Washington has a tortured history with liquor. Efforts to ban or restrict it began before the region even attained statehood, with blue laws remaining on the books well into the twentieth century. Delve into the legends and the outliers responsible for this illicit and unsavory business of booze that emerged as a respectable multimillion-dollar craft spirits industry. Author Becky Garrison focuses on the players who plied their trade in the Greater Seattle region.

Becky Garrison is a satirist, storyteller, and the author of Distilled in Washington: A History. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2014, she has been covering the PNW craft culture, including food, beer, wine, spirits, cider, coffee, and cannabis/CBD, as well as the regional festival scene and the rise of secular spiritual communities. Follow her travels via Instagram, Facebook or at BeckyGarrison.com.

Stay the night, mention History Pub at check-in for 15% off your room.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp