There’s a rush of business at Bar 86 in Old Town after midnight, after most of Old Town’s nightlife has died down.
Business is in full-swing at Alexandria’s newest speakeasy. By day, the venue is home to French bistro Café du Soleil, serving coffee, croissants and crepes. But at 5 p.m., a transformation occurs. The business closes, dim green lightbulbs are installed and tables are rearranged and set for 6 p.m. evening service at 215 S. Union Street.
The new speakeasy is a tiki bar with a focus on craft cocktails, seasonal libations and small plates with flavors from Morocco, France and Polynesia.
Owner and Chef Samuel Darlo worked for more than a year with consultants Jacob Sunny and Kelvin Sone.
“I’m from San Francisco, and the vibe feels like a bar you would find in San Fransisco or New York,” Darlo said. “The food is flavorful, not too heavy and pairs perfectly with our craft cocktails.”
Leaning into the speakeasy atmosphere are drinks like the Sun Shower Baby — lemon verbena-infused vodka with falernum, acid-adjusted passion fruit and lemon sea salt — served in a miniature bath tub.
The venue offers 50 seats, including eight seats at a newly built bar. There are no televisions at the bar, and drinks are served in ceramic cups made by Alexandria artist Bhavani Arabandi.
“For us, the nightlife in Old Town is limited,” Sunny said. “We want to fill that gap, and the moment you walk into the bar, I want you to forget that you are in Old Town. With the tempo of the music, each sip you take is going to put you at ease. We want the whole experience from start to finish to be an adventure.”
The idea behind the business model is to convert cafes that close early into speakeasies and split rent payments between the owners. Sunny and Sone’s company, Overproof Syndicate, is replicating the model with a new jazz and blues bar launching at Three Whistles Cafe in D.C. on New Year’s Eve.
Bar 86 is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 6 p.m.-2 a.m., with last call for food and drinks at 1:30 a.m.
The speakeasy will host a party with a swing jazz band on Dec. 5 to commemorate Repeal Day, the day the United States ended Prohibition in 1933.
