How to Start a Speakeasy From Your Dorm Room

With police trolling Cambridge streets to crack down on student revelry in dorms and clubs, only the most clandestine of social gatherings will survive. To help keep your party life glamorous amidst the thickest of widespread crackdowns, FM shares some tricks to maintain a snazzy night while staying under police radar. It’s time to convert your party place into a speakeasy.

1.  Say goodbye to Solo cups.A trick fresh out of the prohibition era: Solo cups scream illicit alcohol consumption, but coffee cups deceive authority figures. Police knocking at your door will instantly interpret the coffee-cup aesthetic to mean that your group of friends is in for a harrowing and homework-ridden all-nighter, rather than a casual social time.

2.  Require a secret password for entry.Having a password will help keep out your friend’s friend’s sister’s friend and other uninvited randos, as well as any unwanted policemen who happen to saunter by. Password selection is key: You want something enigmatic, punchy, and sleek. Think “echo” or “dragonfly.”

3.  Play jazz music.Jazz makes every casual listener seem swanky and sophisticated. Authorities probably won’t even bother knocking at your door since they’ll assume you’re busy studying for your class on the Harlem Renaissance.

4.  Bob your hair.Nobody wants to mess with a bob cut! Not even a hairdresser. Too much hairspray and attitude up in that.