The Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas is opening up a speakeasy and distillery in its basement as part of a permanent exhibition on Prohibition.
Called The Underground, the exhibition will be unveiled to the public in April 2018.
Clint Thoman, veteran of the craft cocktail and hospitality industry, will serve as The Underground's director of food and beverage. He says the museum will be offering an authentic Prohibition-era drink menu that includes moonshines, house-made infusions, craft beer, and other original cocktails.
“During Prohibition, half the country wantonly broke the law so they could enjoy a cocktail, yet their drink choices were rather limited,” explained Thoman. “This meant creativity and improvisation were key."
Numerous artifacts will also be displayed at The Underground, such as flapper culture dresses and small whiskey stills used to make alcohol.
The museum hopes that new exhibit will educate visitors on how making alcohol illegal directly led to the rise and proliferation of the Mob in America.
"Prohibition shut down thousands of breweries and distilleries across America, but it could not eliminate the public’s desire for alcohol," wrote Mob Museum representatives in a press release. "It simply forced the brewing and distilling of booze into the shadows, where it became the purview of organized crime syndicates."
