For the month of May, Raffles Hotel Le Royal invites guests to slip behind an unmarked door and into the dimly lit glamour of a 1920s New York speakeasy, complete with crafted cocktails, live jazz, and the singular atmosphere that only Raffles knows how to conjure.
There are hotels that offer a room for the night, and there are hotels that offer a world to step into. Raffles Hotel Le Royal, which has been offering the latter from its gracious position in the heart of Phnom Penh for 97 years, has this month added a new room to its particular world: a hidden speakeasy by the name of Mindy’s, inspired by the jazz-soaked glamour of New York between the wars, and open for a tantalisingly brief run from 7th to 31st May.
Tucked discreetly behind an unmarked door, Mindy’s announces itself through atmosphere rather than signage, which is, of course, precisely as it should be. Dim lighting, vintage-inspired décor, and the unhurried sounds of jazz and swing conspire to produce the sensation of having slipped, quite pleasingly, out of the present entirely.
A dedicated cigar lounge extends the experience for those who wish to linger, and charismatic bartenders who understand that a well-made cocktail is as much performance as preparation bring the whole production to elegant life.
The cocktail menu has been created especially for the pop-up and carries its 1920s spirit with considerable wit. Sky Masterson’s Lucky Flight combines bourbon, honey syrup, lemon and bitters before a flaming orange peel adds the kind of theatrical flourish that the era would have demanded without hesitation.
Miss Adelaide’s Lament brings together London Dry Gin, raspberry liqueur, lemon and cocktail foamer with a name that any lover of Guys and Dolls will recognise with a smile.
Nathan Detroit’s Hustle, a composed blend of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and cherry candy, completes the trilogy of knowing references, while the Reformer, a crisp non-alcoholic offering of ginger beer, lime and mint, provides what the menu describes with appropriate irony as a crisp salvation in true speakeasy style.
Mindy’s is open to both hotel guests and visitors, running Thursday to Sunday from six until eleven in the evening, with reservations strongly recommended for what General Manager Dagmar Lyons describes as an experience that perfectly embodies Raffles’ spirit of storytelling.
Given that Raffles has been telling stories since 1887, that is a standard worth believing in.
For reservations and further information, contact Raffles Hotel Le Royal on +855 23 981 888 or visit raffles.com/phnom-penh.
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