Phoenix: Secret speak-easy reopens at the Biltmore
Jazz babies and their beaus can relive the Roaring ‘20s in the Arizona Biltmore’s Mystery Room, the newly re-created “secret” speak-easy in the resort’s main building.
The Arizona Biltmore opened in 1929 during Prohibition. But a desert resort with no hooch to satisfy the patrons’ thirst? Unthinkable. The owners found a way with the Mystery Room, a.k.a. the Men’s Smoker, up a staircase and hidden down a corridor.
Here gentlemen could purchase a set-up for the bootleg liquor stashed in a cabinet that converted into a bookcase in case of a raid. A high-powered spotlight on the hotel roof beamed into the room to alert guests if the coppers were on the way.
The Mystery Room is open for flappers and their friends on Sunday nights from 8 to 11 p.m., with a bartender in period costume, Jazz Age music and ‘20s-era cocktails. The room features Frank Lloyd Wright-style “Biltmore blocks,” a restored gold-leaf ceiling and historic photos.
Admission is free, but a password is required -- just like a real Prohibition speak-easy. To access the password, search #speakeasy on Twitter. The resort will tweet a clue every week from its Twitter page, @ArizonaBiltmore.
Info: Arizona Biltmore, (602) 955-6600
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