We walked along Delancey St on the Lower East Side in New York City. It was snowing light and my friend from down south argued this was a blizzard. We passed 138 Delancey St where the Jewish restaurant Ratner´s used to be. An emergency room is located here now. Ratner´s was originally located in Pitt St and opened in 1905. In 1918, Alex Ratner sold his share in the restaurant to his brother-in-law Jacob Harmatz. This was also the year the restaurant moved from Pitt St to Delancey. Just a few months later, the Volstead Act was ratified, which established prohibition in the United States. Ratner´s was open twenty-four-seven and had a spacious room at the back of the restaurant where they sold illegal alcohol during prohibition.
Jewish gangsters such as Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel were regulars here. There were also other mobsters like Charles “Lucky” Luciano who used The Backroom of Ratner´s for business meetings. A big advantage of The Backroom of Ratner´s was that it had several escape routes should it become necessary. There were exits onto Suffolk, Norfolk, Delancey streets and even Rivington to name some.
As we turned onto Norfolk St, I tried to cheer up my friend in the blizzard that it was not far now. There were some cafés further up the street and my friend wanted us to go there to warm up. We passed an office building with a glass facade before I stopped at a classic New York brick apartment building with fire stairs along the front. We’re going down here, I said, pointing to a dark staircase with a gate that didn’t exactly seem inviting. There was a weathered sign on the gate saying this was the location of The Lower East Side Toy Company. The wall around the staircase was graffitied with all sorts of symbols and scribbles. No; said my friend. We’re not going down there. Yes, come on. This is where we’re going. He hesitantly followed as I went down into the darkness. We entered what can best be described as a tunnel. I could see a dim lamp further into the tunnel. There was nothing to suggest that anything was in here, but I had been in here before. My friend still looked a little anxious. We finally came out of the tunnel and crossed a backyard, towards a large door that stood a little ajar. Inside there was a heavy velvet curtain that I pulled aside so we could get inside. My friend was still sceptical and hesitant but followed.
We stood on the landing for a moment and let our eyes get used to the light and surroundings. We went down the steps. All the colours were dark and warm. The walls were covered with dark red wallpaper with scrolling patterns in gold, the ceiling had large chandeliers, there were large paintings, globes and bookshelves. The VIP space is actually hidden behind a rotating bookcase, I whispered to my friend. The bar counter was made of dark wood with large mirrors at the back. The furniture was upholstered in dark pink, burgundy, purple and everywhere there were seating areas with small tables. At first glance, it looked like we were alone in the room, but eventually a low hum was heard from guests chatting softly to the sound of low-pitched jazz. My friend commented that all the guests drank tea or coffee even though it was past midnight. We went to the bar where a bartender in a white shirt, vest and bow tie was busy polishing a teacup. He held it up to the dim light as if to see if he had done a good job. He was obviously pleased and approached us. What can I help you gentlemen with tonight, he said with a friendly smile. What do you recommend tonight, I replied? How does an Old Fashion sound? It fits well with the occasion, I thought and nodded at the bartender who quickly snatched a bottle of Bourbon and Angostura from the liquor rack that was hidden from the front of the bar. He tossed the bottles up in the air and caught them again behind his back before nonchalantly mixing them with the other ingredients and topping it all with orange peel. The drinks were of course served in teacups. My friend looked at me, at the teacup and at the bartender. Come on, I said, and we’ll find a place to sit.
This place is one of only two speakeasies in New York City that operated during Prohibition and is still in existence today. Speak easy bars revolted against the American Prohibition and got their name both because customers were told to speak easy about these secret bars in public and because the police had difficulty finding them because people tended to speak quietly while inside the bars.
Any prohibition bar is certainly worth a visit, so please don´t speak easy about The Backroom of Ratner´s!
Billy Bronco is telling you 