At the 19th-century Centennial Malt House, a new secret is stirring. Nearly three years after a fire shuttered Vin de Set and PW Pizza, husband-and-wife team Cally and Rich Conyers and their business partner Kevin Conyers are breathing new life into the storied building – at 2017 Chouteau Ave. just outside the parameters of Lafayette Square – with Prohibition, a speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar that opens this weekend with a soft launch on Friday, Oct. 24.
The Conyers have leaned fully into the speakeasy mystique. There’s no sign to guide you in; guests will have to discover the entrance themselves once they arrive. Even the approach to the bar feels intentional: lights flicker on as you pass and dim behind you, setting the tone for an evening steeped in secrecy and style.
Inside, the 2,000-square-foot space feels like a step back in time. Massive wooden archways, rock walls, gold-gilded frames and mirrors, and moody, low lighting create a warm, intimate glow. Every detail was designed to feel elegant yet cozy, from the restored woodwork to the purse hooks under the bar. “We sourced every piece ourselves to make sure it felt authentic,” said Cally. “It’s elevated, but comfortable – the kind of place where you want to linger.”
Prohibition shares the historic building with Extra Wavy, the seafood-focused restaurant and bar that Tim Wiggins and Travis Howard opened just last week. The two distinct spaces complement each other with Extra Wavy’s lively coastal energy upstairs and Prohibition’s dark, moody elegance tucked discreetly within the same 1876 structure.
The cocktail menu was developed in collaboration with beverage director Benjamin Bauer and Wiggins, a popular local bar consultant who has had a hand in many cocktail menus around town. It features eight house cocktails inspired by the classics but with a speakeasy twist, including Liquid Gold, a complex and silky whiskey sour with a soft finish, and Poetic Legs, a spice driven riff on a Jungle Bird. The menu also lists about a dozen classic cocktails, alongside a curated list of wines, beers and spirits. Rich hinted that a limited food menu will debut by the end of the year, with plans to expand it in the future.
The team is also working to restore a 100-year-old piano gifted from a nearby church, with hopes of hosting live jazz nights that honor the building’s historic roots. But perhaps the most distinctive element of Prohibition lies in its storytelling. Lining the stone walls are framed clippings from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch archives: headlines about speakeasy raids, local arrests, and women who operated on the fringes of polite society during the 1920s. “We wanted to understand who these women were and what they contributed,” Cally said. “They were strong, independent and often overlooked, and we wanted to do them justice.”
That research led her to reach out to professors who specialize in the era, sourcing historical materials that deepen the bar’s immersive concept. The result is a space that feels not only nostalgic but meaningful: a tribute to resilience, creativity and joy.
“The 1920s were extravagant and carefree on the surface, but it was also a hard time in this country,” Cally said. “People found ways to celebrate life anyway. That’s what we want to bring here: a place to connect, to find a little joy no matter what’s happening outside.”
Prohibition will be open Friday through Monday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., with plans to expand hours as demand grows. Guests can follow @prohibitionstl on Instagram for updates and, in true speakeasy fashion, clues on how to get in.