A Boozy History of Atlanta: People, Places & Drinks That Made a City

Join author Caroline Eubanks on a behind-the-scenes look at the people, places and drinks behind the city. Even when it was still called Terminus, Atlanta was earning a raucous reputation as a hub for hard-drinking railroad workers. The first mayor, a saloon owner from the appropriately named Free and Rowdy Party, only cemented the town’s party credentials. What followed was more than a century of moonshiners, dollar bill-covered dives, exotic dancers, speakeasies and underground taverns, wild parties on both land and water and, of course, drinks. These spaces--like the all-night Backstreet club, the storied Manuel’s Tavern and futuristic Polaris--became launching pads for political campaigns, musical groups and drag superstars while also serving as a respite for everyday locals.

Caroline Eubanks is a writer, author and lifelong Atlantan, not to mention, for a brief window of time, a bartender whose best drink in her repertoire was probably a well-poured pint of Guinness. Her work on the South and beyond has appeared in the Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Chicago Tribune, InsideHook, Southern Living, Atlanta Magazine, Travel + Leisure and Wine Enthusiast. Her first book, This Is My South: The Essential Travel Guide to the Southern States, won a Lowell Thomas Award for best travel guidebook in 2019. She is a member of the Author’s Guild and a board member of the Society of American Travel Writers. You can follow her work at carolineeubanks.com and on social media at @cairinthecity.