Follow the trickle of alcohol through Chicago's history, starting with the town's first three permanent businesses: the Wolf, Green Tree and Eagle Exchange Taverns. Stir together stories from the Peoria Whiskey Trust and the temperance movement. The cocktails that lubricated the Levee District may have set up Chicago's first gangsters, but Prohibition-era bootleggers changed the city's identity forever. Post-Prohibition alcohol helped to create vast fortunes for Chicago-based families and corporations. Enjoy a thoughtful guide to Chicagoland's new wave of small-batch distilleries, which are adding a distinctive note to the city's well-established flavor profile. From the mash in pioneer stills to the Malört in a hipster's shot glass, David Witter explores how liquor has influenced nearly two centuries of Chicago's existence.