Dry Times

Thanks, in part, to Rick Mercer’s tireless efforts, the trope of the American who has a few, er, gaps in his or her knowledge about Canadian history and culture is not only established; it is etched on our nation’s brain.

As such, it was easy for me to write off a brief lapse in a seminar given by a visiting American drink pundit last fall that included a nod to differences in Canadian alcohol history. Unlike the United States, he said, we Canucks had not had to suffer through Prohibition.

The slip was one thing. How much should Americans really be obliged to know about Canada anyway? Way more shocking was the fact that, from this group of 30 or so liquor aficionados, not one person corrected him that, between 1915 and 1930, every single Canadian would have experienced some version of a law that made the sale of...