THE Amiral Hotel Manila has opened the door to its latest historical attraction: a secret door to the past.

It is called Ruby Wong’s Godown, the hotel’s very own speakeasy. It is located at the basement of the hotel. Guests enter through a secret door, which leads to a rustic staircase and a noodle alley that offers Asian noodle recipes. There is another entrance — a big wooden warehouse door that opens to a bar that offers live entertainment.

Ruby Wong is a fictional legendary barkeeper with a strong connection with [affluent people], loves to host parties and celebrations, and offers complimentary drinks occasionally.

Speakeasies are secret bars that initially sprouted across the United States during the Prohibition Era from 1920 to 1933. These taverns clandestinely are reputed to have sold alcoholic beverages after the American government outlawed the manufacture and sale of “intoxicating liquor.”

The speakeasies live on even after the prohibition as a novelty for bar patrons. Cities around the world have at least one pub with a hidden watering hole.

Speakeasies have different, imaginative ways of hiding themselves. For Ruby Wong’s Godown, it is a bookshelf for old encyclopedias.

Ruby Wong’s Godown bar is open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. every day except Mondays.