Secret Bars in Brighton

Head up to The Mesmerist's retro-themed cocktail bar for an evening of 70's-inspired partying. With orange-hued decor making up the surroundings, all you need to do is take a seat in one of the kitsch leather chairs and take their excellent drinks for a taste test, with everything from piña coladas with a twist, to Star Wars-inspired sips.

Grand Central may be one of the most notable pubs in Brighton, but did you also know that they have one of the best secret bars in town? Sitting pretty above the pub, the Nightingale Room is an elusive space offering lashings of gin and slinky live cabaret.

Set in a top-secret basement location, head to Alcotraz Cell Block One Three and enjoy a night of boozing like no other. Smuggle your spirits past the hawk-eyed warden and into your cell (with the help of some crooked guards), and you'll be treated to an evening of delicious boot-leg-style cocktails.

Open only on Friday and Saturday nights, Shimmer is a slick little speakeasy hidden below The Gin Tub. Home to cocktail pop-ups and Instagram-worthy installations aplenty, it's the place to get those snaps in while you sink a few great gin drinks and rum-laced concoctions. 

A pub may not be the first place you'd take to for a selection of 1920s-themed cocktails and speakeasy flair, but we think you should give this Hove boozer a chance. Found upstairs, the Speakeasy bar at The Wick pub is just the jaunt for you Prohibition-inspired drinkers.

It might be a bit of an effort to find Twisted Lemon in The Lanes but the work is all completely worth it. Sandwiched between two buildings, this clandestine gem whips up a storm behind the counter; from banoffee pie martinis to espresso martinis.