SPEAKEASYSecret Bars Around the World
Maurizio Maestrelli
978-1-62795-131-9 | Hardcover | 208 pages | 7.1″ x 10.3″
List Price: $24.95
DESCRIPTION
Hidden entrances, dark places, low music, smoke, women, crime and obviously alcohol — in the days of Prohibition (1920-1933), these were the explosive ingredients of the American speakeasy. Frequented by gangsters such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, these underground bars and nightclubs have become the symbol of an epoch immortalized in cinema and literature. The new speakeasies are inspired by the typical unmistakable atmosphere of the beginning of the 20th century, when it was necessary to speak under your breath to avoid detection by the police.
These trendy bars have often been conceived by keen bartenders, who rediscovered the tastes of the mixed drinks of the 20s and 30s. Specially-made furniture, refined cocktails, entrance by invitation only, themed dress codes, nondescript facades, vintage atmosphere… nowadays the speakeasy is living a second life. Cocktails are now high-quality, sophisticated, and above all legal, but entering these clubs we jump into the past. This book will lead you to the discovery of the most famous current speakeasies, smuggling you through the doors of a hidden but charming world.
AUTHOR BIO
Maurizio Maestrelli has been working as a journalist since 2004. Specializing in enogastronomic journalism, he has written for Mondo della Birra, Loxcali Top and Gulliver. He conceived the guide Birrerie d’Italia and wrote Birra ai fornelli, and from 2001 to 2006 he was the editor of Civiltà del bere, the first magazine dedicated to Italian wine. At present he works as a freelance journalist, writing for Gambero Rosso, Dove, Il Mondo della Birra, Locali Top, Barbusiness, and ViniPlus di Lombardia. He was the first Italian journalist to be admitted to the British Guild of Beer Writers. He holds lessons on the culture and tasting of beer, and in 2006 he was named the best Italian beer journalist by Unionbirrai. He is a judge at the International Beer Challenge in London, at the Brussels Beer Challenge, at the World Beer Cup, the Dutch Beer Challenge, the Mondial de la Bière and the Italian competition Birra dell Anno. He is also the author of the first Italian beer blog: birragenda. In 2014 he planned and organized the Milano Beer Week, which was repeated in 2015 and 2016.