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October 2006
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Speakeasies resurface
The new breed of retro-style drinking clubs mix the allure of insider privilege with some seriously good cocktailing.San Francisco was dry during Prohibition, but this town wouldn’t let a Constitutional amendment get in the way of our fun. Many hotel basements housed speakeasies, where illicit booze and hot jazz were served to those with the secret password. Today, speakeasy-themed venues have sprung up on some of these original Prohibition-era sites. The newly opened Bourbon & Branch, with its burgundy velvet wallpaper and secluded location, has scenesters buzzing as if they’ve just downed a few pints of contraband hooch.
The decoy “Anti-Saloon League” sign and the slot in the door through which barflies announce themselves capture the insider feel of the old-time joints. Reservations are required, though walk-ins may be admitted if seats are available. Named after the classic cocktail featured on the extensive drink menu, Bourbon & Branch has a covetable scene, but its real draw is the speakeasy’s defining feature—booze.
Bourbon & Branch | Elsewhere The candles give the laid-back Lone Palm a clandestine air. They also seal the bar’s reputation as the ideal spot to persuade a date to end the evening back at your place. 3394 22nd St., S.F., 415-648-0109. Theatergoers no longer enter the Empire Plush Room through the tunnel beneath Sutter Street, but the show goes on with crooners like Rita Moreno singing beneath the stained glass ceiling. 940 Sutter St. S.F., 415-885-6800, www.empireplushroom.com. |
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