On December 5, 1933, the Twenty-First Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, supposedly ending our nation’s failed experiment with alcohol prohibition.

Prohibition brought with it violence, organized crime, unsafe alcohol practices, and denial of basic civil liberties — and it almost killed the cocktail.

Yet, 84 years later, we continue to feel the lingering effects of prohibition, both in policy and in culture — from blue laws, dry counties, and state-run liquor stores to the selection of alcoholic beverages available and the culture surrounding them.

On Wednesday, December 6, please join the Cato Institute for a celebration of the 84th anniversary of the repeal of alcohol prohibition and a discussion of the way in which Prohibition still impacts us today. Then, continue the conversation at a reception featuring beer, wine, and specialty Prohibition-era cocktails.