Bar Notes: Anonymous Bar (Prague)

Cocktail Wonk Rating: 9.5/10

The Anonymous Bar was easily among the top experiences we had in the 20-plus bars we visited during our mini-European tour. It’s a theme bar, based on the Anonymous group and their Guy Fawkes mask-wearing members. Mrs. Wonk found the themey-ness just a bit much, but I found it amusing.

Finding Anonymous Bar was a challenge on the cold, dark December night we visited. A heavy, unmarked wooden door left ajar lead to a very dark courtyard. Eventually we pieced together that a door in an unlighted corner provided access to the bar. Upon entering, the space is a long rectangular room, mostly table seating with a raised section at the back, and a small bar counter as you enter. A flat screen over the entrance way silently loops the “V for Vendetta” movie for an added dose of theme.

We took our seats and the somewhat formally dressed bartender handed us DVD cases with a menu inside. The drinks names quite expectedly play along with the Anonymous theme. Strangely, there are two pages in the menu that are blank except for a heading: “OperationS 2015.” I won’t divulge the details here, but will say that a trip to Anonymous Bar isn’t complete without discovering the secret of the blank pages. Unless you’re extraordinarily well-equipped with gadgets, you may need some assistance from the bartender.

My first drink was a Blue Blazer. I felt a bit guilty ordering it as I know they take a while to prepare, but seeing as how nearly every bar we visited in Prague had one on the menu, I figured it wasn’t too big an imposition. The bartender donned a Guy Fawkes mask (from a stack on the back bar), the lights dimmed, and for a good 60 seconds, long blue strands of flaming Navy Proof rum poured back and forth between mugs.

Mrs. Wonk started the evening with a Scarlet Rose, a Ramos Gin Fizz variation, topped with a rose petal, and which she proclaimed the best Ramos Gin Fizz she’d ever had and ultimately one of the best drinks for her of the entire trip.

Subsequent drinks included the India Project (a rum-punch variation) and the 100% Leather Manhattan, aged in a leather wine skin. (The leather tones, while present, didn’t overwhelm.) The undisputed highlight of our visit was Mrs. Wonk’s drink (called the OP: Singapore) that arrived with cocktail glass nestled in a volleyball. A bit unwieldy to drink from, but definitely a conversation starter.

We enjoyed every moment of our time at Anonymous Bar. The cocktails are imaginative and superbly executed. We were barely able to tear ourselves away to head to our next stop. If you ever find yourself in Prague, consider it your wonky duty to check out Anonymous Bar.  And don’t make plans for a later stop—you won’t want to give up your seat at the bar.