Going retro is a growing trend among nightclubs.
But with his new Trolley Square hangout, Catherine Rooney’s owner Joe McCoy has turned the clock back even further – to the 1920s.
Hummingbird to Mars, which opened a few months ago above the Irish pub, is designed to resemble a Prohibition-era speakeasy, even going so far as to have a peephole in the door.
The trip up the stairs and back to the 1920s is ultimately about a return to a classier form of nightlife, McCoy said.
“This is different from a bar where you’re bumping into each other and yelling across the table,” he said.
Instead of blaring club music, Hummingbird to Mars will play the softer sounds of old-fashioned groups like the Rat Pack, McCoy said. And there are no flatscreen TVs on the walls – they’ve been replaced by photographs of movie stars the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.
Even getting into the club is different than a visit to a Trolley Square bar.
There’s no access to Hummingbird to Mars from Catherine Rooneys. Instead, patrons enter through a 16th-street entrance where they must first press a buzzer, which calls the bar. Then McCoy comes downstairs and takes a look at the party through the peephole before allowing them entry.
“That adds to the mystique of it,” he said.
Groups clad in flip-flops and t-shirts will be turned away, he said. Those clothes are welcome downstairs, but the speakeasy’s code of conduct mandates that women wear dressier outfits and men leave their jeans and baseball caps at home, McCoy said.
Once inside, patrons will have the opportunity to try some different drinks, he said, using unique vodkas infused with flavors like cucumbers, berries and even hot peppers. He is also trying to give new life to forgotten liquors, like gin.
Mixed drinks range from $8 to $12 and wines run from $7 a glass and $24 a bottle. The speakeasy also serves appetizers.
McCoy is hoping to give patrons an experience they can’t get inside any other Trolley Square nightspot.
“This is a place where you can relax, try different drinks and get back to the art of conversation,” he said.
