During Prohibition, which began with the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1919, fines for possessing alcohol started at $1,000 ($16,200 in today’s money) and possible jail time.
The harsh punishment, coupled with the public’s thirst for drinks such as gin rickeys and old fashioneds, created the perfect climate for illegal bars known as speakeasies.
Speakeasies had to be well-concealed and top secret.
These establishments were located in basements, attics, behind other businesses, or in unassuming storefronts and required a password to keep the dirty rats out, see?
To remain hidden, they were naturally dark, with dim lights and no windows or obvious doors.
When the 20th Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment and allowed for the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcohol again, speakeasies faded away.
Speakeasies have made a comeback
One hundred years later, not out of necessity but for fun, speakeasies are back in vogue.
San Diego has some really great speakeasies, such as the breathtakingly gorgeous Raised by Wolves at UTC, hidden behind a rotating fireplace, and the intimate Noble Experiment hidden behind a secret door at The Neighborhood Eatery in downtown’s East Village.
Thanks to iPhone cameras, Instagram, Pinterest and social media, not only are commercial speakeasies popular, they’re becoming trendy in private homes.
At La Mesa’s Historic Home Tour earlier this month, one of the 1920s homes had a fantastic speakeasy hidden in the attic.
Dark, vintage, atmospheric with antique furniture and art, the room looked like a great space to sip cocktails with friends, play a boardgame, or listen to Billie Holiday on vinyl.
There is something about sipping craft cocktails like a tequila paloma in a romantic, vintage room with dim amber lighting that feels risqué and a bit clandestine.
My 1926 Spanish Revival home in La Mesa has a speakeasy in the basement.
The concrete room has no windows, a dark green bar, fully stocked with top-shelf liquor and mixers, a wine fridge, dimmable lights, four barstools, old Spanish art, and two entrances: one through the garage and one down dark, rickety stairs and through the basement laundry.
People are always pleasantly startled when they see it.
Is it time for you to add a speakeasy?
To add a speakeasy to your home:
First, choose a secretive space like an attic, basement, portion of the garage, large closet, or outside shed.
The room cannot be bright and sunny, so cover windows with dark shades or drapes. To create dark ceilings that can make a room feel cozier and more intimate, use dark paint, decorative tin, dark tiles, or dark wallpaper. Paint the walls a couple of shades lighter for a polished look. Great colors for a home speakeasy are black, brown, dark green, burgundy, midnight blue, and amber.
For art on walls or tables, select pieces in the Art Deco style, historical black and white framed photos, and framed paintings found in antique stores. Wall light sconces are atmospheric and can add soft, warm light.
Sites such as Wayfair.com, VintageHardware.com, or Rejuvenation.com offer vintage-looking light fixtures, and La Mesa’s own Tap Lighting has a terrific inventory.
Light-colored floors defeat the purpose, so go with dark concrete, hardwood, carpet, rugs, or tile.
Furnish the room with comfy couches, loveseats, bar and barstools, chairs and ottomans, and embrace velvet, no better material for speakeasy furniture.
Speakeasies are all about cocktails, so go to a store like BevMo and stock up on standard and exotic liquors and essential mixers like club soda, tonic, juices, syrups, rim salt, and bitters.
Blenders and electric corkscrews are too modern for old-world speakeasies, so use bar tools like hand-pull wine openers, shakers, jiggers, strainers, and bar spoons.
The proper glasses seal the mood. Try:
Flutes for champagne; Tall narrow glasses for Collins and Highballs; Wine glasses for reds and whites (they’re different!); Snifters for high-end brandies, tequilas, whiskeys; Coupe glasses for daiquiris, sidecars, Manhattans; Short squat glasses for drinks on the rocks; Nick and Nora glasses for daiquiris, sidecars, Manhattans; and Martini glasses for martinis.With the cost of speakeasy cocktails at $15-$20, building a home speakeasy could end up being quite cost-effective.
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