Red Phone Booth: A Prohibition Experience

Imagine this… It’s the Roaring 20’s. The music is swingin and jazz is jumpin, but, Prohibition is the order of the day. What this means is that alcohol is prohibited. Banned. Illegal. Can you imagine not being able to belly up to your favorite bar and order your go-to sip? It’s crazy when you really think about it.

Since alcohol drinking was banned, you had to be very, very secretive if you wanted to partake in a few sips. To enjoy your favorite spirits you had to visit a “secret place,” a speakeasy as they called it. And it was all by word-of-mouth… Absolutely no mention of this underground establishment to anyone; only those who knew, knew. It was real hush hush…

Enter Red Phone Booth. A modern-day speakeasy where you can enjoy chic cocktails over great conversation, all set in Prohibition-era style. (And without worry of the lawman breaking up the party) 🙂 At Red Phone Booth, you don’t have to imagine what this experience would be like… you can experience it yourself! RPB has created a super authentic ‘20s-era lounge that really plays into the Prohibition era. And it’s oh-so fabulous darling!!!!

Best-kept secret

The question now is, How do I get in? Well, with speakeasy’s in the 1920’s, you had to have a secret code to enter. So in keeping with tradition, the same rules apply with Red Phone Booth. For instance, there’s the entrance — or lack thereof in this case. It’s an old-timey red phone booth that seems a little out of place at first glance, but there’s a secret… To enter RPB you walk up to this unassuming “red phone booth,” pick up the vintage phone inside, and dial-in the secret code (assuming you know it of course). So. Stinking. Cool. A surprise entry then opens and you enter into this dimly lit den with vintage treatments all around like restored original brick floors, custom Italian leather couches, hand-painted ceilings, and vibes of a bygone era when sneaking a sip was super risky, but well worth it.

I’ve been to Red Phone Booth once before after a media tasting at Amalfi Pizza which is located above RPB. The GM at Amalfi invited my hubby and I to RPB after the Amalfi tasting, and we’ve been itching to return ever since!

So obviously when I was invited back for a private experience, I was so excited!

Just what the doctor ordered

Although Red Phone Booth is a modern speakeasy, it holds many of those same principles of speakeasy’s past. I was extremely impressed with how nostalgic this place felt, especially the cocktail menu. Remember now, it’s the 1920’s, so no mention of liquor here… Instead, the cocktails are cutely named after “prescriptions,” “vaccines” and “remedies.”

Of course, I couldn’t go to a Prohibition-era lounge without sampling some of their sips, umm remedies, err prescriptions. 😉 I really love how RPB sticks to theme and keeps the menu very authentic in terms of what was actually served back in the day.

After thumbing through their extensive collection of “covert cocktails,” 😉 I decided on the Bramble to kick things off along with the Gin Gin Mule to round out the eve. As you can imagine, the Gin Gin Mule was similar to a Moscow Mule and just as tasty. The Bramble, however, has a very interesting story. Its roots can be traced to a cocktail called the Gin Fix from a bartender’s’ guide dating back to 1862! Crazy. The Bramble was very refreshing with tastes of fresh lime and blackberries, and it was the perfect cure for my cocktail craving. 😀

As for the hubby, he was “prescribed” the 12-year Macallan Highland Single Malt and followed that up with the Remy Martin VSOP. Needless to say his “bum knee” never felt better. 😛 After we filled our “prescriptions” (wink, wink) we were taken on an exclusive tour of the digs where we got to see even more of what makes RPB so special. Our tour guide showed us a few areas of the lounge that are perfect for entertaining large groups, and we also got to see their upscale cigar bar/humidor. They have over 100 premium cigar labels in the humidor! As you can imagine, the hubby was in humidor heaven and just had to fill yet another “prescription” for his other bum knee (with a cigar of course). 😉

During the experience we also sampled a few small bites from the menu. First up was the Beef Carpaccio which consisted of thinly sliced beef tenderloin with EVOO, capers, and shaved Pecorino Romano cheese… seemingly simple but so, so yummy. Next we had the Oysters on Half Shell which came with a bevy of sweet west coast oysters and a delectable homemade cocktail sauce. Both were uh-mazing!!

The secret is out!

I highly suggest you experience Red Phone Booth for yourself! Everything from getting into the lounge to sitting amongst the comfy decor to sipping a Prohibition-era cocktail embodies such fine attention to detail, which is what makes this place so cool. They really know their stuff, and the vibe here is the bee’s knees, baby!

Visit redphonebooth.com, grab a membership, invite a few friends, and fill that much needed prescription for a great time!

Red Phone Booth is located at 17 Andrew Young International Blvd NE in Atlanta. Look for the antique London red phone booth, and be sure to tell them Nikka Shae sent you…Well, that might not get you in, but it’s worth a try. 😛

Huge hugs to Loren of Dating With Passports for extending the invite for hubby and I to revisit RPB for a fab date night experience.

I was compensated a fabulous experience in exchange for my opinion, however all signs of a great time are my own. 😀