When Behind Closed Doors — or BDC to regulars — first opened very few people noticed. And that was exactly the idea. Many a reveller with a lust for liquor and flesh has spent a significant amount of time searching for the entrance to this purposefully-secretive basement bar that scarcely offers a clue to its existence from outside, creating a decadent and debauched enclave below, safely hidden from the relentless busyness of Oldham Street. Find the way in between a t-shirt shop and tattooist, and all that effort proves more than worthwhile, the staircase leading guests down past a sign for Private XXX Booths and into what can best, and most affectionately, be described as a modern day den of iniquity where the focus is excellent, highly original drinks, and kitsch sexuality.
Overtly themed around 1970s pornography, sleaze, and all things raunchy, open the menu to find all manner of suggestions and innuendos, not least when it comes to the in-house cocktail specialities like a Furry Cup (Absolute vodka, Giffard crème de mure, lemon, egg white, peach, shaken hard), the 50 Shades of Earl Grey (Portobello Road Gin, early grey tea, lemon, honey and lavender, served in a teapot), or the Penis Colada (a simple renaming of the tropical classic comprising cream of coconut, rum, and pineapple juice). Once you’ve got your drink at Behind Closed Doors feel free to ogle the imagery on display, all of which celebrates the human form in all its glory, or take a wander into the toilets with their retro tiles and purposefully seedy lighting.