Speakeasy in Detroit – from Hamtramck to the Purple Gang

Detroit – the capital of alcohol smuggling in America

No other American city was as inextricably linked to Prohibition as Detroit. New York had its elegant speakeasies, Chicago had gangsters with machine guns, but it was Detroit that became the true capital of alcohol smuggling in the United States. The reason was simple: geography. The Detroit River, separating Michigan from Canadian Ontario, is at its narrowest point only one and a half kilometers wide. On the other side lay Windsor – a city from which legally exported alcohol flowed into America in a wide stream.

By 1929, alcohol smuggling was the second largest industry in Detroit, generating an estimated 215 million dollars annually. The only industry that brought in more profits was the automotive industry. There were between 15,000 and 25,000 illegal establishments – so-called blind pigs – operating in the city and its surroundings, more than anywhere else in the country. And at the very heart of this operation was a small, independent city surrounded on all sides by Detroit: Hamtramck, almost entirely inhabited by Polish immigrants who made moonshine production an almost official branch of the local economy.

The history of Prohibition in Detroit is a tale of frozen rivers and cars speeding across ice, of the ruthless Jewish gang Purple Gang, of corrupt Polish mayors ending up in prison and returning as heroes, of Henry Ford, who fought against alcohol while the workers in his factories distilled moonshine in their basements. It is a story in which Polish immigrants played a leading role.

The Detroit River – a smuggler's highway

To understand why Detroit became the center of alcohol smuggling, one only needs to look at a map. The Detroit River (fr. détroit – strait) connects Lake St. Clair with Lake Erie, while also serving as the border between the American state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. At its narrowest point, it is only about a mile wide – roughly the same distance as from one bank of the Vistula to the other near Warsaw. From the Detroit waterfront, one can see the buildings of Windsor across the Canadian side.

Michigan was one of the first states to implement Prohibition. The Damon Act, passed in 1917 and effective from May 1, 1918, prohibited the production and sale of alcohol throughout the state – nearly two years before the XVIII Amendment to the Constitution took effect at the federal level in January 1920. This meant that the smuggling infrastructure in Detroit had a two-year head start.

75–80% of all smuggling

The scale of the operation was staggering. According to estimates by historians – including researchers from the Reuther Library at Wayne State University – 75 to 80 percent of all alcohol smuggled into the United States during Prohibition passed through the Windsor–Detroit corridor. This is no mistake: three-quarters of illegal alcohol in America passed through one river.

Why this route? First of all – distance. Smuggling a case of whiskey from Windsor to Detroit took just a few minutes by motorboat. In comparison, on the East Coast, ships carrying alcohol had to wait at the so-called Rum Row, 5 miles from shore, where American jurisdiction ended. Secondly – a legal paradox. Exporting alcohol from Canada was completely legal under Canadian law. Ontario did have its own Prohibition, but the federal government allowed for export. Canadian distilleries, including the powerful Hiram Walker & Sons in Windsor, openly sold alcohol to merchants who, of course, smuggled it into the USA. The crime only occurred upon crossing the border.

Smuggling methods

Smugglers used literally every available means of transport:

• Fleets of boats – from simple rowboats to specially adapted speedboats capable of racing at 50 miles per hour. Larger vessels docked in Windsor with documents indicating South America as their destination, then dropped their cargo in Detroit.
• "Whiskey sixes" – in winter, when the Detroit River froze, smugglers drove light cars with six-cylinder engines across the ice. The car had to be light enough not to break the ice, yet fast enough to escape patrols. These vehicles gave rise to a local car tuning culture.
• Pedestrians on ice – when the ice was thick enough, people simply walked across with bottles in hand or in buckets. When it wasn't thick enough, cars and their cargo sank – there are documented cases of smugglers who fell through the ice and drowned along with their goods.
• Fighting Island – an island in the river between Ecorse and LaSalle on the Ontario side served as a transfer point where smugglers hid from police patrols.

It is also worth noting the symbolic coincidence: both the Ambassador Bridge (1929) and the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel (1930) – two major infrastructure projects connecting the two cities – were opened during the peak of Prohibition.

Purple Gang – the Jewish kings of Detroit

No gang dominated Prohibition-era Detroit like the Purple Gang. They emerged from Paradise Valley – a neighborhood along Hastings Street on the Lower East Side of Detroit – young Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who started with petty crimes in the 1910s, only to become the most powerful criminal organization in the city with the onset of Prohibition.

Oakland Sugar House

Their early operational base was a building on Oakland Street, known as the Oakland Sugar House, where they produced illegal alcohol from industrial spirits. Hence the alternative name of the gang – "Sugar House Gang". This name has survived to this day in one of Detroit's most famous cocktail bars.

The Purple Gang controlled the Detroit illegal alcohol trade through a combination of smuggling, hijacking shipments from other gangs, and brutal violence. They specialized in hijacking – stealing alcohol from other smugglers on the Detroit River, saving themselves the trouble and risk associated with smuggling itself.

"Little Jewish Navy"

A faction operating within the Purple Gang, known as the "Little Jewish Navy", operated a fleet of fast motorboats on the Detroit River. Key members included Herman "Hymie" Paul, Isadore "Izzy" Sutker, and Joseph Lebowitz. According to some (unconfirmed) reports, they mounted small cannons on the bows, and crews were armed with Tommy guns. When threatened with capture, they would throw alcohol overboard, destroying evidence.

Key members

• Abe Bernstein – recognized leader and organizer of the gang
• Ray Bernstein – Abe's brother, a key operational figure
• Harry Keywell and Irving Milberg – enforcers
• Harry and Sam Fleisher – extortionists

In addition to alcohol smuggling, the gang was involved in gambling, extortion, kidnappings, insurance fraud, and contract killings for other criminal organizations. Their brutality was legendary – Al Capone, the most powerful gangster in America, reportedly said he did not want to start a war with the Purple Gang because they were too ruthless. Capone preferred to cooperate with them – the Purple Gang was his main supplier of alcohol from Detroit.

The Collingwood Manor Massacre

The event that broke the power of the Purple Gang occurred on September 16, 1931 at apartment 211 at 1740 Collingwood Avenue in Detroit.

Ray Bernstein arranged a meeting with three members of the "Little Jewish Navy" faction who had split from the gang, seeking greater profits on their own. The meeting was attended by Joe Lebowitz, Hymie Paul, and Isadore Sutker accompanied by Sola Levine as an escort.

When the three men entered the apartment, they were met by Purple Gang shooters – Harry Keywell and Irving Milberg. The gunfire was immediate and merciless. Lebowitz, Paul, and Sutker were killed on the spot.

Sol Levine, who survived as the only one, became a key witness out of fear for his life. His testimony led to the conviction of Milberg, Keywell, and Ray Bernstein for first-degree murder. They received life sentences.

The head of the Detroit criminal police James E. McCarty called the sentences a blow that "broke the backbone of the once-powerful Purple Gang." By 1935, the gang had practically ceased to exist – at least 18 members were dead, the rest were in prison or had joined the emerging national crime syndicate. The etymology of the name "Purple" remains unexplained to this day.

Hamtramck – the Polish capital of moonshine

Nowhere in America was Prohibition so spectacularly ignored as in Hamtramck. This town, covering just 5.5 km², became the most "wet" enclave in the entire United States – largely thanks to Polish immigrants, who made up the overwhelming majority of its residents.

A Polish city in the heart of America

In 1920, Hamtramck had about 48,000 residents. The overwhelming majority were Polish immigrants and their children, drawn to the city by the Dodge Main factory (Dodge Brothers), one of the largest automobile factories in America. Working on the Dodge assembly line was hard, but well-paid by the standards of the time – and thousands of Poles from Galicia, Congress Poland, and the Prussian partition saw it as a chance for a new life.

Hamtramck looked and sounded like a piece of Poland transported across the ocean. Polish was spoken on the streets, shop signs were in Polish, Polish parishes, Polish schools, and Polish social organizations were active. It was one of the most densely populated cities in America – small wooden houses stood tightly next to each other, with backyards often housing workshops, chicken coops, and – as it turned out – distilleries.

Independence as a shield

Hamtramck's status as an independent city – a separate administrative unit, not a district of Detroit – was fundamental to the flourishing of illegal alcohol production. Detroit police had no jurisdiction in Hamtramck. Federal agents had to coordinate their actions with the local Hamtramck police – and this police force was on the payroll of the smugglers.

The police chief and local politicians openly protected the alcohol trade. Hamtramck became known as a "wide open town" – a place where Detroit politicians and gangsters came for a quiet drink, knowing that no one would bother them. The entire city machine – from police officers to officials – was involved in the operation.

Distilleries in every basement

Moonshine production in Hamtramck was not an organized crime activity in the sense understood by the Purple Gang or Capone. It was a grassroots, neighborhood activity involving hundreds, if not thousands, of ordinary families. Home distilleries (gorzelnie) operated in the basements and garages of dozens of homes. The copper distillation apparatus – alembik – was so common that examples were found in buildings even in the 1960s, four decades after Prohibition ended.

Today, an authentic alembik recovered from a building in Hamtramck is displayed in the Hamtramck Historical Museum – a tangible proof of the scale of home alcohol production.

The specificity of Hamtramck was that moonshine was not a luxury product or a gangster commodity here – it was part of everyday life. Distilling vodka was as natural as baking bread. Neighbors knew who had distilleries, the police knew, everyone knew – and no one reported, as snitching meant ostracism in the close-knit Polish community.

Children as couriers

One of the most striking aspects of Prohibition in Hamtramck was the widespread use of children as couriers. Owners of home distilleries – the so-called bathroom-still operators, as many simple apparatus operated in bathrooms – routinely recruited neighborhood children to carry moonshine in buckets through the streets to waiting buyers.

Children aroused less suspicion than adults with suspicious packages. A boy with a bucket could look like someone carrying water or slop – and inside was vodka. This home distribution network operated more efficiently than many organized crime operations.

400 "soft drink parlors"

In 1923, in Hamtramck – a town of less than 6 km² – there were 400 licensed "soft drink parlors". The name was a transparent facade. Everyone knew these were blind pigs – illegal bars where alcohol was served. For a town with 48,000 residents, there was one blind pig for every 120 people – including women and children.

But blind pigs were not the only places to buy alcohol. A shot of vodka could be purchased directly from cars in the parking lots of automobile factories – including the Dodge Main parking lot, where thousands of Polish workers finished their shifts. Vendors would pull up at the right moment, and the transaction took seconds.

There was also a category of so-called "alley brewers" – people who produced alcohol in alleys and backyards, selling it directly to neighbors. In densely populated Hamtramck, where houses stood wall to wall and backyards bordered each other, separating a distillery from a residence was often a matter of one door.

Propination – 500 years of Polish alcohol tradition

To understand why Polish immigrants in Hamtramck so massively and unreflectively broke Prohibition laws, one must go back five centuries. In Poland, since 1496, there has been a system of propination – the nobility's right to produce and sell alcohol on their estates. This system, in various forms, functioned for centuries (until 1845 in the Prussian partition, until 1889 in the Austrian, and until 1898 in the Russian). This meant that Poles had centuries of experience with both legal and illegal alcohol production.

Alcohol was a central element of Polish social life – weddings, christenings, name days, harvest festivals, wakes. Arriving in America, Polish immigrants did not intend to abandon these traditions simply because a group of Anglo-Saxon Protestants deemed alcohol evil. Prohibition was seen not as a moral issue, but as a cultural attack – an attempt to impose Anglo-Saxon Puritan values on Polish, German, Italian, and Irish immigrants.

As a Detroit historian put it: "German, Polish, and Italian immigrants viewed Prohibition as an attack on their heritage."

Community, not mafia

What distinguishes Hamtramck from other centers of Prohibition-related crime is the grassroots, community nature of the operation. In Chicago or New York, alcohol smuggling was the domain of organized gangs – Capone's, Luciano's, Schultz's. In Hamtramck, it was a neighborhood movement.

There was no single boss controlling production. Hundreds of families distilled moonshine independently, selling it to neighbors, friends, factory workers. The profits went to rent, food, clothes for children – not luxury cars and suits. For many Polish families in Hamtramck, moonshine production was literally a means of survival, especially during the Great Depression when factories laid off thousands of workers.

This grassroots nature made the operation nearly impossible to suppress. One blind pig could be shut down – but when 400 others were operating in the same town, and the entire neighborhood protected producers with a code of silence, law enforcement became a game of cat and mouse with no chance of winning.

Corrupt Mayors of Hamtramck

The political history of Hamtramck during Prohibition reads like a black comedy script – with the difference that it all really happened.

Peter Jezewski – Mayor Behind Bars

Peter Jezewski was elected mayor of Hamtramck in 1922 – the first elected mayor of the city. It quickly became apparent that his administration not only tolerated alcohol smuggling but actively participated in it. Jezewski was convicted of corruption and sent to federal prison in Leavenworth, one of the most famous prisons in America.

But what happened next speaks volumes about the Polish community's attitude towards Prohibition. Jezewski campaigned for his successor from behind bars. His political machine continued to operate even while he was in federal prison. He was not seen as a criminal – he was a martyr, a man who stood with his community against unjust federal law.

Rudolph Tenerowicz – From Cell to Congress

The story of Rudolph Tenerowicz is even more astonishing. Convicted in 1931 along with twelve others for bribery and conspiracy, Tenerowicz seemed politically finished. But the residents of Hamtramck gathered thousands of signatures demanding his release. The governor pardoned him.

And here begins the second part of this incredible story. After his release from prison, Tenerowicz not only returned to politics – he won a seat in the United States Congress. The former convict for corruption sat in the most important legislative body in America. And that’s not all: later he returned to the position of mayor of Hamtramck (1936–1938).

Neither Jezewski nor Tenerowicz were stigmatized by their community. On the contrary – both were treated as heroes and martyrs, people persecuted by the federal government for defending the rights of the Polish community to live according to their own traditions.

State Police Take Over Hamtramck

In 1923, the situation became so scandalous that the Michigan State Police took over law enforcement in Hamtramck. Dozens of raids were conducted on distilleries and blind pigs. The result? As historians dryly noted – "ineffectively". Closed establishments reopened within days, and politicians and police continued to shield the smugglers. The community was too cohesive, too determined, and too united in opposition to Prohibition for any external intervention to make a difference.

Ecorse and the Downriver Corridor

Hamtramck was not the only hotspot for smuggling in the Detroit area. South of the city, along the river, stretched the so-called Downriver Corridor – a strip of small towns that became an integral part of the smuggling infrastructure.

Ecorse – A Transshipment Hub

Ecorse, a small riverside community south of Detroit, was the main point where alcohol from Canada landed on American soil. Fighting Island in the river between Ecorse and Canadian LaSalle served as a transshipment point where smugglers hid their loads from patrols. Lincoln Park, Ford (the city), and Wyandotte acted as distribution centers.

Just like in Hamtramck, in Ecorse children served as lookouts and couriers – according to sources, even 25 students worked simultaneously as lookouts and messengers for smugglers.

Governor Occupies Ecorse

In 1922, Michigan Governor Alex Groesbeck took drastic action – he ordered the state police along with federal agents to literally occupy Ecorse. Mass raids were conducted, but they had only a temporary effect. A permanent state police post was established in the area, but when media and political attention shifted elsewhere, smuggling operations resumed.

Of particular note is River Rouge – a neighboring town whose police chief was one of the few officers in the region who actually tried to enforce Prohibition law. Nearby was the massive Ford factory complex – River Rouge Complex – and Ford workers were among the smugglers' best customers.

Local historian Kathy Warnes, author of the book Downriver Prohibition, argues that for many residents of the Downriver community, alcohol smuggling was a matter of survival – especially during the Great Depression when factories were laying off workers en masse.

Henry Ford – The Great Paradox of Prohibition

No single person embodies the paradoxes of Prohibition in Detroit like Henry Ford – one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in America, a staunch advocate of alcohol prohibition, whose own workers were among the most active producers of moonshine in the country.

Ford vs. Alcohol

Ford believed that alcohol harmed worker productivity and that modern industrial life – working with fast machines, complex assembly – was incompatible with drinking. He fired workers who drank and hired private detectives to spy on workers' home lives, checking to see if they kept alcohol in their homes. Ford's famous Sociological Department studied not only working conditions but also the home habits of workers – including their drinking habits.

Ford actively supported the Damon Act of 1917, which made Michigan one of the first "dry" states. In an interview in 1928, he stated: "As for the current conditions of law enforcement, we are doing well enough in Detroit, even though we are right next to Canada."

The Great Irony

Meanwhile, the workers in his factories – particularly the Polish workers at the Dodge Main factory in Hamtramck (which produced cars under the Dodge Brothers brand, later acquired by Chrysler) – were among the most active producers of moonshine in all of America. Ford fought against alcohol by day, while his workers distilled vodka by night.

This irony did not escape the satirists of the time. A political cartoon from the era preserved in the Library of Congress depicts Ford standing under a rain of alcohol bottles beneath the sign "Detroit – The Wettest City in America".

An additional, darker layer of irony: Ford was also the publisher of the notorious anti-Semitic newspaper "Dearborn Independent", which blamed Jews for alcohol smuggling. Meanwhile, Polish workers in his own factories formed the backbone of the moonshine industry in Hamtramck – while the infamous Jewish Purple Gang was primarily involved in distribution and extortion, not production.

"Whiskey Six" and the Birth of Hot Rods

Prohibition in Detroit had an unexpected beneficiary: automotive culture. The need for fast, lightweight cars capable of evading police patrols – and in winter, safely crossing the frozen Detroit River – created a subculture of vehicle modification that survived the end of Prohibition for many decades.

Cars on Ice

"Whiskey six" was the term for lightweight cars with six-cylinder engines, optimized for speed and low weight. A smuggler on the frozen river faced a double challenge: the car had to be light enough not to break the ice, but also fast enough to escape police patrols on the shore. Every gram and every horsepower counted.

Automotive historians see parallels between Detroit smugglers and Appalachian moonshiners, who modified cars to transport moonshine on mountain roads – and who, according to legend, gave rise to NASCAR racing. The Detroit version of this story is less documented but equally fascinating: a city that built cars for America simultaneously perfected them for the purpose of breaking the law.

Blind Pigs and the 1967 Uprising

The legacy of Prohibition in Detroit extends far beyond the 1920s and 1930s. Blind pigs – illegal establishments selling alcohol – survived in Detroit decades after Prohibition ended, playing a role that no one anticipated.

Blind Pig or Speakeasy?

It is worth noting the regional terminological difference. On the East Coast, illegal bars from the Prohibition era were called speakeasy (from "speak easy"). In Michigan and the Midwest, the term blind pig (literally "blind pig") dominated – from the practice of charging a fee to "see a blind pig," which included a "free" drink. It is estimated that at the peak of Prohibition, between 15,000 and 25,000 such establishments operated in Detroit and its surroundings.

July 23, 1967 – The Night That Changed Detroit

Blind pigs existed in Detroit long after 1933 – but not only as a relic of Prohibition. In the context of racial segregation, Black residents of Detroit were excluded from many legal bars and clubs. Illegal blind pigs became their only social space – places for gathering, entertainment, and community.

On July 23, 1967, at 3:15 AM, the Detroit vice police conducted a raid on an unlicensed after-hours establishment at 12th Street and Clairmount (in the Economy Printing Co. building). A welcome party for Black Vietnam War veterans was taking place there.

The police arrested 82 people – far more than expected. The raid triggered a wave of anger that exceeded all expectations. The 1967 Detroit uprising began – one of the most destructive social riots in American history: 43 people died, 1,189 were injured, over 7,200 were arrested, and 400 buildings burned down.

The connection to Prohibition is direct: blind pigs survived in Detroit for four decades after its end because racial segregation maintained conditions where illegal establishments were the only places where Black Americans could gather. The legacy of Prohibition continued to shape the city in ways that no one could have predicted in the 1920s.

What You Don’t Know About Prohibition in Detroit

• First in, first out. Michigan was one of the first states to implement Prohibition (Damon Act, 1917/1918) – and the first state to ratify the 21st Amendment (repealing Prohibition) on April 10, 1933. The state that helped start it was the first to end it.
• Michigan tried Prohibition 65 years earlier. As early as 1855, Michigan enacted its first state Prohibition – 65 years before the nationwide ban. Temperance movements had been active in the state since 1833.
• The Jaworski Gang. Among the Detroit Prohibition gangs – alongside Italian, Irish, and Jewish gangs – there was also a gang with a Polish name: Jaworski Gang, mentioned by historian Paul Kavieff in his book The Violent Years. Details of their activities are scarce, but their existence confirms that Polish immigrants operated not only as grassroots producers of moonshine but also at higher levels of organized crime.
• The Nykiel Brothers – smugglers with a Polish surname who built a fleet of fast motorboats on the Detroit River and became some of the wealthiest bootleggers in the region. They had connections with the Purple Gang's distribution network in the Downriver corridor.
• Detroit RiverWalk – A Walk Along the Smugglers' Trail. The modern Detroit RiverWalk (opened in phases from 2007 to 2023) runs along the same waterfront that was once a highway for alcohol smugglers. Walking along the river, you are literally on the same path that smugglers carried cases of whiskey.
• Archive at the Reuther Library. The Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit houses a significant collection of photographs from the Prohibition era, including images of vehicles on the frozen river and confiscated stills.

Modern Speakeasies in Detroit

Detroit is experiencing a renaissance – and with it, the trend of hidden bars reminiscent of the city's Prohibition history is returning. Modern speakeasies combine craft cocktails with an atmosphere of mystery, often in historic locations that harken back to Detroit's tumultuous past.

Sugar House

Address: 2130 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI 48216 (Corktown neighborhood)
Entrance: Regular front doors – no need to search for a hidden passage. A speakeasy in spirit, not in facade.
Specialty: One of the first craft cocktail bars in Detroit, operating since 2011. The menu features over 90 classic cocktails plus a rotating seasonal list. The name is a tribute to the Oakland Sugar House – the base of the Purple Gang. No food menu available.
Prices: Cocktails around $14–18.
Tip: During the week (Mon–Thu) no reservations needed. For the weekend, it’s advisable to book a spot.

Bad Luck Bar

Official Address: 1218 Griswold St, Detroit – but the entrance is NOT from Griswold!
Entrance: Through the alley from State Street between Griswold and Woodward. Look for red neon and a snake door.
Atmosphere: Dark, atmospheric interior. One of the most "hidden" bars in Detroit – the process of finding the entrance is part of the experience.
Hours: Wed–Sat, 5 PM–midnight (confirm before visiting).
Reservations: Call 313-657-9177, especially on weekends.

Shelby

Address: 607 Shelby St, Detroit, MI 48226
Entrance: Through the café Coffee Down Under. Look for unmarked blue doors, then go down – to a century-old bank vault adapted into a cocktail bar. The building is the former U.S. Mortgage Bond Building.
Specialty: Opened in 2021, recognized by the Detroit Free Press as one of the Top 5 Best New Restaurants of 2022. Signature cocktails in the dramatic interior of an old vault.
Reservations: Recommended via OpenTable.

The Ghost Bar at The Whitney

Address: 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit (Midtown) – third floor of The Whitney residence
Entrance: Through The Whitney restaurant, to the third floor.
Specialty: Lounge in a 1894 residence, built for lumber magnate David Whitney Jr., converted into a restaurant in 1986. The Ghost Bar has been open since 2007. The name refers to alleged paranormal phenomena – the ghost of David Whitney is said to be seen here. Try the Witching Hour Martini.
Hours: Daily from 4:30 PM (confirm before visiting).

Room 1904

Address: 624 Brush St, Detroit (above Jacoby's Bar in the Bricktown district)
Entrance: Through Jacoby's and up to the second floor. Not heavily hidden – more like "hiding in plain sight."
Specialty: Speakeasy-style cocktail bar, opened in October 2023. The name refers to the year 1904, when Jacoby's was established. Signature absinthe service, fine spirits, small bites.
Reservations: Recommended, especially on weekends.

Evening Bar (Shinola Hotel)

Address: 1400 Woodward Ave, Detroit (in Shinola Hotel)
Entrance: Through the hotel lobby or through black doors in Parker's Alley marked with a small sign "evening bar" with painted eyes.
Specialty: Intimate speakeasy by chef Andrew Carmellini. Rotating seasonal themed menu.
Reservations: Recommended.

Tips for Visitors

How to Get There

Detroit is not a city that is easy to navigate without a car. Most speakeasies are located in the downtown area (Downtown) and its surroundings, but Hamtramck – a key location in Polish prohibition history – is a few kilometers to the north. It is best to have a car or use Uber/Lyft services.

Safety

Detroit is undergoing extensive revitalization, but there are still neighborhoods where we advise tourists not to venture after dark. Stick to well-lit streets and established areas: Downtown, Midtown, Corktown, Bricktown. Hamtramck is generally safe, especially near the main streets.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 – History:

• Morning: Hamtramck Historical Museum – view an authentic prohibition-era still and an exhibit on the city’s Polish history
• Walk along Joseph Campau Avenue – the main street of Hamtramck, still featuring Polish shops and restaurants
• Lunch at one of the Polish restaurants in Hamtramck – Polish Village Cafe or Krakus
• Afternoon: Detroit RiverWalk – stroll along the path of former smugglers, with views of Windsor on the Canadian side
• Drive through Ecorse – a short detour following the Downriver corridor

Day 1 – Evening (speakeasy crawl):

• Start: Sugar House in Corktown – classic cocktails at a bar named after the Purple Gang
• Transfer: Bad Luck Bar – find the hidden entrance from the alley off State Street
• Final stop: Shelby – end the evening in a century-old bank vault with a signature cocktail

Day 2 – Additions:

• The Whitney – dinner in a 1894 mansion, then Ghost Bar on the third floor
• Henry Ford Museum in nearby Dearborn – although the exhibit does not focus on prohibition, the context is fascinating: the museum was founded by a man whose workers were among the biggest lawbreakers in America

Practical Information

• Dress code: Most Detroit speakeasies have a more relaxed dress code than those in New York – smart casual is sufficient. It is advisable to dress a bit more elegantly for The Whitney.
• Prices: Cocktails range from $14 to $20 – comparable to other American cities, slightly cheaper than in New York.
• Reservations: Absolutely recommended for weekends at Shelby and Bad Luck Bar. Sugar House accepts guests without reservations during the week.
• Tips: American standard – 18–20% of the bill.
• Season: Detroit experiences harsh winters. If you want to feel the atmosphere in which smugglers raced on ice, visit in January or February. If you prefer comfort, summer and early fall are the best times for walks and patios.