ERG Enterprises announces its grand opening of the Double Dealer, a modern interpretation of a speakeasy set in the backstage setting of a 1920's vaudeville theater celebrating the Bohemia era of New Orleans. Located under the famed Orpheum Theater, the venue offers patrons creative, era-driven cocktails and live entertainment to provide an unforgettable experience.
The grand opening on January 24 comes 11 months after ERG Enterprises's founder and CEO, Eric George, MD, envisioned transforming the vacant space into a lively underground bar. He saw the opportunity as a way to allow more people to experience the history of the Orpheum Theater without needing to attend a ticketed event. He also saw it as a means toward attracting a different demographic of residents and tourists to venue, enabling them to discover and learn about one of the crescent city's most iconic landmarks.
"We’re always looking to maximize value for our patrons and community. We saw an opportunity to utilize a part of the Orpheum Theater that was dormant," says George. "So, we set out to create a venue that would capture the mystique and energy of the theater’s past, while embracing aspects of the present and future. Ever since we acquired the theater in 2014, we’ve been focused on enhancing its experience and accessibility. Credit to our team for getting that done."
The Double Dealer promises to offer a new nightlife experience for those seeking a cocktail and a good time. The venue boasts of a comprehensive menu of cocktails representative of the 1920's prohibition period. Yet with a thematic focus on Bohemia--a creative movement that occurred during this time--the Double Dealer has re-imagined the classic cocktails from the period and even crafted its own original list of cocktails (appropriately named "The Double Dealer's Concoctions"). The latter pays tribute to the era through its clever naming convention; each cocktail is named after a short story from the original Double Dealer, a 1920's literary magazine published in the French Quarter that has come to symbolize the Bohemia era.
Beyond cocktails, the Double Dealer also provides complimentary live entertainment that supports its thematic aims. On any of the five nights the Double Dealer is open, patrons may see sword-swallowers, fan dancers, magicians, and/or magicians grace the stage of the Double Dealer's Green Room, one of the venue's four rooms designed to resemble an specific area in the backstage setting of a 1920's vaudeville theater. Of course, the venue doesn't publish its entertainment lineup; the Double Dealer makes no guarantees about what patrons can expect to see.
And regarding the layout of the venue, the four rooms serve an important purpose.
"We want patrons to have a different experience every time they visit the Double Dealer," says George. "That's why we chose to design the venue as four distinct rooms offering four very unique experiences."
In addition to the Green Room, the venue also consists of the VIP Room, the Main Bar, and the Poker Room. The Green Room offers patrons a chance to experience where performers and stage hands would change or lounge before, during, and after performances. The room consists of mannequins adorned in original costumes restored from the 1920's and even a small stage.
"It's all about the experience. Anyone can create a bar. But can you create an experience people can't get enough of. That's what we're always trying to create, no matter if it's a venue, a real estate project, or a business," says George.
The new prohibition-themed bar is located under the Orpheum Theater at 129 Roosevelt Way, New Orleans, LA 70112. While attached to the theater, the venue operates separately and is open to anyone 21 or older. Patrons access the Double Dealer through an nondescript door at the side alleyway of the Orpheum. The Double Dealer is open Monday through Thursday, 4 pm to midnight, and Friday and Saturday, 4pm to 2am.
More information is available on the Double Dealer's website: https://www.doubledealernola.com/
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