Bourbon & Branch is a glimpse back on the 1920's and the era of prohibition when the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages was outlawed…

 

You'll experience the ambiance of that time in an actual speakeasy that operated illegally at this location from 1921 to 1933. From 1921-1923 our address is listed in the San Francisco Telephone Directory of the day as "The Ipswitch - A Beverage Parlor". In 1923, an industrious young man by the name of John J. Russell purchased the business as a "going concern" with it's solid base of customers. With his connections to the most notorious bootleggers from Vancouver, BC., he operated his bar under the guise of "JJ Russell's Cigar Shop". He did not sell many cigars. The speakeasy managed to avoid the attention of the governments Prohibition Agents for the remainder of prohibition. History was on JJ Russell's side, as it has been documented that a bar has operated at this Jones Street location since 1867.

We have a set of house rules that everyone is expected to follow to maintain the "Speakeasy". The term comes from a patron's manner of ordering alcohol without raising suspicion - a bartender would tell a patron to be quiet and 'speak easy'.

The origin of the word predates Prohibition by at least 30 years. Samuel Hudson, a newspaperman in the late 19th century, said he heard the term used in Pittsburgh, PA. in the 1880s by an old Irish woman who sold liquor without a license. She told her clients to "spake-aisy" if they wanted to buy some. The Cassell Dictionary of Slang lists the word as coming into usage around 1890. The term "spake-aisy" was used even a century before this, where it referred to smugglers' hideouts.

 
 

House Rules

 

Please Speak Easy

No Cell Phone Use

No Standing at the Bar

Don’t Even Think of Asking for A “Cosmo”

Smokers, Use Back Door

No Photography

Please Be Patient, Our Drinks Are Labor Intensive

Please Exit Bourbon & Branch Quietly

 

 

Beverage Academy

Hands On Cocktail Classes

 

 

Libations

All of our spirits are hand selected by merit. We consider them to be the best in every category. Being small we can’t stock everything, so if there is a particular spirit you’re looking for let us know. When possible we don’t use any juice, puree, syrup or extract that we haven’t made ourselves. All of our mixers (tonic, soda etc.) come from individual bottles. Our cocktail list is divided into five categories: Lighter Fare, Spirit Driven, Free Range, Ice Breakers, and Fresh and Fancy.