Serious Cocktails: Speakeasies Get Their Second Wind
Photograph of a speakeasy in 1933 by Margaret Bourke-White from LIFE photo archive host by Google
While the "speakeasy" trend in new bars has been going on for so long in New York that some establishments are sliding into "speak-cheesy" territory, it's still a relative novelty in most of the country. In today's New York Times, William Grimes takes a broad view of today’s speakeasy-style bars, and what they have—and don’t have—in common with the 1920s originals.
Speakeasies had their heyday during Prohibition, when their hush-hush approach to selling alcohol had more to do with avoiding prison than with any kind of urban trend. As Grimes notes, these bars ran the gamut from small rooms with a table, a chair and a bottle of suspicious and sometimes downright poisonous booze, to illicit watering holes of legend such as the 21 Club in Manhattan.
More recently, craft-cocktail bars such as Milk & Honey in New York and Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco have embraced certain characteristics of these vintage illegal establishments. While now operating above-board with liquor licenses and gins that have never been near a bathtub, these bars often have either no or minimal signage, or deceptive, wink-wink clues to mark their location (Bourbon & Branch’s outside sign reads “Anti-Saloon League”); hidden entrances, such as the phone booth inside Crif Dogs that leads to the interior of PDT in Manhattan; and a décor and atmosphere that hark back to the creak and hush of 1920s-era illegal establishments.
Some aspects of the speakeasy-style bars lean toward a cloying preciousness, but many deserve credit for helping to revitalize craft mixology: In these small rooms that may only seat 20 people, necessitating reservations and unpublished phone numbers, bartenders can take their time to mix superb drinks—something that can be virtually impossible in the busy crush of a standard establishment. And while it can seem silly and pretentious to have to whisper a password into an intercom to obtain entry, the atmosphere in these bars, even on a busy weekend night, is far removed from the elbow-to-ear crowds and oppressive din found in many other bars at that same time.
Speakeasy-style establishments are old hat in New York, but cities such as Seattle, Kansas City, and Cleveland are trying out their own semi-secret establishments. What’s your take on these kinds of places? For every person who’s annoyed by having been turned away at the door or who's dismissive of the entire concept, there are folks who've had a fantastic time inside—let’s hear all sides of the story.
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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14 Comments:
I do like the speakeasy concept. I go early and leave early so I don't have to deal with waiting or being a part of a scene. It is also nice to go somewhere and have a drink without people bumping into you or having to yell. Sometimes, the drinks are a bit over the top and pricey and I end up not liking the fancy concoctions anyway.
That being said, I dream about the Saramago and Smoked Horchata that Joaquin makes at Death & Co. I've had other bartenders make them there but they just don't compare.
Now with summer here, I am more interested in being outside instead of dark bar.
caitlinb at 5:36PM on 06/03/09
I've been to Bourbon and Branch several times, and the model has won me over. Since they operate on a reservations-only basis with a maximum party size of 6, they can really take their time making sure drinks are made perfectly. It tends to limit the quantity of drinks imbibed by any one patron - since they don't sell shots of Jager or PBR, they don't get customers who are just out to get drunk. It's a win-win for any serious alcoholic like myself.
pacifico at 5:54PM on 06/03/09
PX Lounge in old town Alexandria, whose premises above Eamonn's denote they are active only by flying the Jolly Roger, truly embodies the speakeasy as the point for the free expression of the mixologist's art. GM, Sommelier, and "Liquid Savant" Todd Thrasher is a genius with a artisan's devotion to his craft. Though he also serves as the impeccable sommelier at Restaurant Eve (which is also incredible) nothing truly allows the full expression of his skill like running PX. For people who appreciate the art, there is no bar or club that can approximate having a drink at PX.
This is the part of the speakeasy trend I can get behind--not a trendy exclusive social club for the standard beautiful crowd, but a place that allows mixologists to take their craft to a new level for a clientele that really appreciates it. Having had an extensive run of encounters with truly mediocre bar tenders during my current overseas excursion, I have never before more appreciated the craft as it has been elevated in this truly American tradition.
lg7788a at 6:00PM on 06/03/09
I love the atmosphere in these kinds of places. My personal favorite is Weather Up in Brooklyn. http://nymag.com/listings/bar/weather-up/
adriennewaldo at 7:52PM on 06/03/09
The Back Room sucks. That is all I have to say.
Prairie at 1:06AM on 06/04/09
Ig - spot on. PX is fantastic and not overly pretentious, it's just a place to get imaginative cocktails made with care.
The Gibson, on U St in DC, doesn't quite get it. It's more just an expensive bar that doesn't have a sign.
YancyDC at 9:15AM on 06/04/09
there is a really cool one in colorado springs, in the alley behind michelles chocolates. It only has a street light over the door, and you can smoke in there! and its open til 5am. Really cool place. all vintage glassware. Not sure how they do it really...
seikel at 9:58AM on 06/04/09
It's called the 15C
seikel at 10:00AM on 06/04/09
I'm with caitlinb on this. The Whistler in my 'hood here in Chicago, but I'm not an art major, so I really can't spend the entire weeknight there (forget the weekends). And I've yet to make it to the Violet Hour, but I'm rather put off by its fake/secret entrance.
anysuchname at 10:54AM on 06/04/09
i guess i'm the only one that gets turned off by these places. there's just too much pretension and exclusivity and it takes away from the drinks (at least for me). i'd rather go to a place that makes top notch cocktails without all the snobbery and fakery (i.e. sidecar in brooklyn).
sloppy at 10:59AM on 06/04/09
I just like a good damn mixed drink, and I want the bartender to know how to make what I want without a lot of discussion.
dksbook at 2:48PM on 06/04/09
Any tips for a newcomer to a city on how to find these places since they tend to be unlisted and exclusive? I recently moved to Seattle so I don't have the "in" to be told about these things, but the concept sounds awesome to me.
Vintage at 8:23PM on 06/04/09
I just came back from San Fran and had the good fortune of being recommended to Bourbon and Branch. I can't speak to the other "trendy" speak easy upstarts, but I can enthusiastically vouch for this bar. There's not a hint of pretense or stuffiness here -- it's about outstanding drinks in a laid back, approachable setting. Only the boisterous, Comzo drinking, nacho eaters need fear the fallout that would certainly come there way. But for folks who want to have a conversation with a perfectly mixed (and often classic) drink will feel, well, very much at home.
I only wish we didn't have to appeal to the era of the speakeasy to revive the notion that mixed drinks are just as worthy of serious attention as fine wine or scotch.
gar1t at 4:27PM on 06/09/09
@Vintage: go to Zig Zag, my friends rave about it.
kathryn at 1:35PM on 06/11/09