Bourbon & Branch

Bourbon & Branch is a glimpse back on the 1920's and the era of Prohibition when the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverage 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.