Do you know what’s extra special about today? On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, as announced in a proclamation from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment of January 16, 1919, ending the increasingly unpopular nationwide prohibition of alcohol. That’s right. On this date, 85 years ago, you could finally get a drink after 14 years! That’s a long time to be without a good cocktail! During Prohibition, what did one have to do to get a good cocktail? You went to your local speakeasy!
Here at Travel*Food*Cool, we have a special fondness for speakeasies. We’ve been to speakeasies on four different continents, including in Seoul, Montreal, Las Vegas and Buenos Aires. We were even lucky enough to go to the secret speakeasy at the Chartreuse Cellars. While all these speakeasies were extremely fun to find, and the cocktails were fabulous, all of them were created well after prohibition. None of these special spots were speakeasies when speakeasies were the only spot you could find a drink.
The Drifter in Chicago is the real deal. It’s an authentic 1920s era Prohibition speakeasy. Rumour has it that back during Prohibition, there was an Italian grocery upstairs which was the front for the not-so-secret speakeasy below. Owners Lou Waddle and Liz Pearce have restored the basement of this 1872 building back to its 1920s cocktail glory.
Walking in, you can’t help but think that Elliot Ness and his gang of G-Men may burst in at any time and bust the joint. Part of the reason for this authentic feel? A lot of the original art and pictures on display in the room were recovered by owner and bartender Liz Pearce from this dusty basement that was once a storage room. That’s right, the art and artifacts displayed are in many cases original pieces that had been stored away for years.
You will find The Drifter below the Green Door Tavern (which is itself a popular local spot). Now, to save you some trouble and potentially a wait outside the wrong door (which we did), when you go down the stairs, the door is on the right side, behind a bookcase. Some posts had indicated that the door was beside the washrooms – where there is a door, with a security camera above – but that is not the right door and knocking and waiting there will result in zero cocktails.
My personal favourite item on display? A bullet-ridden Mobil Pegasus sign, although the photo of FDR staring down from behind the bar is a close second (photo above).
When you are not looking around the bar and taking in the old bottles on the bar’s top shelf, the American-flagged ceiling or the murals on the walls, once an hour, your eyes will turn to the stage.
Every hour, there are performances on stage. While we were there, we were serenaded by Anthony Moser, who plays blues, folk, jazz and performed some very funny original songs, including “Google is Listening”. “When you think you’re all alone/Google is listening /When there’s nobody home/Google is listening”.
The next hour, the entertainment was an old-school burlesque dancer, Gaea Lady. Gaea Lady is the winner of “The best debut” and “Most classic” at the The Burlesque Hall of Fame. (See the things you learn reading Travel*Food*Cool? I bet you didn’t know there was such a place!). If you’re looking for another fun thing to do in Chicago, Gaea Lady also teaches burlesque and belly dancing classes!
Now, in between all the shows and memorabilia-gawking, there are some pretty incredible cocktails to be had. (In the photo below, you can see Jill Anderson pouring (from left to right) Chinotto Know Me, Sit and Spin, Stockholm 75 and The Fanciest Highball Ever.)
Did I mention that besides a drink menu, the daily drink specials are on tarot cards? On any given night, you have a choice of approximately 11 of the 45 various cocktails. Luckily for us, as the cards are in short supply, you are encouraged to photograph them for future choice.
The cards look like traditional tarot cards, but describe drinks such as Basic Brah, The Tiki Thief, Mizzz McFlurry, Bols in a Vice, Chinotto Know Me, The Spruce Jenner, Sit and Spin and Duggan’s Demise. Duggan was a South American guide who must have made quite the impression on Liz Pearce as she named not one, but two drinks after him.
The night we were in town, we had Jill Anderson making our drinks. Jill is an award-winning bartender. Her creation “Heather and Hearth”, which contains 14-year-old Glenfiddich, Drambuie, VEP Green Chartreuse, house-made cardamon coffee bitters and a lemon twist, won her a trip to Scotland and from there, she won Glenfiddich’s Most Experimental Bartender competition. I can tell you from experience, it’s a pretty darn tasty cocktail!
Amaro fans will also be pleased to see a large collection of American amari gracing the bar.
Want dessert with your drink? Some cocktails are even garnished with cookies.
Side note on Prohibition. Canada also went through a period of Prohibition for varying lengths of time, depending on the province. Some provinces, like Ontario, were dry from 1916 to 1927 while Prince Edward Island held out from 1901 to 1948.
If you’re in Chicago, take the walk down the Green Door Tavern stairs and drift into a world of days gone by in an authentic Prohibition speakeasy. If you sit at the bar, say hi to Jill! After all, “not all who wander are lost!”
If you go, things you need to know:
There is a bouncer at the door and seats at the bar are first come, first served. Get there early as there are only 37 seats (and 9 coveted barstools). If not, you’ll have to line up. There is a cover charge (Tuesday – Thursday $4; Friday – Saturday $6).
Where: 676 N. Orleans Street, Chicago; When: Tuesday – 5pm – 12am; Wednesday – Friday – 5pm – 2am; Saturday – 5pm – 3am
