Paso Robles

I spent the later half of last week in Paso Robles visiting one of my oldest friends.  Meaning I’ve known her a long time, not that she is old.  🙂  Because if she is old then I’m old and I’m am not about to admit that…

We share a love of vintage and exploring antique stores and then hitting up a winery for a little wine tasting.  The picture above was taken at Niner Wine Estates.  It was a bit on the brisk side but we sat outside so we could enjoy the view.  Isn’t it lovely how that grove of oak trees forms the shape of a heart?  We were there just as the sun was starting to dip and the light was just beautiful.

The winery cat came to pay us a visit while we were sitting out there.  I think he was looking for a warm lap.  Or just being a good host.

I’ll share my antiquing finds in a later post.  What I want to share with you is the most fabulous cocktail experience we had.  The rest of the pictures in this post are taken from the Eleven Twenty Two website.

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Eleven Twenty Two is a cocktail lounge/speakeasy in downtown Paso Robles.  The concept is to recreate a prohibition era speakeasy and the ambiance and the cocktails they serve is very in keeping with that time period.  The bartenders and other staff are all in 30’s style clothing.

The entrance is a very unassuming door where you have to ring a bell to gain entrance.  The doorman (or woman as the case may be) will slide open a small window in the door and let you know if you can enter or not.

The capacity is 28 guests at one time and we did have to wait about 15 minutes on a rainy Wednesday evening to be let in.

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We were hoping to sit at the bar but all the seats were taken so we were seated at the L-shaped marble table on the right in the photograph below.  Every detail was just gorgeous.  As soon as we were seated the door woman brought us water in crystal tumblers that were placed on a cloth cocktail napkins.  We were also given leather bound cocktail menus to peruse.

The cocktail making is quite the production and even if you can’t sit at the bar the bartender will come table-side and create your cocktail on a cart right in front of you.

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My friend’s boyfriend ordered a rye whisky drink called Montenegro’s Revenge and it was quite the production.  First the glass was chilled with dry ice.  Then a piece of wood was set on fire and the resulting smoke was captured in the glass.  Then something was sprayed into the glass and set alight.  Orange rind was rubbed on the rim and then some super fancy whisky was poured into the glass.  I am not a whisky drinker by any means but I had a sip and it was so smooth and smoky that I would consider ordering it the next time (oh there will be a next time) I go there.

My friend ordered absinthe and I’m telling you I could totally get into drinking it just for all the accoutrements.  They brought her a beautiful glass with the absinthe along with an absinthe spoon with a lump of sugar.  Then they placed the most gorgeous absinthe fountain on the table and let the water drip slowly through the sugar, into her glass.  

If you are in the Paso Robles area I highly recommend stopping in and checking it out.  The drink prices can be eye-wateringly high, depending on what you order, but the ambiance is such a glamorous step back in time and absolutely worth the experience.

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