Tipsy Mules & Horses

In Gwinnett County, as in much of this part of Georgia, a few local entrepreneurs built a thriving illegal trade in moonshine, drawing customers from miles around for white lightnin' and Mountain Dew. Because Georgia law and the U.S. government opposed the business, the Gwinnett County Sheriff devoted much of his time to hunting down moonshine operations. Sheriff E.S. Garner was especially determined to eliminate local whiskey makers and to impress on residents that local corn liquor was illegal. After successful raids on county stills, he held public events where he poured confiscated whiskey down a manhole on Brandywine Circle. According to local tales, the liquor somehow entered the water supply used by the mules and horses in the stables of Honest Alley, and the animals that drank the spiked water seemed slightly intoxicated, helping give stock purchased in Honest Alley a reputation for especially high quality.

Lawrenceville, Georgia · United States