During Prohibition in the United States from 1920 to 1933, California grape farmers were forced to find new uses for produce typically turned into wine. One answer: grape concentrate, which was sold in blocks and could be combined with water to make grape juice. But add a little yeast to that basic brew, bottle it and store it somewhere dark, and a few weeks later you've got your very own vintage, you enterprising vintner, you.
That history is part of a new exhibit at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, which looks at the culture and business of Prohibition and how organized crime rose to prominence under the strict regulations.
Called the Underground, the exhibit takes over the museum's basement, formerly administrative offices, with displays of artifacts, a working brewery, a copper-pot distillery, a speakeasy-style bar and a private VIP room hidden behind a secret door.
"When you think about the history of organized crime in America, the most pivotal point in that history was Prohibition," said Geoff Schumacher, senior director of content at the Mob Museum. As the museum began to think about a full exhibit dedicated to that era, the concept evolved to be more interactive and experiential.
"In the basement, the experience we want to achieve is that people feel to some extent that they're going back in time," Schumacher said. And if you're going to take them back to a 1920s speakeasy, "people ought to be able to buy a drink in there, as well."
Now they can. The Underground, which opened this spring, brings Prohibition into the present from the moment guests step down the stairs. They're greeted by an urban alleyway with sound effects, posters and billboards from the 1920s, before walking into a working speakeasy with its own custom 60-gallon copper still capable of producing 250 jars of corn-mash moonshine weekly under the direction of distiller-in-residence George Racz. That booze is available for retail purchase and is put to use at the bar, which serves moonshine cocktails and Prohibition-era drinks and the Underground's own beer, which is brewed inside the former post office and courthouse that hosted one of the famous Kefauver Committee hearings on organized crime.
"We've accomplished something pretty significant here, because we've integrated food and drink into the museum experience," Schumacher said.
Though speakeasy-themed bars are not exactly rare, the Underground stands out for the educational displays that adorn its walls. Along with a vintage advertisement for grape concentrate, the exhibit includes a five-gallon still once used to make illicit whiskey; Budweiser frozen eggs, which along with soft drinks and corn syrup, kept the famous brand in front of consumers while beer was forbidden; and 1920s-era beaded dresses typical of the bold flapper fashion of the day.
"It's more focused on the culture of the Prohibition era," Schumacher said, nodding to displays on women's liberation, technology and the Harlem Renaissance.
For private groups, a VIP area dubbed the Fitting Room can host parties and tastings, its doorway concealed behind an oversize portrait of Texas Guinan, a silent-film actress who became one of the most famous speakeasy operators during the temperance movement.
While entrance to the Underground is included with Mob Museum admission, those who want to check out the basement bar and exhibit alone don't have to buy a ticket. Speakeasy visitors can enter through a side door sans cover charge. A Prohibition-themed exhibit couldn't have it any other way.
For more information, visit themobmuseum.org.