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Prohibition in the US was instituted during the 1920s, making the sale of alcohol illegal, in an effort to ‘clean up’ the sins of those ‘evil’ imbibers. However, far from shutting down the country’s debauchery (and, let’s face it, fun), it gave rise to a proliferation of speakeasies – underground drinking dens that became particularly popular in New York. Here, the golden era of the cocktail was born. The iconic Sidecar, White Lady, Clover Club and French 75 cocktails, among many others, were born in the dark, smokey, drinking dens: the speakeasies.
Benny Roff began cooking professionally at 24 and graduated from the California Culinary Academy in 2001. He has cooked at Le Bernadin in New York City, Jardinière in San Francisco and Kensington Place in London. He moved to cocktails in 2006 and managed Melbourne’s iconic Borsch, Vodka and Tears for three years, where he conducted extensive empirical research into vodka. He since authored the eponymous food and cocktail book Borsch, Vodka and Tears. He currently lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.