They give me a key. They say it’s the only way in. There’ll be a gate on your right. Use the key and go upstairs. Congratulations, you’ve reached 1,000 cocktails drunk here, so you deserve access to our secret club. Joking aside – although I will have passed 1000 cocktails – to enter the Portal Club you need an invitation in the form of a key. And it is immediately a secret bar, one where everyone wants to go but not everyone can. As in this case. A membership club only born under the sign of Deus, an enigma that you can access only if you have the coordinates. The tenacity of a life spent at this bar is recognized and here I am opening a mysterious gate that gives me access to another bar, not far from the first one. The Portal Club has soft lights, a green backlit space bottle cabinet, a fireplace and armchairs where I can sink until after midnight. Only 40 seats, there is no standing, you can book on three different time slots to avoid overcrowding. The speak easy in fact must be like this: slow, almost whispered, where drinking is relaxed and of quality. As in this case, where the list is signed by Fabio Spinelli and masterfully performed by Morris Mau.

At the Portal Club the classic aperitif is replaced by the concept of food pairing. No buffet, you will find a niche that can be purchased from a refrigerator and consumed on site or at home. From the kitchen you can choose two dishes, which will change periodically. It’s already 2:00 a.m., and two cocktails are on hand, but I’m hesitating on the third one. But anyway, I have the key, I’ll come back when I want. And it will happen soon, very soon.

Translated by @silaskin