It’s been close to a century since Americans had to rely on the speakeasies that popped up during Prohibition. However, there are many modern bars that draw inspiration from those illegal joints, including a barber shop-themed drinking establishment in Nebraska that’s being sued by the state’s Board of Barbers over its allegedly illegal nature.
On January 17, 1920, the United States officially kicked off Prohibition in the wake of the ratification of the 18th Amendment, which banned the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquor.” It was not, however, illegal to consume alcohol during that period, and there were many enterprising parties that catered to people who weren’t going to let a pesky law prevent them from getting their drink on.
The secretive natures of the speakeasies that allowed them to do so outside of their own homes means it’s impossible to know just how many of those illicit watering holes popped up during Prohibition, but it’s believed there were tens of thousands of them operating in New York City alone…