A Local’s Tips for Exploring Savannah’s Prohibition Past

As the director of the only museum in the United States dedicated to the history of Prohibition, Kayla Black spent years studying the era—and how it unfolded in Savannah, Georgia—before the American Prohibition Museum opened in 2017. That includes training the museum’s volunteers (who dress in early 20th century attire) and coming up with clever ideas to give visitors a way to experience Prohibition.

“A lot of people don’t know that Savannah really had a massive role during Prohibition,” says Black. “Georgia went dry in 1908, a full decade before the rest of the country went dry.” Chatham County, which includes the Savannah historic district, was so opposed to Prohibition, Black says, that it threatened to secede from Georgia and form its own state. “To this day,” she says, “people refer to this area as ‘the state of Chatham.’ But they don’t realize it goes back to Prohibition.” We asked Black about Prohibition-era cocktails and speakeasies and how to experience them in Savannah.

Take a mixology class

Inside the American Prohibition Museum is 220 Up, an authentic speakeasy—and it turns into a full-fledged speakeasy-themed bar on the weekends, with costumed bartenders and period music. “Thursday through Saturday, you can come in through the back door, and we’re open for nighttime service, with a modern cocktail culture vibe,” says Black. The speakeasy also offers mixology classes for $35, where you can learn to make two Prohibition-era cocktails plus the proper recipe for Chatham Artillery Punch (see recipe below), a must-try cocktail for Savannah historic district visitors.

Step back in time

Popular restaurant and bar Crystal Beer Parlor, which first opened in the early 1900s as the Gerken Family Grocery Store, was sold to Blocko and Connie Manning in the ’30s—and rumored to be a speakeasy during Prohibition. “A Savannah story goes that when Prohibition [was repealed], Crystal Beer Parlor was the first place [in America] to serve alcohol afterward—because they never actually stopped,” says Black.

Recreate the vibe

Charleston, South Carolina’s, popular restaurant Prohibition opened a sister location in Savannah, and the hot spot offers creative, upscale cocktails with a Jazz Age theme. Settle in for an evening and try the casual tasting menu with beverage pairings.

Drink dockside

Experience the view where people may have drank homemade spirits during Prohibition at The Wyld Dock bar. Photo Credit: @thewylddockbar

Headed to Tybee Island? Make a pit stop at The Wyld Dock Bar, which is located right on the marsh. You’ll find fresh, local seafood and tasty cocktails—with a side of Prohibition history. “Although there’s no evidence that it was a place where alcohol was dropped off during Prohibition, lots of speakeasies and [unofficial drinking establishments] popped up in that location,” says Black. “Someone would go pick up [moonshine or other homemade spirits] and drink it on the spot.”

Admire nature and moonshine

Explore the knotty live oaks, striking Spanish moss and saltwater marshes of Savannah’s Skidaway Island State Park.

Savannah visitors shouldn’t miss the area’s beautiful landscapes—and Skidaway Island State Park is a great place to find them. But if you’re also interested in history, Black suggests the Big Ferry Trail; the 3-mile loop winds along a historic road with an apparent Prohibition connection. “It takes you right down to the edge of the water, where you can see a moonshine still that’s mostly decomposed,” says Black. “It was found on the island that’s now the state park.”

Celebrate the end of Prohibition

The first distillery to open in Savannah since Prohibition, Ghost Coast Distillery, offers a traditional vodka and an orange variety—with bourbons and other whiskeys to come. “The vodka is named for the number of years since Oglethorpe founded the state of Georgia: 261,” says Black. The distillery offers free tours Tuesday through Saturday, every half-hour.

Wondering what to order when you’re visiting these Savannah historic district establishments? “Rum was the first black market in the colony of Georgia; there are lots of rum drinks in Savannah,” Black says. “But Chatham Artillery Punch is the quintessential Savannah cocktail.”

Chatham Artillery Punch recipe (serves one):

• 3/4 oz. Fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. Simple syrup
• 3/4 oz. Bourbon
• 3/4 oz. Jamaican-style rum
• 3/4 oz. Brandy
• Top with champagne

Mix everything, minus the champagne, to equal parts and then top it off with champagne. Best served with crushed ice.

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