While the name speakeasy is used today as a trendy, often subterranean compact bar space, likely behind a non-descript doorway.

Once the speakeasy was the only way to find an adult beverage during the Prohibition years. Hidden tucked away in towns large and small across America, speakeasies existed to flout the laws that make alcohol illegal to produce, distribute and drink.

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One such speakeasy existed in the West Michigan community of St Joseph along the shores of Lake Michigan. It carried the unique and intriguing name of the 'Bucket of Blood.'

The question came up on a Facebook group focused on the history of the St Joseph and Benton Harbor area. The discussion was about where the infamous Bucket of Blood was located and what went down there.

The speakeasy was located at 608 Ship Street in St Joe, a location on the north end of that city's downtown, just a block from the bluff above the St Joe River were it empties into Lake Michigan.

READ MORE: Secret Door in Downtown Detroit Looks Just Like a Retro Faygo Vending Machine

News reports from 1924, the heart of the Prohibition decade, tell of proprietors who were arrested for the possession of booze.

That building was demolished in 1925. Today a brick building includes both retail shops and a second story of residential units.

The Bucket of Blood name was somewhat common for saloons of the era. There was a Bucket of Blood in Detroit that was described as

the toughest bar in 19th century Detroit and was notorious for loud wild music, illegal gambling, prostitution, life and gun fights.

A Bucket of Blood existed in Chicago. The Chicago Bar Project describes that joint on the city's west side near today's United Center:

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In Chicago’s more violent past, bar owners would wash the floors at the end of the night and, when there were fights or stabbings, the remains would be mopped up and wrung out into a bucket. The water, stained red with blood, would be thrown out onto the street, making it appear as if the whole bucket were filled with blood, hence the name

The Bucket of Blood name may date back to the wild west of Virginia City, Nevada, were a saloon by that name has been slinging drinks continually since 1876.

What Are the Signature Drinks From Every State?

LOOK: Best Beers From Every State

To find the best beer in each state and Washington D.C., Stacker analyzed January 2020 data from BeerAdvocate, a website that gathers user scores for beer in real-time. BeerAdvocate makes its determinations by compiling consumer ratings for all 50 states and Washington D.C. and applying a weighted rank to each. The weighted rank pulls the beer toward the list's average based on the number of ratings it has and aims to allow lesser-known beers to increase in rank. Only beers with at least 10 rankings to be considered; we took it a step further to only include beers with at least 100 user rankings in our gallery. Keep reading to find out what the best beer is in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C.

Gallery Credit: Angela Underwood

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