By Alana Snyder | Images by Bonny Fleming of Asio Studio
One late spring evening, 605 was checking out the Vertex Sky Bar at the top of the Hotel Alex Johnson in downtown Rapid City with newfound friend Ben Klinkel, owner of Tally’s Silver Spoon and Delmonico Grill. Our three-person crew had been tirelessly shooting content for days, and we were having almost too much fun trying out the alcohol selection for an online video.
Sitting up against the bar, Klinkel swung his legs around towards us and simply asked, “Do you guys want to go to a speakeasy?”
“A what?” I asked, caught off guard.
“Tonight? Do you want to go to a speakeasy if I can get us in there in the next 30 minutes?” he said again, matter-of-factly.
“Uh, yeah!” we all said as we looked at each other.
A text came in to Klinkel, and soon enough we were all chugging our newly poured beverages and headed down Art Alley towards the secret, dimly lit location. We walked through the “employee’s only” entrance and walked down a maze through what appeared to be a kitchen, and ended at a giant safe door.
Klinkel typed in the code, and to our left were “The Rules.”
The Rules:
Slow Down [Live in the Moment]
Challenge Your Senses [Let Us Create An Experience for You]
Your Cocktail is Handcrafted [By Passionate Mixologists with Fresh and Quality Ingredients. Please Be Patient]
Relax [Please Refrain from Cell Phone Use. Calls Can Be Made from the Convenience of the Pubic Phone Booth]
Shh… [Please don’t share the passcode]
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