India, Sept. 11 -- The original speakeasy was born out of necessity during the 1920-33 Prohibition era in the US, when hidden and dimly lit drinking rooms became a way to keep the party going.

Pass Code Only (better known as PCO), which opened in 2012 in a Vasant Vihar market, was among the city's early speakeasy-style bars. It hid behind an unmarked entrance and a telephone booth, with a passcode that changes constantly. Hoots, which opened in 2016 in another market in Vasant Vihar, tucked itself behind a nondescript white door, while The Backyard in Punjabi Bagh played on the idea of a neighbourhood grocery store concealing a bar. Each gave Delhi a reason to seek out what was behind the door.

"We initially tried to keep it a secret, b...