Between 1920 and 1933, the nationwide ban on the
production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages
commonly known as prohibition was intended to reduce family violence, political
corruption and alcoholism. However, it also reduced tax revenues and spurned
gang violence as organized crime took over the now illegal alcohol trade. And
while alcohol consumption was reduced by about 50% during prohibition and
beyond, it also drove alcohol consumption underground primarily in the form of
speakeasies. At its heyday, there were an estimated 100,000 speakeasies in New
York City alone. These speakeasies often were fronted by legitimate looking
businesses that contained hidden doorways within where patrons in the know
could imbibe to their hearts content as long as they knew the password to enter
the speakeasy.
With the ratification of the 21st Amendment
which repealed the 18th Amendment on December 5, 1933, prohibition
effectively came to an end and though there continues to be “dry” counties in
various parts of the United States, most of us can enjoy a glass of wine or
cocktail without going into hiding. But that concept of an illicit drinking
establishment requiring a secret password to enter still seems so cool.
Return of the
Speakeasy
Over the past 3 months, two speakeasies quietly opened on
Oahu without much fanfare. Maybe because speakeasies originally didn’t want the
general public and law enforcement to know their whereabouts. Or maybe because
local mixologist Dave Newman saw his project pushed back month after month
after month. His speakeasy – Harry’s Hardware Emporium was originally slated to
open in March but because of the multiple delays, didn’t open until late
December. And true to form, the outside looks like an old hardware store with
the entrance actually within sister establishment, Pint and Jigger.
Therefore the first speakeasy to open was Gaslamp in the
former sleepy town of Kailua – I say former since Japanese tourists have discovered
Kailua and temporarily doubles Kailua’s population during the day. Gaslamp - named
after the Gaslamp district in San Diego where creator Josh VanEmmerik attended
college sits within the confines of the Kailua Town Pub & Grill. The entrance
to Gaslamp is an old telephone booth at the end of the Kailua Town Pub &
Grill bar. There’s also a second telephone booth adjacent to the restrooms that
actually leads nowhere… which we realized after knocking several times. The
real telephone booth entrance is usually manned by a young woman dressed to the
nines sometimes in a flapper costume. Which should be a dead giveaway as most
of the Pub & Grill clientele are dressed in shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps
and rubber slippers.
Gaslamp the
Speakeasy
We actually visited Gaslamp on the same day that Civil
Defense inadvertently notified the residents of the 50th that an
ICBM was headed our way. Perhaps that’s why we decided to immediately pay a
visit instead of waiting for a subsequent weekend (and possible real missile
attack). When we approached the woman in black manning the telephone booth, she
asked us what our business there was…
“We’re here to seek shelter”…
You see, when you make your reservations at Gaslamp
through the online website Resy, it requires your cellphone number as you’ll be
texted your secret password for the evening to gain entrance to Gaslamp. And
obviously someone wanted to lighten the mood of that stressful morning. Of
course once you enter Gaslamp, you’re taken back to the days of Prohibition in
the dimly lit space about the size of a large bedroom with retro chandeliers
and a live saxophonist playing about 8 feet above your head. His silhouette
against the yellowed glass tiles gave a vibe somewhere between Prohibition and
Mad Max in Thunderdome. However, ambience alone doesn’t the complete the
experience so let’s sample some hand crafted cocktails…
The Libations
Ignorance is Bliss ($13)
Base spirit of choice, mint, ginger, yuzu, house
falernum, Bundaberg ginger beer, bitters
The Mrs sampled this with gin as the base spirit and it was
somewhat like a Moscow Mule with more citrus flavors and it was very refreshing
Divorce Papers ($14)
Bluecoat dry gin, Aperol, Bonal, orange
My first choice was somewhat like my favorite cocktail,
the Negroni with slight bitterness from the Aperol and Bonal but also with a
caramelized sweetness also from the Bonal with just enough citrus to balance
the flavors
Boulevard 28 ($14)
Elijah Craig small batch bourbon, Campari, Cynar, orange
bitters
A play on the classic Boulevardier which is a Negroni
created with bourbon in place of gin though this cocktail also employed the
bitter artichoke liqueur Cynar for the sweeter red vermouth. I may have to
steal this idea…
Buddha’s Kiss ($14)
Kikori Japanese whiskey, Joto yuzu omoe, fresh honeydew,
jasmine, Hawaiian honey
The Mrs’ 2nd libation was a light and
refreshing drink that actually paired nicely with the whole steamed opakapaka that
we sampled
Dealer’s Choice (?)
For the Dealer’s Choice, you simply inform mixologist Clark
Dean what type of spirit you favor along with your preference for sweet, sour,
bitter or all of the above and he’ll create a libation just for you. My
cocktail contained rye, Campari and Metaxa… no complaints from me…
Gaslamp also features 16 different beers on tap including
a couple of local brews along with wines by the glass and bottle and to help
blunt the sudden effects of libations on an empty stomach, Gaslamp also offers
several menu items including the aforementioned steamed opakapaka (the fish of
the day varies and is offered at market pricing) or Tomahawk chop (a large
bone-in ribeye for $99) both meant to feed several patrons and various
charcuterie and cheese platters along with mini filet mignon “sliders”.
The steamed opakapaka (between $60 to $100 depending on
the weight) was perfectly cooked and served with baby carrots and sautéed
spinach and drizzled with an Asian inspired vinaigrette not unlike the way
whole steamed fish is served in Chinese restaurants drizzled with hot oil. It
filled us for the evening and provided yet another dinner the next day. We also
sampled the half Artisan Cheese and Cured Meat Board ($19) with several cured
meats, cheeses and a house made blueberry and rosemary compote – I personally
feel that saltier nibbles like charcuterie and cheese balances the alcohol burn
of stronger cocktails.
I ended the evening asking the barkeep to make me his
version of my favorite libation, the Negroni which I always order when
patronizing a bar for the first time. Very good… though I still like my own
handcrafted version… and we’ll be back… even if there’s no missile threat…
Gaslamp
Inside of the Kailua Town Bar & Grill
26 Ho‘olai St
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 483-0564
Wed thru Sat, 6pm – late
gaslamphi.com
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