Page 108 - Food Network (January 2020)

A century after Prohibition,

we’re still flocking to

speakeasies. Here’s a peek

inside some of America’s best.

s crazy as this sounds,

Prohibition might have been
the best thing to happen to
American cocktail culture. When the
18th Amendment went into effect
100 years ago, starting a 13-year
ban on the production and sale of
alcohol, Americans didn’t stop

going out for drinks—they just got
more creative. Cocktails took the
place of straight liquor (they masked
the taste of poorly made bootleg
booze) and an underground bar
scene emerged: decoy storefronts,
discreet warning lights, secret
passwords. Visiting a speakeasy

is far easier in 2020 than it was in
1920, but the excitement of finding
a hidden bar lives on. Read on to see
some of our favorites.

Cocktails like the whiskey sour,

French 75 and Mary Pickford PHOTO: RALPH SMITH; COCKTAIL STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON.
became popular during
Prohibition.

94 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE ● JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020