Inside Hendrick’s ‘Gin Palace’
It’s a palatial building, made mostly from glass and iron like a Victorian exhibition hall. Two of the wings are hothouses, filled with plants, while between them sits a central conservatory festooned with decoration. A stuffed peacock perches proudly in one corner, near a pile of steam trunks. A coat rack is hung with tweed cloaks and pith helmets. Penny farthing bikes are racked together jauntily by the door.
Every drop of Hendrick’s, drunk anywhere in the world, is produced right here. Three giant stills, each spotlit with a flattering glow, are housed in an enormous cathedral-style space with a stained glass ceiling. “Oh, it’s a cracking still,” says master distiller Lesley Gracie, looking lovingly at one of the paunchy copper pans, walking back and forth between them. If the Gin Palace is Oz, then the pixie-like Gracie is the wizard. (Bloomberg)
From Prohibition to Now: Take a Look at Oklahoma’s History with Alcohol
With modern alcohol laws about to take effect in Oklahoma, the Tulsa World takes a look back at the state’s history, from Prohibition and bootlegging to liquor-by-the-wink and -by-the-drink. (Tulsa World, slideshow)
All Dried Out: Oklahoma’s Path to Liquor Modernization Proves Slow and Perilous
Monday marks a long overdue step for consumers, but also the biggest day in the Oklahoma liquor industry since state repeal of Prohibition.
For the first 52 years of Oklahoma’s statehood, the sale and purchase of liquor was prohibited by law on behalf of morality. Repeal came in a form heavily restricted by similar sentiment.
Gradually, regulation eroded with changes in social norms: Restaurants were at last allowed to sell cocktails, wine and beer without restriction starting in 1984, though only by county option.
That change triggered an industry standoff that lasted decades. (The Oklahoman)
Death at Delta Sig: Heiress Wages a Million-Dollar War on Frats
A grieving mother fights for a new investigation into what happened to her son. (Bloomberg)