S.W. and Rich Hermansen
Guest Writers
wine@lbknews.com
During the 1919-1933 era of Prohibition in the USA, the Happy Hour evolved as an interim 
stop between work and home at one of the illegal purveyors of alcoholic beverages. The 18th amendment to the Constitution attempted to shut down the production and sale of spirits, wine, and beer.
Speakeasies emerged by popular demand (and the winking eyes of local law enforcement) to serve cocktails, sparkling wines, and schooners of beer to legions of factory and office workers during the Roaring Twenties. Today the Happy Hour continues to serve as an interlude between work and home that often bridges work and family societies.
Except that now the “Hour” in “Happy Hour” has stretched to much longer intervals…. Even before the pandemic, and even more so after, meal times have strayed from breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon, and dinner in the evening to late brunches, afternoon dinners, and late suppers. Restaurants and bars have discovered commercial advantages in catering to anytime dining instead of rushed lunch and dinner hours.
Of course some of the drift toward meals at odd hours may result from diners looking for traditional hours for meals in other countries. The Italian espresso and biscotti or French cafe au lait and croissant mid morning, the Spanish and Mexican comida during mid afternoon followed by late evening tapas, and English tea and Scandinavian coffee during the late afternoon. Whatever the meal times, Happy Hours either