Postcards and Cocktails
Twilight Hour Tuesday. Raines Law Room (Repost) on their 15th Anniversary
On March, 23, 1896, New York State Senator, John Raines, was pleased when the State Legislature adopted the law he had authored titled, “The New York State Liquor Tax Law of 1896.” The good Senator was born on May 6th, 1840, in Geneva, Ontario County, New York, the son of Reverend John Raines II.
One of the features of Raines Law prohibited liquor sales on Sundays except in hotels with at least 10 rooms and with the accompaniment of a meal. Unfortunately, the legislation backfired grandly in its intentions and hotels with saloons popped up throughout New York City to meet the requirement. One additional side effect of the laws’ provisions fostered an upswing of prostitution in the upstairs rooms for rent at the Raines Law hotels.
All throughout the state saloon keepers quickly found a loophole, adding poorly furnished rooms, serving stale sandwiches, and applying for a hotel license. The hotel/saloons were packed on Sundays, the Christian Sabbath, drawing outrage and concern from the clergy.
An article appearing in the New York Tribune on May 28th, 1900, cites the rath of Rev. Horace Potter from Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, at Raines Law: “It has greatly increased Sunday selling, drunkenness and social vice.” His attack goes on to say, “It couples the greed of grain, the greed of drink, and the lowest human passions in such depths and debauchery and shame and crime that I dare say no other piece of legislation in any other American state has done before.” Well there you have it!
The New York Times featured an article on April 7th, 1902, about New York’s Tenderloin district, a nickname for the red light district in the heart of Manhattan, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries: “The Tenderloin did not suffer from drought to any great extent. Saloons were closed tight, but the Raines Law hotels did business as usual. On Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Avenue this class of drinking places are the majority.” Business was flourishing.
As it turned out, John Raines died on December 16th, 1909, and did not live to see his namesake piece of legislation amended in 1917, then repealed in 1923. What he also did not live to see is the opening of two speakeasy-type establishments named “Raines Law Room” in New York City in 2009 and 2014 respectively. The upscale establishments serve small bites and well-crafted cocktails in a lavish club-like environment. Adding to the intrigue, John Raines himself would not be able to locate the unobtrusive venues unless he knew where to look for them.
Try the Aurora Cocktail from the Raines Law Room at the William Hotel. Recipe: Muddle 3 or 4 raspberries in a cocktail shaker, 1 oz. dill aquavit, ½ oz. peach liqueur, ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice, ½ oz. honey syrup, shake with ice, strain into a glass, top with prosecco.
Just one of many unintended consequences of liquor legislation. Good one, Anne!
Thanks, Kathryn! The stories never end!