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Gin and Jazz on Highland

Above an inconspicuous facade on Highland, you’ll see it: a mysterious sign emblazoned with nothing but a key.

Inside is either a covert gin and jazz joint or Hollywood’s fanciest locksmith...

Introducing Next Door Lounge, an old-timey enclave of serious cocktails, live jazz and buffalo burgers, officially open as of Wednesday.

Next time you’re wrapping up a dinner date at Ammo or one of the Mozzas nearby, this is the place to keep the night going. Step through the door under that key and get cozy on a leather couch inside what looks like an old speakeasy hidden in plain sight—a large room full of beat-up tables, black-and-white photos of comely bootleggers and a pile of old booze barrels. (Nothing says romance like bootleggers.)

As for what you’ll be drinking, they’ve snagged Joseph Brooke away from the Edison to head up the bar—so you’ll work your way through classics like the French 75 and Ward 8, fueling up with a buffalo burger or a wood-fired pizza along the way.

And every hour or so, a jazz or folk musician will play a few songs to liven things up—then go away so you two can hear each other talk.

If you’re talking.