Solution: Serving during Prohibition - NYT Crossword

There are plenty of underground libations relevant to Prohibition, like moonshine, bathtub gin, rotgut and panther sweat. But you could get a little taste on the up-and-up, if you had yourself a NEAR BEER. This low-alcohol brew is a more modern version of “small beer,” which was drunk by man, woman, child and small child back in the Middle Ages — even if you had to chew it, fermented, vegetal liquid tended to be healthier and lower risk than contaminated water, and there was some nutrition there to boot. None of these drinks were much higher than about 3 percent alcohol (NEAR BEER was closer to 1 percent), so even slight intoxication required great volume.