The term “speakeasy” is used too loosely these days, says Anthony Partridge, lead mixologist at the Laundry Room.
“A hidden door doesn’t mean that your dancefloor qualifies as a speakeasy, nor does the old-fashioned menu. We keep to the idea of keeping low, quiet and speakeasy tones throughout the entire thing, because it [was] an illegal activity. It’s not supposed to be a raging party where everybody’s taking pictures and bumping elbows,” Partridge says.
When it opened inside Commonwealth in 2012, the Laundry Room was one of Vegas’ first speakeasies, and it intends to honor the origins of the hidden bar. During December, it’s offering limited-edition cocktails ($19) inspired by the darker corners of the Prohibition era.
Brandy, Lapsang vermouth and cacao blend in a smoke-tinged sip in the Looking Glass. In Juniper Justice, gin, orange and rosemary-infused pomegranate recall when the term “Mother’s ruin,” a nickname for gin, was invented. And Woodrow’s Revenge mixes Amontillado, cassis, ginger liqueur, vanilla and lime in a sly tribute to the amendment that lifted Prohibition, despite Wilson’s veto.
All can be enjoyed by reservation only in the Laundry Room’s discreet, candlelit, 22-seat hideaway. What better way to celebrate the spirit of the speakeasy?
THE LAUNDRY ROOM 525 Fremont St., laundryroomlv.com. Sunday-Thursday, 6-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-9 p.m.
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