Why not take a peek Behind Closed Doors?
MANCHESTER’S newest speakeasy Behind Closed Doors is giving away hundreds of free drinks when it opens this weekend – but you’ll have to find it first.
Hidden away in a basement beneath Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter, its tiny doorway is easily missed.
You’ll have to ring a buzzer to get inside, where a staircase leads down to a den of debauchery decorated with retro TVs, vintage chandeliers, mismatched mirrors and Persian rugs.
Billed as a ‘sexy and downright sleazy throwback bar,’ prudes probably shouldn’t open the cocktail menu, which includes drinks with risque names – and is even illustrated with eye-popping pictures.
A DJ booth made out of shopping trolleys stands next to the bar, which also serves a small selection of beer and wine.
Owner Nick Parr, formerly general manager of The Whiskey Jar, said: “We wanted to create a nice cocktail bar first and foremost. “There are plenty of venues in the city where cocktails are done but there’s usually another overriding factor. We want to put the drinks first. “It’ll be a bit more relaxed than some of the party places around here but still nice and fun. “It had to be a speakeasy. “It’s a little door, it’s hidden away from everything and it’s down in a basement. There’s nothing we can do about that, but it does play to the vibe. “Speakeasies tend to be more early century, prohibition style and we wanted to try and spin away from that and do something a little bit different, hence why we’ve hit on a more vintage, retro style with mid-century, 60s, 70s and even 80s-inspired decor and little twists.” That includes rotary dial telephones fitted at several of the booths, which customers can use to ring in their drinks order at the bar – or call another table for a chat. Behind Closed Doors opens for four days of launch parties this weekend, with a free prosecco or beer for the first 150 people through the door every night. You can (try to) find it at 91 to 95 Oldham Street. Nick Parr, owner