Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — Pink’s Hot Dogs has been serving up classic Hollywood hot dogs at Shangri-La at the Fort since it opened last June. It’s as straightforward as hot dog joints go, but tucked behind a discreet backdoor at Pink’s is the Hotel Bar, one of Manila’s best (and most elusive) speakeasies.

Conceptualized by the team behind Wildflour and Farmacy, the Hotel Bar has all the hallmarks of a great speakeasy — hidden address, intimate tables, dark interiors — but with a decidedly more casual feel. The playlist is less jazz, more contemporary pop and hip-hop, and customers can order snacks and hot dogs from Pink’s to go with their cocktails.

Wildflour sous chef BJ Mantuano says, “[We decided to] make it straightforward, friendlier, for people to understand, so they don’t get intimidated. That’s kind of the reason the music inside and the music outside is the same, because we feel that when you walk into a speakeasy and they’re playing jazz and soul and funk, it’s kind of intimidating for some people.”

He adds that they enlisted the team behind The Curator and EDSA BDG to create the menu and train the Hotel Bar’s bartenders. While it may have been tempting to develop a menu of craft cocktails, Mantuano explains that they wanted to stick to the familiar, especially given that it’s their first bar.

The Hotel Bar offers a simple menu of 11 classic cocktails (all priced at ₱350), but Mantuano is quick to note that the bartenders can make up to a hundred variations based on customer requests.

Deciding to stick to the classics was a gamble that paid off, because the cocktails are mixed to near-perfection. The daiquiri is more spirit-forward than it is sweet. The blood and sand is a masterfully balanced combination of flavors. The caipirinha and the whiskey sour have just the right tartness.

What’s fascinating as well about the Hotel Bar is its complete lack of social media presence. Instead, the team prefers to depend on word of mouth from friends and patrons who stumble upon the bar.

“We never really announced, ‘Hey, the Hotel Bar is open!’” Mantuano says. “Everyone that comes in here [says], ‘My friend told me about it.’ Or obviously, [for] our guests that come in [at Pink’s], we say, ‘Hey, we have a bar in the back if you want to take a look at it.’” So far, they’ve managed to gather a loyal group of regulars whose drink preferences are logged in a notebook behind the bar.

It’s this focus on intimacy, and the no-nonsense approach to its drinks that make the Hotel Bar stand out. Once you find your way to it, you may find yourself coming back for another round.

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The Hotel Bar is located inside Pink’s Hot Dogs at Shangri-La at the Fort. It’s open 5:00 p.m. onwards from Wednesdays to Sundays, but has varying closing times: 12 a.m. on Wednesdays, 2 a.m. on Thursdays and Sundays, and 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.