![]() The venues ranged from Jazz clubs with dancefloors to dark backrooms, basements and a new Prohibition-created venue: The House Party.ĭue to the fact that alcohol was illegal, organisers of such events had to come up with inventive ways to transport and store the goods. Furthermore, slang words for alcohol such as ‘coffin varnish,’ ‘monkey rum’ and ‘tarantula juice’ were created to fool police and neighbours.Īs well as the term, ‘Speakeasy’, these illegal taverns were also called “Blind Pigs” or “Gin Joints” and were often set up by crime members such as the infamous Al Capone. In order to gain access to these illicit bars, a password, specific handshake or secret knock was required. The phrase, ‘Speakeasy’ originates from a term that bartenders used where people needed to, “speak easy” (quietly), when ordering at the bar in order to not draw attention to the prohibited act of buying alcohol. This resulted in the formation of illicit Speakeasies and at one point, there were thought to be over 100,000 Speakeasies in New York alone. At the beginning of the decade known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’ the United States of America had just entered the Prohibition era where liquor and other alcoholic beverages were illegal between the years of 19. Throughout the early years of the 20th Century, America was in turmoil in terms of political and social reform with more and more people rebelling against the traditional ways of life which stemmed from the Victorian times. What is a Speakeasy and why were they created? This new way of life allowed for social interactions to occur between people of different race, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic statuses and without them, we may not have gotten where we are today in terms of integration. ![]() Upon entrance, you would be greeted with the sound of laughing, the clinking of drinks and most importantly Jazz. Just over 100 years ago, the birth of the ‘Jazz Age’ occurred and secret Speakeasies were beginning to pop-up all-over America.
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