From the dark days of Prohibition to present day, Kansas City has been known for enjoying a cool cocktail in secret space. Call them hidden bars, blind tigers, or speakeasies, this city has been home to both the historic version and the modern day one, where it is now legal to drink but there might still be a secret word or door you must know to gain admittance.
Striking the delicate balance between secrecy, word of mouth, and profitability, today’s hidden bars come and go (R.I.P. Manifesto), but none in recent memory have attempted a Latin theme until Brix Latin American Cuisine’s Clandestino opened in Westport. Meet the latest place to enjoy a drink in the dark.
Brix Latin American Cuisine opened in 2022, in the former Westport Saloon spot, and it shares an owner with Cancun Fiesta Fresh, a much loved to-go taco and margarita spot. The food menu at Brix is as compact as the restaurant itself, highlighting the star of the show—their house-made birria that takes 24 hours to create. You can enjoy the spicy slow-cooked beef in everything from quesabirria tacos to pizza birria and even birria noodle bowls.
No reservations are needed at Clandestino, as seating in the 16-seat secret bar located inside of Brix is on a first-come, first-served basis. Simply tell the hostess you would like to enjoy a drink at Clandestino, and she will escort you back through the restaurant to a wall covered in greenery, pulling a handle in the wall as a secret door swings open and you are shown inside.
The room is draped in velvet curtains, decorated with bookshelves full of knickknacks and candles that provide the ambience. Just about the time you realize there is no bartender and no bathroom, a waitress will appear to take your order. When your cocktails are ready, a bartender will come tableside to present each drink in its own dramatic way, all intended to spark your curiosity.
Raul Valencia, the director of operations and head mixologist for Clandestino by Brix, created the drink menu at Clandestino, and the standout drink to date has been The Alchemist, a vibrant purple cocktail delivered to you in an antique suitcase and assembled in front of you like a magician performing slight-of-hand tricks for the table. He created the drink as a tribute to all the bartenders and mixologists working to bring new flavors to life, using spices, spirits, mixers—creating something out of nothing.
“For this cocktail, we used a combination of La Gritona Reposado from Mexico and Pisco Acholado from Peru with lavender liqueur and pea-flower syrup for sweetness and orange bitters to balance it all,” says Valencia. “It’s a cocktail that’s bright purple in color and spirit forward.”
The Alchemist
- .75 ounce La Gritona Reposado
- .75 ounce Pisco Acholado
- .75 ounce lavender liqueur
- .5 ounce pea flower syrup*
- 3 dashes orange bitters
- .25 ounce absinthe
In a mixing glass, add La Gritona Reposado, Pisco Acholado, lavender liqueur, pea-flower syrup, and 1 cup of ice, stir 10 seconds clockwise with a bar spoon. Take a rocks glass, drop 1/4 ounce of absinthe in, then slowly coat the inside of the glass. Dispose of absinthe and add fresh ice until 3/4 of the glass is full. Using a cocktail strainer, pour cocktail from mixing glass into a rocks glass and enjoy.
*Pea Flower Syrup
In a pot, boil 4 cups of water, then add 1 cup of Incas dried pea flowers (buy online) and stir it slowly with a spoon for 10 seconds, letting it sit for 2 minutes. Using a metal strainer, strain the water and flowers into a heat-resistant bowl. Dispose of remaining flowers left in strainer. Add 4 cups of sugar into the bowl with pea-flower water and stir until it is dissolved. Keep it in your refrigerator.