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Philadelphia is in the midst of a serious cocktail movement. (Photos courtesy Village Whiskey)

Prohibition, the alcohol-free period in American history between 1919 and 1933, is back. No, liquor isn’t suddenly illegal — but the Prohibition theme has of late gripped the nation’s imagination with TV shows, movies and books documenting the era.

And this weekend marks the anniversary of Repeal Day — December 5th, the day in 1933 when the 21st Amendment was ratified ending Prohibition. What better time to take note of all the bars, lounges, restaurants and speakeasies in Philadelphia where the mystique of Prohibition lives on?

Authentic Vintage Sips:

• Don’t be offended if a bouncer makes you wait on the sidewalk for entry into the swank, below-ground temple of Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. It’s worth the wait for the elaborately constructed throwback cocktails served over hand-chipped ice. Fun fact: the bar is named after the business that fronted for the country’s largest Prohibition-era alcohol ring, based right in Philadelphia.

• One of the bars that pioneered the Philadelphia classic cocktail craze was Southwark. The menu includes old-fashioned drinks like the Pisco Sour, Sidecar, Gimlet and Tom Collins, and the bar is outfitted with almost 30 rye whiskeys and 20 variations of gin.

• Iron Chef Jose Garces recreates a 1930s Chicago saloon with Village Whiskey, complete with bartenders who dress the part. Garces distills his drinks into “Prohibition” and “Repeal” categories, the former describing drinks inspired during the 1920s and ’30s, and the latter indicating recipes invented just after the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

• The Ranstead Room leaves much to the imagination with its muted red-brick façade and dark door off a back alley. But inside, chandelier-bedecked, gold-accented and leather-bound, the bar and its craft cocktail specialists shake and stir their way into Philadelphians’ hearts.

• At Chick’s Cafe & Wine Bar, bartenders concoct fresh versions of old classics using the licorice-like spirit absinthe, popular among pre-war expats and, until recently, banned in the U.S.

We’re only getting started. Check out more of our recommendations for classic cocktails and old-style bars below.

Real Remnants Of History:

• Founded in 1921 as McNally’s Quick Lunch, family-owned McNally’s Tavern flouted Prohibition laws by secretly serving alcohol to its customers. A citation from a 1920’s enforcement raid hangs by the door as a memento.

• “Ma” McGillin helped sustain McGillin’s Old Ale House — the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia — through Prohibition. When she locked the popular bar’s front entrance, she opened up the side and back doors to the knowing public and hired a chef to help her pub masquerade as an eatery. Decades later, McGillin’s still packs in patrons cheering on Philadelphia’s sports teams.

• The Cherry Street Tavern remained open throughout Prohibition by replacing its bar with a barber’s chair. But patrons were able to get more than a shave and a haircut. Although the sign proclaiming “Ladies’ Entrance” no longer hangs over the side door, a urine trough reminds modern visitors of the bar’s tenacious history.

Intriguingly Incognito:

• Considered the city’s closest approximation to a real speakeasy, Fiume is a secret even to the city’s most savvy nightlife denizens. Located in what resembles a private living room, this West Philadelphia music venue has no sign, no phone and no presence on Internet mapping sites. The only way to find it is to climb the stairs ascending above the Ethiopian restaurant Abyssinia.

• Holding court on an obscure back street for the past 35 years, the palatial Moroccan den Marrakesh is unmarked and indiscernible from the outside. In-the-know diners knock to gain entry.

• The whiskey lounge at Time restaurant serves seven varieties of rye, and and its Bohemian Absinthe Lounge lets you observe the ritual of preparing absinthe from a two-or-four-person tower.

• With its enormous outdoor neon sign that proclaims that a “BAR” lurks beneath it, Prohibition Taproom wouldn’t have succeeded in eluding Prohibition’s watchdogs. But modern-day patrons can rest easy in the safe-from-the-law comfort of a dark room lit only by a string of lightbulbs.

A Long Way From Moonshine:

• After studying the history of root beer, which became a non-alcoholic beverage during the Temperance movement of the 19th century, Philadelphia advertising executive Steven Grasse experimented with variations on root beer’s ingredients to develop ROOT, an 80-proof spirit that relies heavily on birch bark. Certified organic, it’s sold throughout Pennsylvania in bars and stores, with a national launch scheduled for early 2011.

• Philadelphia Distilling, Pennsylvania’s first craft distillery to open since 1919, produces three liquors with direct ties to Prohibition: Bluecoat American Dry Gin, Penn 1681 Rye Vodka, and absinthe-inspired Vieux Carré. All three spirits are available statewide.

Beyond The Bars and Restaurants:

• Gangster Al Capone was perhaps the most famous figure to emerge from Prohibition. His Chicagoan bootlegging empire has become legendary. Capone spent eight months in 1929-30 in Philadelphia’s historic Eastern State Penitentiary after being arrested here for carrying a concealed weapon. Visitors can still visit his actual cell, which he lavishly outfitted with paintings, a polished desk and an expensive cabinet radio receiver.

• If bootleg drinkers had thought to hide their gustatory contraband inside food, they might have turned to the bakers at Betty’s Speakeasy, a storefront and café that tucks beer and liquor into cupcakes. Local beers and national spirits find their secret hideaways within the “Bootleggers” series of cupcakes. And if a hint of alcohol isn’t enough, rebels can up the ante with four flavors of liqueur-soaked poundcake.