Walking up to the converted townhouse that now houses Little Sister‘s Portland location, there’s a small stairway that leads to a basement. The only indicator that there’s something down there is a bright neon sign bearing three Xs.
It’s the entrance to Little Sister‘s new bar, XXX Speakeasy, which is only accessible by asking the host at the upstairs restaurant for a playing card. Guests can then bring the playing card back downstairs, knock on the industrial door, and hold it up to the peep hole to be granted entrance.
A huge cocktail menu, dreamed up and put together by general manager and industry vet Robin Wynne, is designed to appease both cocktail drinkers and beverage newbies alike. “We wanted to have a creative environment that would challenge people’s perception of what ingredients you can and can’t use,” Wynne says.
To push their boundaries, they created the “Ants on a Log,” a pisco-based and South American-inspired beverage with imported ants floating in it. “They basically taste like lemon,” Wynne says. “If I had known that before, I would have put them in my caesar salad.”
The 20-seat space was designed to mimic a hole-in-the-wall basement bar commonly found in Amsterdam and other major European cities. Originally, the landlords wanted to use the basement room for something else, like a small kitchen for a takeout-only pizza joint, but agreed to allow Little Sister to use it to create XXX Speakeasy.
The menu boasts modern classics, picked from bar menus across the city that Wynne says were selected to honour Toronto, an array of new drinks specifically designed for XXX Speakeasy, and simpler, tried-and-true basics that can make a non-cocktail expert feel comfortable.
Wynne notes that he selected a bunch of spirits from ethical and sustainable brands, hoping to create an environment that will combine a passion for drinks with strong values. “We are almost zero waste,” he says.
XXX Speakeasy is located inside Little Sister at 102 Portland Street, and closed on Sundays and Mondays. It opens at 7pm Wednesdays through Saturdays.