1933 House of Bourbon will bring a taste of the Prohibition era to Edwardsville this fall

1933 House of Bourbon is slated to open at 1001 Enclave Parkway in Edwardsville on Nov. 16. 

Although the bar has bourbon in the name, it took owner Bernard D’Souza a while to develop his love of that particular type of whiskey. “I was actually always a whiskey person. I loved whiskey. It started with scotch and then went to single malts and then bourbon,” said D’Souza. He developed a taste for it with his wife, Simmi Kaur and, from there, the idea for 1933 was born. “You know, we love to have fun, love to party. And that became a passion of ours. We love to entertain people, love to go out and try different things. And so that all came together in this House of Bourbon.”

The name is a nod to the year Prohibition ended in the United States, and the décor and vibe will reflect that with a mural of newspapers from the Prohibition era. “We basically celebrate 1933 every day,” said D’Souza. The 4,000-square-foot space will house about 60 seats and, come spring, will have about 32 seats on the patio. 

The bar will feature more than 120 different bourbons, which guests can sip individually or in flights for those wanting to broaden their horizons before buying a bottle. 

If you know what you like, you can rent a liquor locker. For $500 a year, guests can fill the locker with bottles of their favorite drinks purchased in house. A personalized placard will be placed in the locker, ready for repeat patrons to use. “They have to maintain a five- or six-bottle minimum,” said D’Souza. “They get table service – if they want ice, there's no extra charge for that, so they don't pay for the drinks when they come in. All they do is pay for the food.”

In addition to the expansive bourbon selection, there are quite a few food options. Many different kinds of flatbreads will appear on the appetizer menu – one with blue cheese, caramelized onion and pear, and another with roasted apple and bacon with a bourbon glaze. On their entrée menu, check out the Prohibition Burger – one of the signature items – with its portabella mushroom base, caramelized onion and braised short rib all in one package. Everything will be strictly American fare, said D’Souza, with “a little twist here and there to make it special.”

For those with a sweet tooth, House of Bourbon will offer a selection of housemade ice creams, some of which will be infused with booze, such as bourbon-peach ice cream. In addition, they’ll have classic ice cream flavors like chocolate and vanilla. They also use bourbon in their apple tart – another one of the housemade treats. 

As the opening date of House of Bourbon draws closer, the D’Souzas will continue to work on another place just next door – an Indian restaurant called Spicy Affair. “It's two different concepts but we are going to share one kitchen and we're going to share the bar,” said D’Souza. They plan to open Spicy Affair a few months after House of Bourbon is well established. “We just got to take it easy, you know. Let's get one restaurant perfect and then we open the next one.” Spicy Affair, according to D’Souza, should be open by January of next year. 

1933 House of Bourbon will open for lunch at 11 a.m., and happy hour will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Updates and hours can be found on the website.