This was a pretty awesome recommendation from one of our friends for cocktail bars in Palermo. I'm…read moresort of a sucker for speakeasies, and this was one of the more involved ones I've been to yet. On a very unassuming street, you have to declare the password to the doorman, and then once you do, you walk to a telephone booth that the doorman will give you an access code for. Certainly a lot of steps, but pretty well executed, actually. After entering, you see a very dark, intimate area with some nice couches for lounging, while the back area is brighter-lit and has the full bar, and a second level with more seating.
It's certainly much more touristy here, as most of the clientele doesn't seem like they're from around the area, but it doesn't really take away from the vibe at all. Nonetheless, it's definitely very scene-y. The DJ up on the second floor was spinning some 90/00's rock (Chili Peppers, Blur, Killers) before moving onto more modern American pop songs from artists such as The Weeknd and DJ Snake. After going to other bars in the area that played mostly pop hits in Spanish, I could see that this was more of an outlier, but I didn't mind.
We managed to snag some seats at the bar after befriending a very friendly couple that was just about to leave. We ordered a bunch of different drinks: smoked rosemary old-fashioned, pisco sours, the power of the tonic (basically a gin and tonic with honey and extra lemon). The bartenders certainly know what they're doing, and you can witness them practicing their craft. My smoked rosemary old-fashioned was a bit on the sweeter side, but still very strong, and the bartender actually used a blowtorch to light the rosemary, which was pretty gimmicky, but still kinda cool. The pisco sours was pretty delicious, and the power of the tonic came in a huge glass, and was very strong.
The prices here are definitely more expensive than most bars in the area, with cocktails running from AR$150-200 (USD $11-15). However, they're using very quality ingredients, and the service is excellent and very attentive, so in all, a very quality product. Definitely worth a visit if you're going out in Palermo. It's certainly a very intimate space, while also providing a plethora of delicious, well-crafted drinks.