Look for the red light, the alley or the phone booth. Give a password, go through the false bookcase or find the right door at the end of a "Shining"-like hallway.
The sometimes mysterious entrances into Twin Cities speakeasies add exclusivity and intrigue to the cocktail bar experience. Nodding to Prohibition-era spots for secret imbibing — only without the bathtub gin — today's modern hideaways can range from low-key affairs devoted to serious drinking to raucous Gatsby-esque role play. But even the come-as-you-are bars offer a winking acknowledgment that you're about to enter someplace remarkable — as long as you know where to look.
"Stepping into this really special place, you go down an alleyway, you walk through an unmarked door, sometimes you have to wait to get a seat because we're full — why would you do that if you just wanted to have the same experience that you get everywhere else?" says Adam Gorski, bar manager for Sooki & Mimi, an Uptown Minneapolis restaurant with a cozy, semi-secret basement bar.
A tool shop facade distracts from the alley entrance to the Hardware Store in Anoka, where a password or secret phrase guarantees your reservation. "I need a new pipe wrench," perhaps. Inside, curtains carve out private bays between velvet booths, and jazz and blues bands play beneath the ornate tin ceiling.
A speakeasy enthusiast, owner Jason Hostetler traveled to dozens around the country before opening his own venue that honors his grandmother, Lorraine Hostetler, Minnesota's first female mayor.
"Just the look of it when you walk in — everything is hidden, and when you slide the door open, the element of surprise of a beautiful space. It brings people back," Hostetler says.
While the Hardware Store stands alone, many local speakeasies are offshoots of restaurants, giving bartenders a chance to try something different. Tequila Butcher in Chanhassen is known for agave spirits, but a curtained-off backroom called Sockdollager takes things in another direction, with more than 500 bottles of whiskey.
"People are shocked to find a dark and elegant space like Sockdollager behind a white and bright space like Tequila Butcher," says owner Tony Donatell. "We love the contrast."
