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| - A friend of mine has been telling me to go here for a few months as he has become a "regular." And despite the $12-18 cocktails, I now I know why.
First of all, it's not the easiest place to find, even if you ARE familiar with Park Road's Backlot (as a native Charlottean, and never having had a reason to go to the Backlot, I adore this. See also: Amelie's, Midwood Smokehouse). Anyway, it's tucked away without the name advertising it's whereabouts, just their logo. I say this all as a good thing. It has this "well known secret speakeasy" feel to it. If this is what they were intending, they nailed it. The second I walked in, my thought was "wow I feel like we are in Manhattan!" Mostly dim lit, smallish and intimate tables, spanning to larger tables with better lighting. A beautiful bar. A bookcase spanning a wall, and lots of exposed brick. They nailed it.
Second of all, I was very under dressed. I joined above friend and another guy as a last minute decision and I was wearing running shoes, leggings, and a fleece jacket. Fortunately on a Thursday night at 11pm it went unnoticed as it was not super crowded. The website does make it quite clear that this is not a sports bar, and there are certain expectations (wearing my bright pink Brooks and blue fleece not on their list) of the guests to ensure a classy AF environment. I'm fine with that. We need places like that.
Third of all, their cocktail menu is on point. The owner/mixologist takes a lot of pride in this, and it's obvious. Between the three of us, we had two rounds and 4 different cocktails and they were each delicious. We had a total of 3 Old Fashions (round 2 pour was much stronger than round 1), a Penicillin, a Hildago and a Strawberry Fizz. Like I said- all delicious. We did wait a bit for the drinks, but they are handcrafted and they don't cut corners. Worth it.
I will be back again soon for another cocktail, a gander at their extensive bourbon menu, and possibly even some food. This is a phenomenal place and it should be on your bucket list soon.
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