"Joe Sent Me ..." - January 21, 2009

Seeing as how 2009 is supposed to be a year of change and all, I decided to try something new to ring in the new year, and went to a speakeasy. A speakeasy? For those of you have heard of them, you’re probably asking, "Didn't those go away when Prohibition ended?" And for those of you who haven't heard of them, you're probably asking yourself, "What in the world is a speakeasy?" The answer to the first question is, "Yeah. For the most part, they did." But in the mid-'90s (thanks in part to the movie Swingers), there was a resurgence of "cocktail culture" in America. While the Martini lead the way, other, more sophisticated libations like the Old Fashioned, the Sazerac, and (my personal favorite) the Manhattan, soon returned to the prominence they had enjoyed in the '30s, '40s, and '50s. And while any city of size will have at least a few bars that mix a mean drink, there's something about sipping a cocktail in a darkened room while listening to the jazz of the 1920s that can't be beat. But I realize that I've left some of you behind in describing what a speakeasy was -- or is -- at all. Even before Prohibition, the country was divided into "wet" and "dry" states and counties; that is, areas where alcoholic beverages could or could not be sold or consumed. But even in those areas, there were always places where the savvy imbiber could return to a world where the gin and whiskey ran as freely as water -- for a price, of course. On January 16, 1920, Prohibition began. Only four days after, the 50-50 Club opened in New York City, becoming the first of some 30,000-100,000 speakeasies to operate in that city alone during the "Great Experiment." The protocol was simple: Knock on a friendly (anonymous) door, give a prearranged password, and be permitted to enter. To order, one would "speak easily" (that is, in a quiet tone), and then be served a teacup of gin or whiskey that would either be the "real McCoy" or had just been mixed in someone’s bathtub, depending on the connection and the reliability of the bar owner. While most of the "speaks" nowadays are open to anyone (some even have websites), there are still a few that cater only a select clientele of insiders -- although with the right password, anyone can get in. Suggested Sites... Bourbon and Branch - my personal speak. "Don't even think of asking for a Cosmo." In San Francisco, a Cocktail Is Not Just a Drink - the New York Times goes bar-hopping in San Francisco. Yelp: New York Speakeasies - ranking and rating the Big Apple's best. Chicago Bar Project: Speakeasies - they're not all gone. Party Like It's 1929: Prohibition-Era Nightlife - even in a town like Los Angeles that disrespects its past, there are civilized cocktail joints.