The Back Room is one of only two NYC speakeasies that genuinely operated during Prohibition and still exists today — the original 1920s back-of-Ratner's-Deli location with continuous-use alley entry for 100+ years, where Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky drank during the era's gangster prime. Drinks are served in teacups (preserving the Prohibition concealment ritual) and beer in paper bags; the room appeared in HBO's Boardwalk Empire as a period-accurate stand-in. The cocktail program is solid rather than craft-credentialed (no 50 Best Bars, no Spirited Awards, no industry recognition) — the editorial substance is historical landmark status, not bar program. For NYC speakeasy history in continuous operation — listed here as editorial canon, not as cocktail craft.