David W.
Google
What an adventure! My wife and I were excited about the prospect of staggering around Midtown Manhattan, discovering secret gin joints and learning all about Prohibition and the gangster violence that surrounded it, but we couldn’t have imagined what our guide Ryan had in store for us.
Every speakeasy was unique and amazing, from the heavily flowered former church to the Blue Room tucked in back of a hotel to the private lounging den set behind the bar out front. Ryan had many drink recommendations, and every one was spot-on and perfect. My wife found the perfect cosmo—more than once!—and I discovered what shochu tastes like when infused with roasted peanuts—like delicious hellfire.
Meanwhile, Ryan wove a tale of opportunity and danger and history and good old American gumption by way of Ireland. The stories always elevated the locations, and weren’t intrusive or overwhelming, and this is coming from someone who was feeling very loosy-goosy after the first stop. That gin glass was about the size of a fishbowl!
No hesitation, no warnings, no asterisks, just a straight-up recommendation for this tour. By the way, the tour appears to be extremely popular, judging from the 28 guests who showed up at ours. Not to worry, because the tour company conjured another guide and split our massive group, and by the end of our adventure, we were all very close slurring friends.
