Sip back in time
Ombibulous times: Talking the talk of prohibition
Image: Moussa Idrissi
Back in the 1920s, when alcohol was outlawed but far from out of reach, people got creative—not just with cocktails, but with their lingo, too. From secret bars to shady drinks and sly lawmen, the Prohibition era brewed up a whole dictionary of clever slang. Some of these phrases are still with us today, while others sound like something out of an old gangster flick. Let’s raise a (legal) glass and dive into the wild vocabulary of the dry years!
1
Giggle water
Image: Tristan Gassert
Sounds fun, doesn’t it? "Giggle water" was slang for champagne, but later came to mean any kind of alcoholic drink that made you feel good.
The term popped up around 1910 and hung around well into the ’20s. Lighthearted and cheeky, it captured the mood of a tipsy good time. It was all laughs—until the next morning.
2
Blind pig
Image: Annie Spratt
A "blind pig" was code for an underground bar, or speakeasy, where patrons paid to see an "exotic animal" and conveniently received a cocktail with the show. This ruse was an early attempt to skirt the law. The term dates back to the 1800s and had a cousin in crime: the "blind tiger." No matter the name, nobody was there to admire animals—they came for the booze.
3
Juice joint
Image: John Hernandez
At first glance, this might sound like a fruit stand. But during the 1920s, a "juice joint" was slang for a speakeasy—especially the more modest ones. However humble, they had it all: music, dancing, and definitely drinks, legal or not.
The name originally referred to soda stands, but it didn’t take long before it meant something much stronger. If you were thirsty during the dry years, this was a must-stop.
4
Jake walk
Image: Ve al perfil de Andreas M Andreas M
Here’s a sobering one. "Jake" was shorthand for Jamaican ginger extract, a legal tonic with high alcohol content. But manufacturers altered it to skirt regulations—and the results were tragic. Drinkers developed a distinct limp from nerve damage, called the "Jake walk" or "Jake leg." Thousands were affected, especially in the South. It became both a medical crisis and a dark symbol of the risks people took to sneak a drink.
5
Ombibulous
Image: Kelsey Chance
Writer H.L. Mencken had a way with words—and a taste for booze. In 1920, he dubbed himself "ombibulous," meaning he happily drank anything alcoholic, no matter what. He was also known for calling bootleggers "booticians," always with a wink. A strong critic of Prohibition, Mencken turned his drinking habits into witty declarations.
6
Needle beer
Image: Wil Stewart
You know the drill: desperate times, desperate measures. Some barkeeps took regular beer, injected it with alcohol via a syringe through the cork, and served it up as the real deal. This DIY hack became known as "needle beer." It was risky and often poorly mixed, but in an era when options were slim, creativity was all people had. Probably not the safest pint you ever drank, though.
7
Brick of wine
Image: Kym Ellis
Yes, really! You could buy a block of grape concentrate, add water, and wait—voilà, wine! These "bricks" came with an ironic warning not to store them in a cool, dark place (wink, wink), or they might "accidentally" ferment. For wine lovers who craved a glass during the dry years, this was a sly workaround. Just add water, patience, and a sense of humor, of course!
8
Bathtub gin
Image: Bjarne Vijfvinkel
Not a flavor—a method. "Bathtub gin" referred to homemade hooch often mixed in, you guessed it, a bathtub. Tall bottles didn’t fit under sink taps, so a larger space was needed. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: how creative could they get?
The quality varied wildly, and safety wasn’t exactly guaranteed. However, it became the generic term for all sorts of homebrewed booze.
9
Teetotaler
Image: Jessica Smith
This word originated before Prohibition but got plenty of use during it. A "teetotaler" is someone who avoids alcohol entirely. The term comes from the emphatic "T" in "total abstinence." It gained popularity thanks to temperance movements in the 1800s, long before the ban was official. While others were sneaking into blind pigs, teetotalers were proudly saying, "Thanks, but no thanks."
10
Dry
Image: engin akyurt
If you were "dry," you were all in on Prohibition. Drys supported the ban, and dry counties banned alcohol completely. Agents who enforced the law were often called "dry agents." The term became both a political and cultural identifier. You were either dry or...
11
Wet
Image: CHUTTERSNAP
...you were wet. A "wet" person supported legal alcohol sales, plain and simple. Wet cities and counties allowed booze to flow, and many Americans never bought into the dry movement. The wet/dry divide wasn’t just about drinks—it represented a much larger cultural clash. And as we know now, the wets eventually won.
12
Whale
Image: Todd Cravens
Not a sea creature, but someone who could drink like a fish. A "whale" was a heavy drinker, often the life of the party and the last one standing. Whether at a juice joint or speakeasy, whales had reputations to uphold. The term lives on today in gambling circles, too—but back then, it was all about your booze tolerance.
