The Brandy Alexander is a great example of a classic cocktail from the Prohibition era.
However, because clever bartenders wanted to cover up the flavor of the often very bracing moonshine-like liquor during this era, it gave rise to a new era of cocktails where mixers were added to make the drinks more palatable. People of all races, genders, ages, and classes would meet and mingle at the speakeasy, united in a little harmless lawlessness.ĭuring the Prohibition era, alcohol wasn’t always of the highest quality due to production having to be done on the sly. Interestingly, one of the benefits of the speakeasy was that it brought people together in unexpected ways.
There is a strong association with organized crime and speakeasies due to the fact that shady characters were frequently involved in the transport and production of booze during these years. While very much illegal, speakeasies were extremely popular during the Prohibition era. The proprietor might charge customers a fee to see an animal attraction (say, a pig or tiger) and then serve “complimentary” drinks as a way around the laws. These cheaky names refer to a common method of receiving payment for entry and creating a legal loophole for their establishment. Speakeasy wasn’t the only name used to describe such establishments: they were also referred to by alternate names including “blind big” and “blind tiger”. The term was first adopted in the United States in the late 1800s to describe unlicensed saloons, and then was later used to describe illegal bars during Prohibition. The idea was that to keep from attracting attention, customers should “speak easy” or keep the noise down.Įventually, “speak easy shop” was shortened to “speakeasy”. This phrase is said to have led to a similar phrase, “speak easy shop”, which was used to describe a place where liquor was sold illegally. In the 1820s, the British phrase “speak softly shop” was used to describe a smuggler’s house. While speakeasies largely disappeared after Prohibition, the concept has retained an allure over the years, and plenty of retro-style bars have adopted the concept. But that didn’t stop the masses from having a good time! A speakeasy was an illegal establishment where alcoholic beverages could be purchased. What’s a speakeasy? If you’ve heard the word but don’t quite know what it means, let’s get you educated.ĭuring the Prohibition era (around 1920-1933, though the dates differed in some states), the selling and manufacturing of alcohol was prohibited in the United States. Yes indeed: that means you can get cut, styled, or shaved while enjoying a delicious cocktail in hand.īack up a second.
#Goodtimes barbershop las vegas free
Yet when you enter, you’ll discover that it’s not just free flowing booze from a false front. On the one hand, an unassuming secret entryway leads you to a hidden “barbershop” bar.
This isn’t your great grandma’s prohibition bar: The Barbershop is a concept bar that combines equal parts form and function. True, it’s been a very long time since Prohibition was overthrown, but the spirit of the speakeasy is alive and well in Las Vegas’s hottest new concept bar, The Barbershop. That’s right: the hottest new bar in town is a #throwback to a time when whiskey and liquor were king: the Prohibition era. And now, the latest wave of innovation is actually a nod to the past. Las Vegas is a city that is known for its incredible ability to reinvent itself.