She Drinks Too: The Mystery of a Modern-Day Speakeasy

Part One: The Hunt

“Go through the back door and into the dark alley. Make a right and head toward the glowing light. You’ll see a door with snake coils on it. That’s the place.”

Um, yeah…because this is From Dusk Till Dawn and I’m George Clooney and he’s Quentin Tarantino and we’re walking into vampire headquarters. Right. My thoughts raced beneath a furrowed brow as my husband and I got directions to Bad Luck Bar – a fairly new and very opulent 1920’s inspired speakeasy in downtown Detroit.

Let me back up. I heard about Bad Luck Bar from my very cool pottery instructor. No, that is not an oxymoron and no, I am not talking about a 60-year-old, retired hippie that still smokes weed every now and then (medicinal, of course). Really, this dude is a 20-something hipster, bartender, and soon-to-be attorney with impeccable taste that just happens to make a mean coffee mug. He tells me I have to check out Bad Luck Bar and while the cocktails are ridiculously expensive, it is really worth it. He says nothing more.

Bad Luck Bar entrance and curtain reveal by Bad Luck Bar

Intrigued, I decide to venture out, dragging my skeptical husband along for the ride. We arrive at Bad Luck Bar, or rather, where Bad Luck Bar should be but quickly learn 1218 Griswold – the establishment’s purported address - does not exist (at least from a street view). Waze, you disappoint me. We drive, and then walk up and down Griswold several times without so much as a whiff of a spirit. Finally, we go into the coffee shop at 1220 defeated and ready to scrap the whole thing. But before we commence stress eating and drowning our sorrows in warm beverages, I decide to give it one more shot. Timidly, I walk up to the barista and ask, “Have you ever heard of Bad Luck Bar?” to which he answers, “Of course.” “Can you please tell us where it is?” I plead.

Ten minutes later, I found myself in a dark and sumptuous room, looking at the cat-eye framed peepers of our very detached, red-lipped hostess. She pulled back a velvet curtain to reveal an extravagant bar that appeared to be plated in gold and owned by Gatsby himself. It was situated amongst a few tables, dim lights, and baroque-like detail to achieve an intimate setting.

Part Two: Inside the Drinkery

“In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from another.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Yep, the gold Gatsby bar was certainly stocked and I was certainly too young to know about much of its merchandise, most notably The Admiral. This $80 shot of rum - served neat, on the rocks, or as a daiquiri depending on the whims of the patron - is from the UK’s rationing to the British Royal Navy in 1952. As I said, I’m clearly too young to appreciate that kind of rarity. For that expense, I wanted the rum to talk and tell me about drunken British sailors, life on a navy ship, and what it’s like to be mixed with Coke. I skipped the rum and opted for The Empress – a lovely little libation made with vodka, pineapple-honey shrub, and honeybush tea soda and served in a pretty flute with lavender-infused pop rocks around the rim! So. Stinking. Cute. My husband ordered Death and honestly, I have no idea what’s in it but the thing arrived at our table on fire. Really…full-on flames. Since then, I’ve also had Past Lives, which was excellent and The Tower, which, because of a chamomile tea bag that is continuously flavoring the cocktail, tastes very different at the last sip then it did at the first. Points for creativity.

Bad Luck Bar and cocktails by Bad Luck Bar

So what’s the verdict? Bad Luck Bar is serving up an experience, not mere booze. The masterminds behind the scenes have taken time and care to wow their guests and everything is curated to that end – from the speakeasy’s mysterious location, to the way the bar is revealed, to the drinks themselves. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Go and enjoy something from the menu at least once, and if you’re on a tight budget, keep in mind they have a full bar that serves just about anything.

Sound worth it to you? Let me know your thoughts. I’d also love to know if you would spring for the rum. :-)

UPDATE: Not surprisingly, the menu has been refreshed since I originally shared this post and, because I clearly have a thing for pop rocks, I’d recommend trying The Alchemist. It’s a vodka cocktail served with house made black tea-dried fruit soda (that’s boogie for pop rocks) on top. Also, the Admiral is now $120 and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Love in all things,

April Eileen