Tour Google Street View business Alchemy! A speak easy from Tallahassee’s past
Alchemy Spirits & Concoctions was a speakeasy-style bar in Tallahassee, Florida. It opened in the fall of 2012 in the Midtown area, specifically at 1122 Thomasville Road, as part of the Manor at Midtown complex. The bar was a project of Hunter & Harp, a local real estate and hospitality group, aiming to bring a taste of big-city nightlife trends, secret bars and handcrafted cocktails, to Tallahassee.
The concept was heavily inspired by the prohibition era of the 1920s. To get in, you had to make an online reservation at the businesses website, where you’d receive a secret code word (like “Fitzgerald,” a nod to F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby). Upon arrival, you’d approach a doorman at the Midtown Filling Station (its sister establishment), give the password, and be escorted down a clandestine alleyway to an unmarked door. A gatekeeper would then brief you on speakeasy etiquette—think proper attire, no hats for men, and a rule that gentlemen had to go through the bartender for introductions to ladies, before granting entry.
Inside, Alchemy was small, seating only about 55 people, with a dimly lit, vintage vibe: dark wood paneling, leather booths, and decor evoking the roaring Twenties. The bartenders, often bearded and dubbed “alchemists,” crafted artisanal cocktails using fresh, local ingredients and top-shelf liquors. Drinks like the Bee’s Knees (gin, lemon juice, orange juice, and local honey), Prohibition Punch, Mary Pickford, and Sazarac were highlights, steering clear of modern staples like vodka to stay true to the era. The experience was about disconnecting, no loud music or TVs, just conversation and cocktails in a laid-back, nostalgic atmosphere. To exit, you’d pass through a movable bookcase into a courtyard, keeping the speakeasy mystique alive.
By 2014, though, Alchemy’s time was winding down. On September 12, 2014, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that both Alchemy and Midtown Filling Station would close after that night. Chad Kittrell, CEO of Hunter & Harp, said it was time to move on to “bigger and better things,” noting that the Filling Station had “run its course” and needed rebranding. Alchemy had been a trendsetter, helping spark Midtown’s revitalization, but its exclusivity and niche appeal may have limited its longevity in a college town like Tallahassee. Locals like Molly Woodsum, quoted in a WFSU News piece from September 11, 2014, mourned the loss of a comfortable hangout that had defined their social scene.
From the creator: This was one of my favorite virtual tours to create back in the day! it was a small location but full of atmosphere and twists and turns. I don’t think it ever truly stood a chance of long term survival as it was too niche and required too many rules and hurtles to jump. through ignorer to enjoy it but it was a great experiment at something different at a time when creative bars were coming into their own.
The google virtual tour was created using a Nikon d7100 fitted with a sigma 8mm fish eye lens. 12 images captured at the cardinal directions stitched together in order to create a panoramic image that the viewer controlled to look anywhere around them. Each “pano” was connected to another slightly down a walking path that allowed for a digital walkthrough of the location. this virtual tour is almost all that is left of the fabled sort lived speak easy. I still create virtual tours both through Google and through other programs like Matterport both for commercial, real estate and for fun projects. Feel free to email any time if you’d like to learn more about this very unique form of digital marketing!
To view its sister location, Midtown Filling Station, as well as a see a “secret” sepia toned version of the walk through look below!