Why 1923 Prohibition Bar Is One of the Best Bourbon and Burlesque Experiences on the Las Vegas Strip
1923 Prohibition Bar built its reputation on two things most Las Vegas bars do not combine: a genuinely bourbon-forward cocktail program and live burlesque entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. Hidden inside Mandalay Bay behind a bookcase door, it gives visitors a reason to skip the generic Strip bar circuit for something with real craft and real atmosphere. Whether the goal is a well-made Old Fashioned or a full NOLA Nights show, the bar delivers both without asking guests to pick one.
1923 Prohibition Bar is a hidden, bourbon-focused speakeasy at Mandalay Bay that pairs a barrel-aged Old Fashioned menu with live burlesque and music during Friday and Saturday NOLA Nights. Recognized among Yelp’s top-rated speakeasy bars near the Las Vegas Strip, it draws couples, bachelorette groups, and cocktail lovers who want bourbon and a real show in one room.
Bourbon cocktails plus live burlesque, no cover, Friday and Saturday nights at Mandalay Bay. That combination is what separates 1923 from every other Strip bar chasing the speakeasy trend.
Key Takeaways
- 1923 Prohibition Bar is a hidden speakeasy inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place at Mandalay Bay, just upstairs from House of Blues
- The bourbon menu includes a barrel-aged Old Fashioned made with Nevada’s own Smoke Wagon Straight Bourbon, alongside maple-bacon, butter pecan, and peanut butter and jelly variations
- NOLA Nights brings live music and burlesque to the bar every Friday and Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., with no cover charge
- The bar appears on Yelp’s lists of top-rated speakeasy bars near the Las Vegas Strip
- VIP table seating and private event bookings are available for bachelor and bachelorette parties, corporate groups, and other celebrations
Most bars on the Las Vegas Strip ask you to pick one thing: a serious cocktail program or a real show. 1923 Prohibition Bar does not make guests choose. Hidden inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place at Mandalay Bay, this bourbon-focused speakeasy runs a menu built around barrel-aged Old Fashioneds, then backs it up with a live NOLA Nights entertainment lineup of music and burlesque every Friday and Saturday. A bourbon bar and a burlesque bar under one roof is rarer on the Strip than the marketing for most “speakeasy” bars would suggest.
A Bourbon Bar Built on Real Bourbon, Not Just a Theme
Plenty of Strip bars slap a Prohibition label on a menu and call it a day. 1923 Prohibition Bar goes further. The drink list is anchored by an actual bourbon and whiskey program, not a costume. The house 1923 Barrel-Aged Old Fashioned uses Smoke Wagon Straight Bourbon, distilled just up the road in Nevada, and that same base recipe branches into three other directions on the menu.
The Maple-Bacon Old Fashioned pairs 01′ Major Bacon Bourbon with maple syrup and a John Henry’s maple-bacon rim. The Butter Pecan version swaps in Buffalo Trace and a pecan-infused syrup. For guests who want something sweeter and a little unexpected, the PB&J Old Fashioned runs Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey against seasonal preserves and a graham cracker rim. None of these reads as gimmicks on paper, and none of them tastes like one at the table.
Nevada’s craft distilling scene has grown fast over the past decade, and Smoke Wagon is part of that story. Building the house Old Fashioned around a Nevada label rather than a national brand is a small choice, but it signals that the bar is not just borrowing 1920s aesthetics. It is putting actual regional craft behind them.
The Rest of the Menu Holds Up Too
Beyond the Old Fashioned lineup, the bar pours a Sazerac built on Knob Creek Rye, simple syrup, and Peychaud’s bitters in an absinthe-rinsed glass, plus a Mint Julep made with Woodford Reserve. The Whiskey Sour uses Buffalo Trace, fresh lemon, and a dash of egg white. Groups can order the Bootlegger Bottle Service, a shareable Old Fashioned format that serves five. It is a serious enough list that a bourbon drinker could spend an entire night in 1923 without repeating a pour.
Where the Burlesque Comes In: NOLA Nights
The cocktail program is only half the reason people find 1923. Every Friday and Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., the bar runs NOLA Nights, a no-cover mix of live music and burlesque that pulls its New Orleans lean from that city’s own Prohibition-era jazz halls. Pianist Troy Romzek has anchored past NOLA Nights lineups, and burlesque performers rotate in alongside him, so no two nights play out the same.
What a NOLA Night Actually Feels Like
Getting in is part of the draw. There is no password anymore, just a hidden bookcase entrance tucked inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, upstairs from House of Blues. Once inside, the room stays dim and close, with lounge seating packed around a small stage where the music and the burlesque performance share the same spotlight. It is loud in the way a good show is loud, not in the way a casino floor is loud. That distinction matters if you have ever tried to hold a conversation next to a bank of slot machines.
Why the Bourbon-and-Burlesque Combination Is Rare on the Strip
Search “best bars in Las Vegas,” and you will get a long list. Search for one that pairs a legitimate bourbon program with live burlesque and no cover charge, and the list gets short fast. 1923 Prohibition Bar shows up on Yelp’s rankings of top-rated speakeasy bars near the Strip, and the reason comes down to a gap most other bars leave open.
Most of what passes for Strip nightlife falls into one of two categories: a bottle-service club built around a DJ booth, or a themed bar built around a gimmick with a thin drink menu behind it. 1923 sits in neither category. The bourbon program would hold up on its own in a bar with no entertainment at all, and NOLA Nights would hold up as its own ticketed show. Selling both together, with no cover charge, is what keeps the reviews and the repeat bookings coming.
- Most bourbon-focused bars on the Strip do not run live burlesque at all
- Most burlesque shows in Las Vegas are ticketed production numbers, not a walk-in bar experience
- 1923 runs both under one hidden roof, with VIP table options for anyone who wants a reserved spot for the show
Who Actually Books a Table Here
1923 pulls a specific kind of crowd, and it is worth naming who fits.
- Couples looking for a date night that is not another casino-floor bar
- Bachelor and bachelorette parties who want a private, photo-friendly room with a show built in
- Corporate groups and private events that need something more memorable than a hotel conference bar
- Bourbon and whiskey drinkers who want a menu they can actually take seriously
VIP table seating and private event bookings are available directly through 1923lv.com, and packages change with the season, so it is worth checking current options before locking in a date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 1923 Prohibition Bar in Las Vegas?
1923 Prohibition Bar is a hidden, Prohibition-era-style speakeasy inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The bourbon-focused bar serves barrel-aged Old Fashioneds and other craft cocktails, with live burlesque and music on select nights, all behind a hidden bookcase entrance.
Where is the 1923 Prohibition Bar located?
1923 Prohibition Bar’s Mandalay Bay location sits inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, just upstairs from House of Blues at 3930 South Las Vegas Boulevard. A second 1923 Live location operates at The Venetian Resort in the Grand Canal Shoppes.
What are NOLA Nights at 1923 Prohibition Bar?
NOLA Nights is 1923 Prohibition Bar’s Friday and Saturday night entertainment lineup, running from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with no cover charge. It pairs live music, historically anchored by pianist Troy Romzek, with burlesque performances that give the bar its New Orleans-inflected speakeasy atmosphere.
Does 1923 Prohibition Bar have burlesque shows?
Yes. Burlesque dancers perform as part of NOLA Nights every Friday and Saturday, alongside live music, inside the bar’s hidden Mandalay Bay location. The lineup rotates, so guests should check 1923lv.com for the current night’s performers before booking a table.
What kind of cocktails does 1923 Prohibition Bar serve?
1923 Prohibition Bar centers its menu on bourbon, including a barrel-aged Old Fashioned made with Nevada’s Smoke Wagon Straight Bourbon, plus variations such as a maple-bacon and a butter-pecan Old Fashioned. The menu also includes a Sazerac, a Mint Julep, and a Whiskey Sour, all built with classic bourbon and rye.
Is the 1923 Prohibition Bar good for groups or private events?
Yes. 1923 Prohibition Bar offers VIP table seating and private event space for bachelor and bachelorette parties, corporate outings, and other group celebrations. Guests can check 1923lv.com for current VIP packages and private event booking details.
Trust & Authority
This guide covers 1923 Prohibition Bar’s Mandalay Bay location on the Las Vegas Strip, drawing on the bar’s own menu, entertainment schedule, and published venue details. [Author Name Placeholder] covers Las Vegas hospitality and nightlife for MyPortal Marketing.
The Bottom Line
1923 Prohibition Bar is not the only speakeasy on the Strip, nor the only bar with a bourbon list. What it does not share with most competitors is both at once: a drink menu built around real bourbon and a NOLA Nights lineup that turns Friday and Saturday into a live show. If that combination sounds like your kind of night, check current NOLA Nights dates and VIP table availability at 1923lv.com.
