Cloakroom Bar

A chain-stitch in a larger concept of sister tailor shops-cum-bars (the original was in Brisbane; there's now a Melbourne outpost), Cloakroom is like a sophisticated, clandestine set from the Kingsman films come to life. When it opened several years ago, the speakeasy brought a frisson of cool-kid fun back to the glittering but somewhat unhip Golden Square Mile shopping and nightlife district of downtown Montreal.

There's the requisite amount of cloak-and-daggery to the experience, as a host emerges from an innocuous wood-panelled area next to the tailor shop to welcome in-the-know imbibers. Befitting a bar that seats perhaps two dozen, this a no-reservations, no-menu, bespoke concept: after a few deft questions and a chat with your bartender, cocktails are on the way. If you were to specify an Old Fashioned spiked with something bitter or savoury, for instance, the bar staff will stir up a memorable and inventive bubbly libation to your taste.

Contact