Shanghai Is Introducing a New "Breed" of Speakeasy Bars

(Source: Travel Pulse)

The "swinging 20's and 30's" are a part of history now, but the town of Shanghai is bringing back the era of Speakeasy bars.

The Speakeasy bars were complete with hidden entrances that were shielded by vending machines, bookshelves, and mirrors which revealed "the most sophisticated nightlife." Finding said entrances is all part of the fun and games.

There are even bars that have multiple hidden gems. "Speak Low" has a second hidden bar that in concealed behind a wooden panel on a staircase. You press a secret button on an antique map. Once that is done, the entrance is revealed to an "intimate bar helmed by Gokan protege Atsushi Suzuki, whose Spirited Away cocktail is served with a spoonful of grated wasabi."

According to CNN, there's a third hidden bar that is exclusive for members only. Try their signature cocktail named after themselves. The Speak Low a blend of green macha tea, Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 8 rums and Pedro Ximenez sherry which won Gokan the 2012 Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition over at Angel's Share in the Big Apple.

Some of these bars are hidden in restaurants as well. "Flask" looks like a normal diner, but there's more than meets the eye. The signature cocktail and the joint comes to you hidden inside of a vintage book in --- you guessed it --- a flask. Through the hidden vintage Coca-Cola machine door sits a "classy bar that boasts over 100 bourbon and rye whiskeys, most of which you won't find anywhere else in Shanghai."