The Rise and Fall of the Speakeasy

In 19th century British slang, it became attached to places where you'd want to speak easy or quietly because an illegal activity like smuggling was going on. Bootleggers decided to take denatured industrial alcohols that they could get and re-nature them. How effective were they at doing that? It varied, but not always well. They ranged all up and down the social spectrum with upper class people attending lavish speakeasies while homeless people patronized disgusting hole in the wall speakeasIES.