joint" came together and formed Loungerati. As we approached our first anniversary, the Senator proclaimed the now infamous "Lounge Doctrine" at the legendary Algonquin Hotel bar. He reaffirmed it just last month at Little Branch in his beloved West Village. As we go forth into our third year, we will be branching out into a full service website and continue to partner with The Salon and other like-minded organizations and individuals to bring you Lounging, Life, and Libations - the way it should be.
Now get out there and have a few cocktails! Show 'em how Americans appreciate what Utah did! Happy Repeal Day!!
Salute and Bottoms up!
Salute baby!
ReplyDeleteThis is a holiday worth celebrating.
ReplyDeleteBeen enjoying your site for awhile now, keep up the great work!
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