South End Speakeasy THE WHISKEY ROOM brings back prohibition-era style to the island. BY BARRY KAUFMAN • PHOTOS BY ROB KAUFMAN
We may look back on that dark span of time between the 18th and 21st amendments as a long national nightmare, but that fact is that prohibition was a time of unbridled creativity and innovation. Bootleggers crafted elaborate disguises for their contraband goods, from false-bottomed freight trucks to skiffs loaded with scrap iron. In this environment of temperance, bars were hidden behind false doorways, accessible only to those who could be trusted with their secrets. Behind the clandestine doors of these speakeasies, a new drinking culture was born. Cocktails flourished, with drinks from the whiskey sour to the bloody Mary tracing their origins to prohibition-era mixologists. And in that atmosphere of the forbidden, jazz music found fertile soil as it grew into the first truly American art form. The melding of expertly crafted drinks and live music was forged in these underground bars, a marriage of creative expression that continues to this day. When it opens this September, The Whiskey Room will serve as testament to the cultural renaissance that was birthed in this era. Both in terms of cocktails and music, this new spot south end hotspot will echo the atmosphere of prohibition’s sophistication. In fact, it will have its own speakeasy-style 12
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entrance, through a concealed bookcase. “We’re going for an upscale saloon from the turn of the century with a prohibition-era atmosphere,” said Nick Bergelt, CEO of Hilton Head Hospitality which owns both restaurants. “But with a modern twist.” The atmosphere nails that motif, with walls of distressed brick leading to a copper ceiling evoking the temperanceera underground bar juxtaposed against a modern backlit bourbon bar, allowing guests to see the subtle color variations between labels. The front windows will house floor-to-ceiling whiskey cases, while a stage in the front of the house will showcase stripped-down jazz acts filling the place with sound. For Bergelt, the symbiosis between Charbar and The Whiskey Room just made the two of them a natural fit for one another. “A lot of what we do at Charbar, the smoked and grilled flavors, lend themselves well to a nice bourbon,” he said. “We want this to be a nice, low-key destination where you have dinner at Charbar and then spend the remainder of the evening next door.” In fact, the two businesses are so intertwined that the opening of The Whiskey Room will coincide with the date
