A nip joint was an illicit establishment during the Prohibition era where patrons could surreptitiously purchase and consume small servings ("nips") of alcohol. These covert operations provided a discreet venue for those seeking to circumvent the alcohol ban, offering tiny portions to minimize detection risk.

Etymology

The term combines "nip," referring to a small amount of spirits, with "joint," a colloquial expression for a place or establishment, similar to how "beer joint" is used to describe a bar or tavern.

History

Nip joints were found most commonly in

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

and similar areas where

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

is grown in abundance, are venues where illegal

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

(i.e.,

moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...

) is sold, often by the drink. Most nip joints are located in residential areas inside homes. The individual in charge is therefore referred to as the "House Man" or "House Lady". Some nip joints have more amenities than others.

Government tax revenue

By not paying the taxes levied on

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

sold for consumption (and also typically not paying the taxes on their own income from the practice), moonshiners, bootleggers, and nip joint operators are able to make a significant tax-free profit. The enforcement of laws against bootlegging and moonshining is therefore necessary to protect a significant source of government revenue, as well as to provide a fair competitive environment for businesses that comply with the law. In 2007, the U.S. federal government took in over $5.6 billion in taxes on

alcoholic beverage Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...

s. This government revenue source is protected by the law enforcement activities against those who do not pay the taxes. As the government of the Commonwealth of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

put it, "a nip joint operation deprives the licensed restaurant owner of a legitimate source of income, and deprives the citizens of the Commonwealth and its localities of a legitimate source of tax revenues."

References

{{Alcohol and health Society of Appalachia

Etymology

History

Government tax revenue

See also

References