The Pegu Club was a Victorian

Victorian architecture

The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...

-style Gentlemen's club

Gentlemen's club

A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...

 located in Yangon

Yangon

Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...

, Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

 (Burma). It was built in the late 1880s to serve the British army officers and civilian administrators after the annexation of Upper Burma

Third Anglo-Burmese War

The Third Anglo-Burmese War was a conflict that took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance and insurgency continuing into 1887. It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the British...

 in 1885. It was one of the most famous gentlemen's clubs in Southeast Asia, at par with the Royal Selangor Club

Royal Selangor Club

The Royal Selangor Club is a social club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, founded in 1884 by the British who ruled Malaya. The club is situated next to the Dataran Merdeka, or Independence Square, padang , and is accessible from Jalan Raja...

 of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Tanglin Club in Singapore.

It was located near the famed Shwedagon Pagoda and the Governor's Residence

Governor's Residence

The Governor's Residence Hotel is a Victorian-style hotel located in Dagon Township, Yangon, Myanmar , located in a teak mansion from the 1920s...

 and was reportedly off limits to the local Bamars

Bamar

The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...

. According to local history, the club was burned down during the bombing by the Japanese in late 1941. The club was not rebuilt and now only a bus stop named after it exists on Pyay Road, Yangon's main thoroughfare. According to Paul Theroux

Paul Theroux

Paul Edward Theroux is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work of travel writing is perhaps The Great Railway Bazaar . He has also published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his...

, however, he was able to reach the entrance of the club in 1971, indicating that the club may have well continued its existence after the war, but later fell out of use.

Reincarnation

A new Pegu club was opened in SoHo

SoHo

SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...

, New York. It continues to serve the Pegu club cocktail and has played in the revival in interest and reputation of the cocktail.