Repeal Day Drinking: Where to Celebrate

December 05, 2012

It’s Repeal Day—where are you celebrating? This year marks the 79^th anniversary of the end of Prohibition, and plenty of spots around the country are toasting the occasion—here are a few places to get a taste of the action.

Cantina

San Francisco

The Cantina crew in San Francisco’s Union Square is turning their Repeal Day celebration into a full-on costume ball and dj dance party with all proceeds benefiting the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail. Click here to purchase advance tickets.

Get there: 580 Sutter St., San Francisco; 415-398-0195; cantinasf.com

Capitol Theater

Olympia, Washington

Don your best flapper gear and dapper duds and head to one of the largest Repeal Day celebrations on the West Coast, complete with pre-Prohibition-era cocktails, live music and a photo booth.

Get there: 206 5^thAve., Olympia, Washington; facebook.com/repealprohibitiondayolympia

Clover Club

Brooklyn, New York

Julie Reiner’s cocktail bar stirs things up 1930s-style with a live orchestra, classic cocktails and a racy bit of burlesque.

Get there: 210 Smith St., Brooklyn, New York; 718-855-7939; cloverclubny.com

Hale Pele

Portland, Oregon

The tiki craze hit soon after Prohibition came to a close, and this Portland tiki oasis offers a tropical twist on the evening’s festivities with special $9 swizzles, punches and slings.

Get there: 2733 NE Broadway, Portland, Oregon; 503-662-8454; halepele.com

The Hawthorne

Boston

At 6:31 p.m. (the precise time the first legal drink was served in Boston following the end of Prohibition), The Hawthorne bar kicks off its Repeal Day party with a special cocktail menu, food and a copy of Drinking Boston: A History of the City and Its Spirits for each attendee, with ticket proceeds supporting the USBG New York and industry folk affected by Sandy. Click here to purchase advance tickets.

Get there: 500A Commonwealth Ave., Boston; 617-532-9150; thehawthornebar.com

Pourhouse

This midtown Sacramento cocktail bar plans to toast the occasion with a special firkin tapping while also raising funds for the Bartender’s Relief Fund.

Get there: 1910 q St., Sacramento; 916-706-2465; pourhousesacramento.com

Prohibition Pig

Waterbury, Vermont

This Waterbury watering hole plans to extend its Repeal Day celebrations from today through Saturday with rare beers, special cocktail pairings and drinks on draft.

Get there: 23 S. Main St., Waterbury, Vermont; 802-244-4120; prohibitionpig.com

Secreto Lounge

Santa Fe, New Mexico

New Mexico had the misfortune of entering the Union just as the temperance movement took hold of the nation, but those days are long gone, and this historic hotel bar will be toasting the end of the Noble Experiment with a celebration that kicks off at 5 p.m.

Get there: Inside the Hotel St. Francis, 210 Don Gaspar Santa Fe, New Mexico; 505-983-5700; hotelstfrancis.com

Sidebern’s

South Tampa, Florida

This South Tampa cocktail bar and restaurant has selected nine classics from the cocktail books and plans to serve each for just $5 a pop all night long.

Get there: 2208 W. Morrison Ave., South Tampa, Florida; 813-258-2233; sideberns.com

Vessel

Seattle

Seattle’s recently reopened Vessel promises to party like it’s 1933 with special drink menus and overall imbibing merriment going on until the wee hours of the morn.

Get there: 624 Olive Way, Seattle; 206-623-3325; vesselseattle.com

And for our roundup of Repeal Day-inspired cocktails, click here.