REVEALED: what goes on Behind Closed Doors in Manchester’s risqué new hidden bar

Manchester’s newest speakeasy is opening this weekend and it’s a haven for lovers of all things 50 shades and all things Sex in the City. Think Carrie Bradshaw sipping a Martini whilst Christian Grey eyes her up from behind the vintage telephone booth.

Hidden away in a basement beneath Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter, its tiny doorway is easily missed. You’ll have to ring a buzzer, wait and then answer a riddle to get inside. Only once you’ve answered the secret code, will you gain access.

Don’t trip on the dimly lit staircase that leads down into a den of self-proclaimed debauchery. Inside, the place is a visual tilt-a-whirl of darkness and light, retro TVs, ornate chandeliers, mismatched mirrors all offset by speakeasy-style moodiness and funky vintage Persian rugs.

The bar has a private feel; an intimate collection of dark nooks and crannies and kinky corners. It’s billed as a ‘sexy and downright sleazy throwback bar’ and, if the sexy menus are anything to go by, puritans may as well steer clear.

The drinks selection is as long as your arm, and each drink is sprawled across the pages of a very unusually decorated menu. Cocktails range from the rather demurely named Furry Cup (Absolut vodka, creme de mure, lemon, egg white and peach, £8) right through to Wet Dream (Olmeca Altos tequila, hibiscus, yuzu sake, egg white and rose lemonade, £8) and illustrated with photographs that don’t leave much to the imagination.

Founder Nick Parr said: “We wanted to create cocktail bar that wasn’t your average run of the mill. We wanted it to be unique and we’ve certainly delivered that.

There’s loads of spots around the city where you can grab a cocktail. We wanted to put quality drinks at the forefront with this one. It’ll be more relaxed than some of the party places around here but still nice and fun.”

And fun it is. There’s even the added touch of a corded retro phone on many of the booths that can be used to order drinks or call the hottie in the corner to see what’s up.

From Thursday to Sunday there will be 200 drinks to give out each night, with some amazing local DJ talent and a full offering from Behind Closed Doors’ downright dirty creative cocktail menu.

You’ll have to leave your inhibitions at the door for this one, folks. Not one to take your mother to.

See you in the queue for a Wet Dream, then?

How to find BCD…

Open until late every day, head down from:
Thursday 6pm, Friday 8pm, Saturday 8pm or Sunday 7pm