Imagine stepping back in time to the era of prohibition, when illegal alcohol was all the rage. The Underground Speakeasy and Distillery at The Mob Museum offers a unique opportunity to experience the secret world of speakeasies and bootleggers that flourished during this time period. Set in the basement of a former courthouse and city jail, the Underground is a fully immersive experience, complete with hidden entrances, authentic furniture and decor, and a working distillery that produces house-made moonshine. Whether you’re a history buff, a mixology enthusiast, or simply looking for a one-of-a-kind night out, The Underground Speakeasy and Distillery is not to be missed!

The Underground Speakeasy and Distillery (Courtesy The Mob Museum)

A Trip to the Roaring 20s at The Underground in Las Vegas

“The Underground speakeasy and distillery is an award-winning exhibit, bar and working distillery located in the basement of The Mob Museum, which was originally used for staff offices,” Geoff Schumacher, Vice President of Exhibits and Programs for The Mob Museum, explained. “As attendance started to grow, we immediately recognized that the basement was far more valuable as exhibit space and as space for guests to enjoy further, so we came up with the idea to create an immersive experience taking you back to the Prohibition era. As it is with most cases when coming up with a new exhibit, we wanted a way to showcase the information to the public in an immersive way, and we thought what better way to tell the story of Prohibition than by re-creating the nightlife experience at the heart of the era. It has evolved since its original conception to a massively popular gathering spot where guests eat, drink and enjoy live jazz music, and it has become an entity of its own in many ways. It’s hard to imagine a more visceral experience of what Prohibition was like. If you’re not stepping back in time, then you’re not doing it right.”

The Underground Speakeasy and Distillery (Courtesy The Mob Museum)

The Roaring 20s era is about a century past now, but the fascination today’s society has with the bygone time period is still present. “Prohibition was pivotal to the success of organized crime in America,” Schumacher said of the era. “We tell that story on the third floor of the Museum, but we thought there was potential to do a lot more with this important subject. The basement space provided an ideal location to create an immersive Prohibition-era experience. We designed a speakeasy environment to reflect what an underground bar or club might have been like in the 1920s. The speakeasy has artifacts and exhibits, but it also features a working bar that offers specially created cocktails, food and live music. The distillery was born of a desire to illustrate the other side of the mob’s involvement with bootlegging—the manufacturing of moonshine.

We secured the proper licenses and had a custom pot still made in Germany. We learned the trade and started distilling moonshine. One of the most popular activities at the Museum is our Distillery Tour and Tasting, in which guests learn about Prohibition and liquor manufacturing while tasting several different flavors of moonshine that we produce.”

The Underground Speakeasy and Distillery (Courtesy The Mob Museum)

Though the exhibit can be walked through by all visitors, the speakeasy and distillery are for guests 21 and over. A distillery tour add-on is available to enhance guests’ visits to The Mob Museum. The distillery is also a popular source of locally-produced liquor in Las Vegas. “​​The creation of the distillery was a major undertaking because we had never produced moonshine before. We’re museum staff; we know about what museum professionals know, but we didn’t know moonshine,” Schumacher told us. “It was a large learning curve, but we tapped into expertise as we often do, and we brought people on staff who were trained to create moonshine. Obtaining the licenses required to produce moonshine in the basement of a museum was a big deal and took some time. A lot went into the distillery, but in the end, it created a great environment for guests to experience the various elements of Prohibition. The distillery and its moonshine offerings continue to evolve. Guests can tour the distillery and learn all about organized crime figures and their involvement in bootlegging, as well as how moonshine is crafted. Since 2018 we have expanded our selection of craft moonshines from one traditional unaged corn moonshine to four signature flavors, and we now brew a rotating seasonal beer, the Big Al Ale, that is served in the speakeasy.”

Espresso Martini at The Underground Speakeasy and Distillery (Courtesy The Mob Museum)