Savannah in Georgia
Georgia’s conservatism, and its location along the Bible Belt, meant the state actually went dry in 1908, twelve years before nationwide prohibition took hold. So “tricky” Savannah had had more than a decade of dealings with underground booze before the rest of the country followed suit in 1920.
Some really big names had illicit operations in Savannah during Prohibition, too," she continues. "Even Al Capone had an operation here…
“First, Savannahians set up a system called ‘locker clubs’. They weren’t private clubs, but you paid dues to be member,” Black explains. “As part of your due, you’d get alcohol. But, you weren’t paying for liquor – you were paying to enter the club. The Savannah Yacht Club was one of those.”
“Some really big names had illicit operations in Savannah during Prohibition, too,” she continues. “Even Al Capone had an operation here…”
When a bullet-hole-ridden car pulled up in mechanic Sherman Helmey’s yard, he didn’t know who it belonged to. But he fixed it up as requested and drove it to Savannah’s ritzy De Soto Hotel (Black points south of where we’re sitting), where he was promised payment. Here Helmey met one of America’s most notorious gangsters, Al Capone, who handed over the money as assured.
From then on, Helmey would fix up Al Capone’s rum-running cars as they came through town, customising them so they could store illicit liquor and replacing radiators shot out by police.
As well as whip-smart mechanics, when it came to bootlegging, Savannah had another factor on its side: geography.
“All Georgia’s little inlets, all the jetties, every little island – the federal government didn’t know it that well,” Black explains. “And so these little fishing boats full of liquor could go out there, zip into an inland stream, disappear and never be seen again.” If you head out to Skidaway Island State Park, some 14 miles south of the city, you can still see the remains of an old liquor still, left behind by a bygone bootlegger.
So, given Savannah’s many tippling tales, it seems strange that Ghost Coast Distillery, opened in 2017, is the first distillery in the city since Prohibition. But a tricky law, a hangover from that era, meant that until recently brewers and distillers were not permitted to sell their products directly to punters.
Co-owner of Ghost Coast Distillery Chris Sywassink raises his voice over the clatter of cocktail shakers. We’re perched at a varnished wooden table propped up by whiskey barrels. Punters line the distillery’s lengthy bar, fruit-garnished cocktails in hand.
“When a distillery cannot showcase what it makes, that’s really challenging from a business standpoint, if not impossible,” Sywassink explains.
But that changed last year when a boozy new bill permitting direct sales was passed. “That was when we were like: ‘OK, green light…'” Sywassink claps his hands together, then throws them towards the bar. Chief mixologist Sydney Lance gives us a wave from behind it.
Now the distillery produces 19 variants including rum, bourbon, whiskey, vodka and an agave product like tequila. The first spirit made was their much-loved Vodka 261. It was so named because, upon production, it had been 261 years exactly since the end of Savannah’s first prohibition on spirits, imposed by Oglethorpe way back in the 18th century. “But I can’t pick a favourite product,” Sywassink chuckles when prompted. “These are all my kids.”
Looking ahead, Savannah’s prospering drinks scene shows no sign up drying up. The city’s second distillery, Savannah Spirits, is set to open up in the Historic District this year. It will have a fully fledged bar and a chophouse onsite too.
Sywassink welcomes the new addition. “It’s the meshing of philosophy and ideas, this newness and this creativity that is really pushing the boundaries of what the beverage world is all about,” he says. “We’re the ‘Hostess City’ for a reason.”
The best places to drink in Savannah
Looking for a tipple in the Hostess City? These are Savannah's top watering holes:
For craft cocktails
Cocktails are Savannah's bag, and there's no shortage of spots to sip them in the city. Artillery, named for its location in the Georgia Hussars' former armoury, is one of Savannah's finest cocktail lounges. The gilded columns out front drop hints about the interior, which is all green-velvet booths, exposed brick and chandelier rings.
Try Savannah's signature cocktail, the Chatham Artillery Punch: it's a heady mix of rum, brandy, Rittenhouse rye and sloe gin, topped with green tea, lemon and sparkling wine, and served in a golden pineapple.
Special mention, too, for blink-and-you'll-miss-it basement spot AlleyCat Lounge and their extensive craft-cocktail list.