The Modern Speakeasy: How to Party Like it’s 1929

By Amanda Festa

Speakeasies flourished during that dark period of Prohibition when it was illegal to sell, manufacture, or transport alcohol.  The term “speakeasy” is most often associated with those infamous years of covert decadence, but in reality its origin goes back much further.  The earliest speakeasies originated in the 1800s, as underground establishments that were kept on the down low, requiring entrants to “speak easy.”  (It appears 'Keep-Your-Mouth-Shut' didn’t have the same ring to it.)

The 1920s are most often fetishized as an era of seedy glamour -- dimly-lit, smoky rooms,...