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Politicians battling alcohol will perhaps never die in practice, but on this day in 1933 just 86 years ago, Prohibition officially ended after 13 years of chaos and emboldened smugglers and mobsters– and our peninsula establishments are here to help you celebrate and remember!
Prohibition, known as the Volstead Act, passed on October 29, 1919, and went into effect on January 17, 1920. On this day in 1933, it ended.
Several establishments are celebrating the End of Prohibition today, including a few famous establishments which were actually active in “the resistance”! (Viva la Resistance!)
The Blue Beet is a longtime Newport Beach bar, founded in 1912. Like many establishments (including the Balboa Theater, Stag Bar, and Newport Landing), Blue Beet’s halls were home to banned alcohol during those times– and heck, they were already breakin’ the law, Blue Beet and Stag decided to go all out add in gambling, and “comfort women” as well! Needless to say, the other two came to an abrupt end in 1933 when alcohol was re-legalized, but for quite a while– it was a place of many stories! Tonight, Blue Beet celebrates the restoration of liberty by offering happy hour not just until their normal 7pm, but all the way up until close. If you can handle our frigid Newport winters of 65 degrees, their top patio is the best view in Newport! Monday coincides with their 1/2 off New York Steaks, so this could make for the perfect night out by Newport Pier!
The Stag Bar, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, was also a source of “liberty boozing” during the prohibition days. Tonight they are celebrating with their full-stock bar (including Pappy van Winkle!)– but will also be debuting a brand new food and drink menu– with complimentary bites!
Joining the celebration on the other side, by Balboa Pier, is the Balboa Saloon. Now the Saloon wasn’t one of those terrible speakeasies, oh no. It was far more of a rebel! The owners tell me that Balboa Saloon was actually the headquarters where the booze was stashed as it came in off the ships, as Balboa Peninsula was *the* place to ship in liquor in the area (the one-way-in-and-out road made for perfect surveillance of police and alcohol-enforcers, known as “revenuers”. To this very day, there is a trap door in the floor where the kegs are now stored which served as a perfect hiding spot for endless bottles of liquor. The Saloon will be having traditional boilermaker specials all night until close– a traditional domestic beer and a shot of traditional Jack Daniels for just $8– can you get more prohibition than that?. If you get there on a slow day, ask the bartender to see where the underground kegs are– it’s really a treat and a blast from the past!
And finally, if we are talking about rebellion, we couldn’t make this post complete without mentioning that Woody’s Wharf is also celebrating their spirit of liberty and legalization, with drink specials all night long. If you’re looking for a great bay view or a place to dock your boat up to instead of driving, there is just no other spot like Woody’s. And if you’re looking to celebrate the true spirit of “fighting the establishment” and winning, there has been no better example as the famous one of Woody’s battling it out in a lawsuit against the city of Newport when the city attempted to institute a prohibition on dancing in their establishment. They say “you can’t fight city hall”… They are wrong! Woody’s has drink specials all night long, including steeply discounted Patron shots ($5/each), and saving a buck or two off Fireball shots ($5), well drinks ($5) and domestic beers ($4).
So come out to your favorite place– either one that fought and won the establishment during prohibition many years ago, or the ones who fight and win against them now. There’s something for everyone to celebrate on this day where the country became just a little bit more free– and I’ll cheers to that!
