The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-12-23
]. BARLEYCORN
IS live GHOST
FOR HOLIDAYS
Liquor Is Plentiful and
Prices About Same,
Coast to Coast.
UNCUT BOOZE is HIGH
Little Extra Activity on Part
Of Dry SIeuthS Found
Over Nation.
UNCUT BOOZE is HIGH
RN United Press

NEW YORK, Dec. 2S.-The late
John Barleycorn will be live ghost
this Christmas in almost every part
OF the United States.
Reports to the United Press from
its bureaus in representative Sec
lions indicated liquor of various
kinds was plentiful, and with a
surprisingly slight variation in price
range from coast to coast.
Only a few sections - notably
Miami and New Orleans
any exceptional activity of prohi-
bition agents, beyond the customary
holiday watchfulnesS.
In New York, the greatest boot
leg market in the world, liquor of
almost every imaginable description
could be had by those who wished
to buy.
A careful buyer could get Bourbon,
scotch and Rye for $12 to SIS a
bottle, depending on his sources and
his knowledge of whisky. It was
almost impossible to get uncut
whisky below that figure.
Bar Whlsky-AlwayS Cut
At certain select bars, the same
grade Of whisky could be had for rs
cents a drink Zone ounce, although
hundreds of places in the midtown
theatrical district were selling cut
whisky at that price, and some
charged a dollar.
The average price for bar whisky
always cut-waS SO cents a drink.
The average bottle price for cut
whisky, Scotch and rye which 90
100thS Of drinkers here obtained
was from Sc to $40 a bottle. Its
quality varied widely.
The most popular drink, gin,
ranged from $3.50 to 81 for the
customary bottle holding one-fifth
of gallon. Almost none Of it was
imported and the worse grades were
made of denatured alcohol. redis-
titled to remove some of the poison.
Champagne brought $40, $12, SIS,
$18 and $40 bottle, and some of it
was real, although many night club
patron paid $40 for a carbonated
mixture with cider base.
Holiday Drives FAN
Bootleg rum ranged from $3.50 to
So bottle.
Alcohol, from which many made
their own gin, whisky and other
liquors, sold on the average for $40
a gallon retail, with the better
grades bringing SIS.
Beer was IS cents a drink and so
cents to 81 q bottle.
The story in most other sections
was much the same, with the ex-
ception that genuine whisky became
exceedingly rare the farther the
buyer lived from border or coastal
points, and a thriving trade In corn
whisky or moonshine, little used In
New York, prevails in other sec
tons.
Chicago, probably the next great
est liquor market to New York, re-
ported prices unchanged despite an
announced holiday "drive" by dry
agents. Scotch and rye averaged 81
to $40. Gin was about the same as
New York, as well as beer.
Detroit, on the Canadian border,
submitted the following price list:
Over the bar, so cents drink.
Bottled goods: rye, So; Scotch, ST;
bourbon, So; brandy, So; best gin,
S.; sherry, 81; port, So; champagne,
$40; creme de menthe and bene-
dictine, $40: apricot brandy, So;
beer, Is cents glass, so cents a bot
tie: absinthe, SIS.
Everything Plentiful
CIeveland's list was: Gin, $3.50 a
bottle; Scotch and rye, So; wine, 81
to "a; cognac (one-f1fth), 81; beer,
so cents a bottle.
Baltimore reported: "Plenty Of
Christmas liquor here, but poorer IN
quality than in several years. Cham
payne, $40 to $12; Scotch, SIS, 81, $40;
rye, 81 to SO; gin, So; Bacardi, So
to S.: moonshine to IS; beer very
scarce), So to $12 9 case. Twelve
men and four women died Of poison
liquor here in last month"
Going west, Kansas City reported
alcohol at SIS q gallon; alleged
bourbon" 81; beer, rs cents a glass;
everything plentiful.
Phoenix, in arid Arizona, reported
an abundance Of moonshine at $40
to SIS gallon.
Portland; Ore, reporte dthat 1880
cases Of whisky for Christmas were
estimated to have been struggled
into ortland, $500 into Seattle and
5000 into Tacoma, a total Of $4,000
cases. apnarentlv leaving the north
west coast well fixed, with the aver
age price So q quart.