The time was 1919, and the Volstead Act was ratified by the United States on January 16, 1919. Known more famously as Prohibition, one year and one day later on January 17, 1920, it was illegal to sell, consume and transport alcohol in America. A hundred years later and pop-culture trends of the entire world can be traced all the way back to a small bar in Manhatten, New York, known as The 21 Club. Jazz, coolness, questionable activity and fashion were born from a suppressed community known as the flappers and gangsters. It was a time to live and a time to be influenced by silver screens, the best customer service money could buy, and the creation of 98 per cent of all the cocktails we take for granted today.
Now in 2020 as a full century has passed and from the hidden and most sacred streets of Bangkok, live the few and the fray that fight to keep this 100-year-old tradition alive through expression, spirit, passion and imagination, delivering to you a little slice of nostalgia. Here are just three of our favourite speakeasies in the city.
Located in the hustle and bustle of Soi Thonglor but hidden in plain sight is this spectacular bar fronted by an unassuming, pale, wooden door. Bartenders greet you as you cross the threshold of urban drab and enter into a three-story world of glitz and glamour, authentic of 1920s influence. Rabbit Hole is a very cosy place. Here, you are made to feel completely encompassed by the unique design and music to drown out your troubles as you contemplate your first cocktail. Instagram-inspired and delicious creations await the earnest of enthusiasts and will have the local or the distant traveller alike ordering again and again.
Rabbit Hole
125 Sukhumvit Soi 55
Open daily 7pm-2am
098-532-3500, rabbitholebkk.com
