Eleven Twenty-Two Brings Prohibition-Era Cocktails to Wine Country
Believe it or not, this no-phone speakeasy started as a walk-in fridge and a dirt lot.
Eleven Twenty-Two sits behind Pappy McGregor’s in downtown Paso Robles. The intimate cocktail lounge channels the 1920s and 1930s with candlelit ambiance and a strict no-phone policy. Owners Donovan Schmit and Troy Larkin leveled the entire back area, clearing out a walk-in refrigerator, dirt parking lot and cabana to construct a brand new building designed specifically for the speakeasy experience.
Bar director Matt Kelly described the vision simply: nothing like this existed in Paso Robles, so they built it. The lamplit room serves craft cocktails with serious intention, and the experience doubles as a destination for whiskey lovers. The collection leans heavily into bourbon and rye, with a strong selection of Scotch and other spirits rounding out the shelves.
The drink menu honors the prohibition era without being precious about it. One secret menu standout is the Key Lime Pie Fizz, a Matt Kelly original inspired by the classic Ramos Gin Fizz. The drink delivers exactly what its name promises.
The no-phone policy keeps the focus where it belongs: on the drinks, the company and the atmosphere. This isn’t a place for scrolling. It’s a place for sipping rare whiskey and tasting cocktails that require real skill.
Eleven Twenty-Two is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., with extended hours until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays. Reservations are available Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays; Fridays and Saturdays are walk-in only.
Schmit and Larkin built more than a bar. They created an experience that transports guests back to the prohibition era while serving drinks that belong in the modern craft cocktail movement. For travelers exploring Paso Robles after dark, Eleven Twenty-Two offers something the wine country has never had before.
This is Eleven Twenty-Two. You’re welcome.
Erik Hale is the visionary and publisher behind LOCALE Magazine. He launched the magazine in 2010, wanting to give the community of OC a premiere lifestyle magazine that knew all the native knowledge behind OC. “Six years ago Ashley and I sat at a table scratching the name LOCALE (among some other names) onto a sheet of paper,” says Erik, “coming up with story ideas and basically dreaming. Everything we imagined has happened and we have been blessed with so much more. I am so grateful as we start another year for my family, my two wonderful children, my health, our amazing writers, designers and photographers, our advertising partners and you.”
