El Gato Negro is to step back in time with an exclusive evening of social (and secret) drinking pleasure to toast Repeal Day on 5th December. The day when Prohibition – a ban on the manufacture and sale of alcohol – came to an end in 1933.
Food and wine aficionados are invited to take part in the clandestine event, which will be held in the acclaimed Black Cat – the upstairs bar at the top of the heritage building with Manchester’s only retractable roof. Treasures sourced from local antique dealers, add character and vintage glamour – a perfect Prohibition hideaway.
Guests can shake their tail feathers behind blacked out windows to live swing band The Prohibition Swing Club or sit back and take in the speakeasy flavour with specially created cocktails. The exclusive cocktail menu will include the Bee’s Knees, a delicious blend of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, wild blossom honey and orange blossom, the White Water Rickey, a chilled mix of Buffalo Trace Bourbon and homemade strawberry iced tea soda and the Branca Brew, a dark blend of Fernet-Branca, fig liqueur and dry lager.
Though the full recipe is a secret, Fernet is made from a number of herbs and spices. It was handily classified as ‘medicinal’ during the Prohibition era, cementing its popularity in San Francisco and elsewhere. Do like the San Franciscans do this Repeal Day and give your merrymaking a healthy makeover.
The intimate event at the Black Cat starts at 7pm. No booking is required, but access is recommended via the backdoors on South King Street in order to elude prying eyes. Discounts will be offered to those who have secured the secret passcode or to those in 1920’s glad rags.
