80 Years after Repeal Day, How Wash. State's Cocktail Culture Has Changed

KNKX Public Radio | By Paula Wissel,

Martha Kang

Published December 5, 2013 at 5:01 AM PST

It was 80 years ago on Dec. 5 that Prohibition ended. But in Washington state, restrictions on alcohol were around long after Prohibition was repealed, and some remain in effect even today.

And while Repeal Day was cause for celebration, Seattle quaffers were awash in bootlegged booze long before liquor became legal again, thanks, in large part, to one crooked cop.

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Prohibition

Paula Wissel

Paula is a former host, reporter and producer who retired from KNKX in 2021. She joined the station in 1989 as All Things Considered host and covered the Law and Justice beat for 15 years. Paula grew up in Idaho and, prior to KNKX, worked in public radio and television in Boise, San Francisco and upstate New York.

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Martha Kang

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