Episode Details

Picture a hidden drawer in a billiard room wall where coins go in and a drink comes out, with no face ever seen. This episode reveals that speakeasy slang began in Britain and Australia, and that the American speakeasy boom started not with Prohibition but with an 1888 Pennsylvania law that raised liquor license fees from $50 to $500.

We explain the blind pig and blind tiger loopholes, then show how Prohibition speakeasies became integrated spaces, welcomed women as patrons and operators like Texas Guinan, and used clever tricks like the 21 Club's disappearing bar. We also explore how masking bootleg liquor shaped cocktails and why hidden bars are booming again worldwide.

• The British origins of the terms speak softly shop and speakeasy shop
• How the Brooks High License Act left 92 licensed dealers and about 700 speakeasies near Pittsburgh
• The blind pig admission trick and the anonymous blind tiger drawer
• How speakeasies broke racial and gender barriers during Prohibition
• Why bootleg liquor inspired sweet mixed drinks and how Milk and Honey revived the speakeasy