Back in time during the Prohibition Era in both Canada and the United States, speakeasys were known as secret spots people could visit to continue drinking alcohol and enjoy bar life regardless of the laws preventing doing so at the time. Nowadays speakeasys describe bars/pubs that reflect the same type of vibes as those during the Prohibition Era. Toronto is getting a new underground speakeasy and its name is XXX.

This new speakeasy bar belongs to Little Sister which is the food bar sitting right on top of the speakeasy. In order to get to the speakeasy you have to go down the stairs where you can find the red glowing xxx sign and a door next to it, but that's not all. You must also ask the host of Little Sister for a playing card that you will hold up to the peep hole of the door after knocking on it once you've reached the front of the queue. They put a queue for getting into the speakeasy as a measure to help control the vibes inside and make sure everyone is being given a top-quality experience. They've got a solid playlist for you to enjoy including genres such as nu disco, 90s and early 2000s hip hop and RnB, and nu jazz.

Once you get inside you'll be greeted by the Amsterdam-inspired interiors and you'll be able to enjoy a vast list of delicious and inspiring cocktails. The goal of the upstairs bar Little Sister is to focus more on delivering great tasting Indonesian food, but with XXX Speakeasy their main goal is really focus on providing the best possible high-end cocktail experience. One of the cocktails that stick out the most at XXX is the 'Ants on a Log' cocktail. If you guessed from the name that there's ants in the drink, you'd be correct. Many South American ingredients including black ants are imported and brewed into this very cocktail and are said to bring a strong lemon-like taste to the cocktail.

Aside from the wondrous cocktails you'll be able to enjoy here, the speakeasy still offers some great food. Taking some inspiration from their food bar upstairs they offer Indonesian fried chicken bites which are tender on the inside and crunchy on the inside. Pair these bite-sized pieces with their sambal spicy mayo for dipping and you're in for a flavour explosion.

With good food, inspiring cocktails, and immaculate vibes there is no way you can't give XXX Speakeasy a try on your next night out. They're located right under Little Sister on Portland Street and are open from 7 PM to 1 AM, walk-ins only.

Cover photo courtesy of XXX Speakeasy