Where to drink like Jay Gatsby
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Alcohol may be legal, but that hasn’t stopped a proliferation of hard-to-find drinkeries that recall the 18th amendment. As The Great Gatsby hits theaters, we uncover ten speakeasies where you can party like it’s 1922.
1. DOOR 74, Amsterdam
(Condé Nast Traveler)
Wet your whistle with a customized cocktail at this popular underground beer hall near Amsterdam’s Rembrandt Square (you’ll have to make a reservation to get the exact address). You tell the bartender what you like—be it a particular spirit, flavor, or taste—and he or she will mix up something specially made for you.
2. BOURBON & BRANCH, San Francisco
(Condé Nast Traveler)
Reservations are recommended—and a password is required—to gain entry to this covert cocktail lounge, located at the corner of Jones and O’Farrell Streets in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. (Look for the door below the sign that reads “Anti-Saloon League,” hit the buzzer, and utter your password.) Once inside, honor the titular liquor with a Frank Lloyd Wright, a Buffalo Trace bourbon cocktail mixed with Laphroaig Quarter Cask, pear and walnut liqueurs, and old-fashioned bitters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
3. THE GIBSON, Washington, D.C.
(Condé Nast Traveler)
Prohibition comes back to where it all started at this U Street Corridor lounge, where a no-standing policy means that reservations are a very, very good idea (particularly on weekends). Choose your spot at the bar, outdoor patio, or—for serious power players—one of the private rooms on the second floor. Wherever you perch, the recommended libation is the Ojos Verdes, an aquavit cocktail with avocado, lime, and celery bitters.
4. THE '21' CLUB, New York City
(The '21' Club)
Today, it is known as one of New York City’s most iconic restaurants. But back in the days of Prohibition, The '21' Club was a front for lots of alcohol-induced merrymaking. When Feds raided the popular speakeasy in 1932, the agents couldn’t find a drop of alcohol—even after hours of searching. That’s thanks to the restaurant’s infamous wine cellar, which is now a private dining room. Although its bar activities are all above-board these days, Bar '21' is celebrating its temperance-busting past with a limited-time cocktail menu inspired by The Great Gatsby; sample Beautiful Fool (pictured), made with Greenhook Gin, St. Germain, chamomile-infused simple syrup, lemon, and grapefruit juice.
5. THE FRANKLIN MORTGAGE & INVESTMENT CO., Philadelphia
(Condé Nast Traveler)
What Nucky Thompson is to Atlantic City in Boardwalk Empire, Max “Boo Boo” Hoff was to Philadelphia in the 1920s. It was here that he used the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company as a front for one of the country’s biggest bootlegging operations. Today it’s a lawful spot for drinking from a menu of cocktails that change with the season, and Playboy recently named it one of America’s Best Bars. (Yes, we read it for the articles.)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
See more speakeasys at Condé Nast Traveler
More from Condé Nast Traveler
Amazing Pools at the Best New Hotels
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
26 Travel Apps that Will Change Your Life
The Best New Family-Friendly Hotels
Americas Must-Eat Sandwiches