A speakeasy hidden inside a hardware store is opening in Astoria

Don’t let the hardware-store façade fool you—you can get cocktails, not caulking tools, at this 60-seat speakeasy in Astoria, hidden behind a storefront modeled after the neighborhood’s iconic, now-shuttered Square Hardware Store.

The place is called the Last Word, from Padraig O’Brien (the Raines Law Room) and Tommy Demaras (Maiella), but the bar name's etched into the ice cubes and branded on the orange peels in case you forget it. Ring the doorbell and pass all those hammers and outdoor brooms—you'll then be ushered through red-velvet curtains into a 1920s-inspired space replete with vintage tin ceilings, antique furniture and tufted seating. 

A 16-foot marble-and-oak bar gives guests ample room to swill drinks like a white-rum Mumbai Daiquiri, shaken with Batavia arrack, curry syrup and rosewater, and the Rabble Rouser, which sweetens rhum agricole with Dolin blanc, raspberries and rhubarb. 31-30 Ditmars Blvd, Queens (718-440-3378) 

Check out the space and cocktails below before the bar opens on August 16. 

Paul Wagtouicz

Paul Wagtouicz

Paul Wagouticz

Paul Wagouticz

Paul Wagouticz

Paul Wagouticz