Marietta husband and wife Ted and Lara Ferreira have long had a passion for the aesthetic and vibe of the 1920s, design, theater and live music. They combine those loves in their newest venture, the Prohibition era-inspired cocktail bar, music venue and event space the Third Door, opening next to the Marietta Square tonight.
The couple restored a1920s filling station at 131 Church St. into a space that serves as a showroom for their Happier Camper travel trailer business by day. At night, the building turns into the Third Door, a speakeasy accessed through an alley that transports visitors back to the Jazz Age.
“We wanted to create a space where people really enjoy hanging out,” said Lara Ferreira.
The Third Door’s beverage list, developed by mixologist Jon Yeager of PourTaste in Nashville and Third Door bar manager Ethan Lane, offers a selection of 20s-inspired signature, classic and zero-proof cocktails; sparkling, white, red and fortified and aromatized wines; several beers from local breweries; and a selection of spirits including whiskeys, gins and tequilas.
Signature cocktails, made with locally sourced ingredients, include the New Muse made with pisco, lemon, madeira, chamomile and egg white; the Daisy Buchanan with gin, blanc vermouth, peach and rosewater; and the Sun Also Rises with East India Sherry, lime, cucumber, pear, amaro and allspice.
Among the classics are the Bees Knees, Hanky Panky, and Sidecar, while zero-proof drinks include the Bearcat with lime, cucumber, ginger, and bubbles.
In true speakeasy spirit, the Third Door also offers a secret cocktail menu, a nod to Pauline Sabin, a socialite who fought to repeal Prohibition.
While the Third Door exclusively serves beverages for now, Ferreira said the plan is to develop a food truck program to provide Third Door guests with bar snacks and other food.
Hadley's Photography
Hadley's Photography
The Third Door features three distinctive spaces: The Speakeasy Lounge features 14-foot polished wood bars made with American pine wood salvaged from an elementary school gymnasium built in 1927, vintage photos and carvings, Victorian chaise seating and tin ceilings. The building’s Jalopy Gallery can play host to music and art, as well as special events with floor-to-ceiling stage curtains, concealed picture rails, drop-down bar counters and space to host a small band or DJ.
Oversized, all-glass garage doors open to the Pump Yard for open-air seating, games, Biergarten tables and cocktails served from the Third Door’s sister brand, Temperance Trailers mobile bars. Operating since 2018, the business features a fleet of restored 1920s era vintage trailers that serve as mobile bars for special events.
The Third Door will start out operating at about 60% capacity; at full capacity, the space accommodates up to 99 people utilizing high top tables and 30 to 40 guests for a sit-down meal.
The goal is eventually to return to the couple’s original vision of briging people together.
“We want to be able to sit two couples, or maybe parties of three who don’t even know each other” together at the drink rails inside the lounge, she said. “We want to create that feeling of intimacy of being shoulder to shoulder with strangers.”
The cocktail bar’s hours are 5 p.m.-midnight Tuesday-Thursday and 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
131 Church St., Marietta. 470-361-0370, thethirddoor.net/
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