Raised by Wolves in San Diego, accessible via a revolving fireplace.
Call them neo-speakeasies. That hidden bar idea, so popular in the cocktail revival’s first flush in the early aughts, has returned to the forefront of nightlife, albeit reimagined and reinvigorated. The new breed isn’t as much hidden as playfully tucked away. “It’s a treasure hunt in many places, which is the secret to their success,” says Maurizio Maestrelli, author of “Speakeasy: Secret Bars Around the World,” who describes this new class as “for a lot of people but not for everybody, and a perceived exclusivity—it’s not a question of money, but of friendship or contacts.” So we’ve prepped a primer to help anyone score access to the best in class of these boîtes.
Raised by Wolves
The Tiki Room, featuring Dark Rum, Cream, Coconut, Falernum, Pineapple, and Lime; photo by Shannon Partrick.
Where: San Diego
In a nutshell: Moulin Rouge does mixology
How it works: The startling Euro-style decor of the liquor store that appears to occupy the site should be the first clue, as it evokes less SoCal sunshine and more absinthe-soaked Paris on a wintry night. But you won’t quite learn the secret until you sit in one of the spindle-style chairs by the fireplace at the rear: a concealed motor then spins the chairs on a platform into the secret bar hidden behind it.
Vibe: The Art Nouveau–inspired interior pergola is a nod to those classic Guimard Métro entrances in Paris, another hat tip to that same era. The maximalist mood, which includes oversized Victorian-style sofas and mural-wreathed walls, is reassuringly retro.
Drink to sip: Splurge on something from the Reserve Cocktail list, the bar’s elite menu featuring rare and vintage spirits, like a $175 French 75 made with 1950s-era gin.
Inside Milan’s 1930. Courtesy of 1930 Milan.
The bar’s signature Parmigiano Colada.
1930
Where: Milan
In a nutshell: La dolce vita secreta
How it works: In this bar’s original location, it took a membership card, with a name printed in invisible UV–revealing ink, for access via what purported to be an Italian-style bodega. It decamped to a new site last year, in the basement of Mag La Pusterla, with a fresh approach to gatekeeping: only 193 members with priority reservation rights before anyone else can slip inside.
Vibe: Two vaulted rooms filled with marble and rattan, like a colonial-era drinking den somewhere hard to find on a map. The vintage jukebox, which replaced the original location’s piano, is filled with equally old-school vinyl for you to choose.
Drink to sip: Parmigiano Colada, anyone? Try the signature umami-spiked riff on the piña colada with 24-month–aged cheese foam or the Tortellini in Brodo, a whisky-powered dose of chicken soup, fittingly served in a tureen.
Photo by Lateef Photography.
Callooh Callay
Where: London
In a nutshell: Alice through the drinking glass
How it works: The madcap bar’s mission is hinted at via its name, taken from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem Jabberwocky—though it’s more a Narnia-style experience to pass from the open-to-all front bar via the full-sized wardrobe to reach not one but two secret spaces hidden inside. Make sure to push past the velvet curtain to head upstairs to the JubJub bar, the ultimate hideout.
Vibe: You might think you’ve overindulged the moment you step inside, thanks to the gloriously trippy thrift-store–on-acid décor, which includes seats made from bathtubs and walls plastered with cassette tapes.
Drink to sip: Owner Richard Wynne and his team are dedicated to a rotating cast of drinks, refreshing the menu regularly, but a staple remains the House Daiquiri, made with its own proprietary rum blend and a dash of kalamansi—a type of citrus from the Philippines—alongside the lime.
The lounge area at Highball LTD.
Highball LTD
Where: New York City
In a nutshell: Hercule Poirot’s office party
How it works: The only way to reach the train wagon–like bar tucked into the 11th floor of a nondescript 36-story office building on Third Avenue in midtown is via the freight elevator.
Vibe: The 65-seat, 7,000-square-foot spot is intended to evoke those luxury railcars, with a faux-deco aesthetic that leans heavily on velvet, brushed brass, and dark woods, plus a floor-to-ceiling bronze fireplace.
Drink to sip: Obviously, one of the namesake drinks, a personal passion of owner Jeff Bell. Try the Kabosu Tonic, for example, which swaps out traditional lemon for the softer, rounder Japanese citrus.
A Negroni Balestrini at Florería Atlántico; photo by Ashley Hearn.
Floreria Atlantico
Where: Buenos Aires and Washington, D.C.
In a nutshell: A bunch of pirates
How it works: Fancy a martini with your marigolds? The first location of this cocktail bar was concealed down a discreet staircase from a fully stocked florist—hence the name—in the Retiro neighborhood, and it replicated the idea with its second outpost in the US Capitol. You’ll need to ask the florist-slash-host to let you through the antique refrigerator door at the rear, which leads to a basement drinking den.
Vibe: Owner Tato Giovannoni intends for both rooms to feel like seafaring taverns, evoking a sense of heady port culture—he’s a graphic designer, amongst many other hats he wears, and personally oversaw the paintings of fantastical sea creatures adorning the basements in both cities.
Drink to sip: The ever-evolving menu is intended to evoke the rich immigrant history of Argentina, drawing from the cultures and flavors of those who settled here; arguably the place to start is with a Negroni Balestrini, a smoky take on the classic, which incorporates yerba mate–infused gin and is served at both locations.
