The password-protected speakeasy
Naturally, San Francisco has its pretensions. In the Barbary Coast days, it was the city of “anything goes.” In the sixties and seventies, it was “summer-of-love” central. In the eighties and nineties, it was all about the Rainbow Coalition. In the last 15 years, it’s gone from hippies to hipsters. Most recently, the city has taken on the persona of an incubator for creative types of all kinds, from app designers to spoken-word artists.
If you’re a visitor, it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish affectation from authenticity. And, most of the time, the two are nearly inseparable. But that’s part of what makes San Francisco so fun. Here’s an example: in the upper Tenderloin, close to the theater district, next to an Indian restaurant on the corner of Jones and O’Farrell, a second-story sign above two nondescript storefronts reads, “Anti-Saloon League.” And beneath that: “San Francisco Branch.” This is Bourbon & Branch, a trendy bar modeled after a prohibition-era speakeasy that operated at this address in the 1920s. You make an online reservation, receive a password, show up, knock, and say the magic word. The door opens to a dimly lit bar, featuring handcrafted cocktails. There’s also a speakeasy within the speakeasy called Wilson & Wilson (more strong drinks, different ambiance). When it’s time to depart, you slip out a back door.
Info
Address 501 Jones Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102, www.bourbonandbranch.com, +1 415.346.1735 | Public Transport Bus: 27 (Ellis St & Jones St stop); 38 (O’Farrell St & Leavenworth St stop) | Hours Daily 6pm–2am (reservation & password required)| Tip Don’t have a B&B password? Enjoy a cocktail at the Redford, located at 673 Geary Boulevard, instead.
For those in search of an even more immersive and underground experience, there’s The Speakeasy, an interactive theater event that transports you back to the 1920s. Details of each “happening” are kept under wraps until the day of, when guests are texted the location and password for entry. The audience is advised to dress in period clothes, ladies in their vintage flapper dresses and feathers, and gentlemen in their bowler hats with poker chips in their pockets. They mingle with the actors, and you can hardly tell the performers apart from the spectators.
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