Prohibition is Mother of Many Substitutes

From The Indianapolis News, Saturday, April 5, 1919: Since last April when prohibition came to Indiana, homemade concoctions for the real stuff have been developed. “Old John Barleycorn” adherents have experimented making some strange and fancy substitutes for domestic use. Home-brewed beer made from a so-called extract of malt and hops, a little yeast, and boiling water makes a pleasant beer scarcely distinguished from old-time brewery products. Adding a few raisins to a bottle of near-beer and letting it stand for twelve hours gives the beverage a “zip.” Also, a little Jamaica ginger in a glass of “dry beer” produces the “desired effect” according to some appearing before Judge Walter Pritchard of city court. “Indiana Lightning,” sweet cider put through a cream separator, produces “something unusual to say the least.” A concoction of prunes, oatmeal, and water makes Hessian Rum.

“Prohibition is Mother of Many Substitutes,” The Indianapolis News, 5 April 1919, p. 16:1