It's first come, first served at Apothéke, if you can find it. Tucked behind a 200-year-old door underneath a 'Gold Flower Restaurant' sign at 9 Doyers Street in Manhattan's Chinatown, this lounge was once an opium den and its decor is inspired by apothecaries. Since 2008, Apotheke has been serving medicinal-inspired cocktails made with organic produce, herbs, and botanicals and a curated selection of absinthe. Cocktail categories include aphrodisiacs like the Deal Closer (Quinoa Vodka, Horny Goat Weed tea, cucumber, mint, lime, agave, and vanilla essence), euphorics like Devil's Playground (gin, dragon fruit, prickly pear, lime, agave, and absinthe mist), and stress relievers like Pink Panther (rum with palo santo, blood orange, pink guava, coconut milk, lime, and agave). Apothéke is so popular it opened an outpost in downtown Los Angeles in 2018 and a second New York location, Apotheke NoMad, this year.
Speakeasies first came out during the Prohibition era, creating a movement of underground drinking designations often hidden in plain sight. The term "speakeasy" referred to bar owners telling guests to quiet down and "speak easy" to avoid getting caught.
Today, nearly every major city throughout the United States has seen a resurgence of 1920s-style speakeasies. Just like the original clandestine establishments, today’s speakeasies range from tiny bars to extravagant clubs, often masked by facades and requiring insider knowledge to enter.
From the streets of New York City to the hills of San Francisco and to the hotels of Las Vegas, we’ve uncovered the best speakeasies in the US. Accessible only through secret doors and concealed entrances, our list will take you into barbershops, unassuming restaurants, and even bookstores to find secret bars where hidden passwords, vintage decor, and expert mixologists await to transport us back to the days of bootlegging and rebellion.