 However, it didn't curb it completely. So if you really wanted to find alcohol, you could. There were all sorts of ways in which previous alcohol makers got around existing laws. You could buy winemaking kits. You could go out to restaurants in New York City and visit so-called speakeasies and get alcohol. Oftentimes, these weren't even covert operations. You could just ask the waiter for wine, and he would bring you some.