New Brisbane venue Legends Bar offers a 1900’s prohibition experience in a location disclosed through longitudinal and latitudinal co-ordinates.
To gain entry, guests are required to recite a passcode which is posted to the bar’s social media accounts every Thursday at 3:30pm. In classic speakeasy style, the venue features of jazz and blues matched with an old-world-saloon-meets-Victorian-steampunk aesthetic.
AccorHotels restaurant and bar manager Bharathraj vallekadavil Rajiv Bharathraj vallekadavil Rajiv (Bharath) saw the unused space’s potential.
“When I asked why the bar was not in use the team told me that they had tried to revive the space a few times but nothing seemed to work as there was no foot traffic to the location and the entrance was too hard to find. Instead of seeing these points as limitations, I used them to my advantage and developed an authentic speakeasy concept where the search was part of the experience,” said Bharath.
The mixologist approached the hotel’s general manager, who was intrigued by the concept and allocated Bharath a budget of $20,000 to get it off the ground.
“I spent many a weekends at local markets looking for one-on-a-kind furnishings that would add character to the space without a hefty price tag. Finding Tommy, our vintage phone that helps people find the entrance, was definitely a happy day,” said Bharath.
Instead of spending money on signage and advertising, Baharath invested time in disguising the bar’s entrance even further and developed a social media strategy to create buzz surrounding the secret bar’s launch.
Legends stocks over 180 liquors and top shelf spirits as well as a variety of wine, tap beer and cocktails. The seasonal cocktail list is comprised of ten classics that give a nod to the 80’s, as well as ten signature cocktails that have been developed by Bharath.
“We didn’t want to serve cocktails for cocktails sake, we wanted to serve a memorable experience, meaning the theatrics behind the bar are as important as the final taste of each drink,” said Bharath.
The drinks list includes the Steampunk Old Fashion, which is smoked with Applewood live in front of guests and the Honeycomb Bliss, which combines scotch, Wild Turkey honey liqueur, butterscotch and a dollop of honey melted from fresh honeycomb.
Legends Speakeasy Bar is open 4pm til late Thursday – Sunday.
