Check out these hidden spots in Philadelphia (Part 2)
Have you heard of 1 Tippling Place, Franklin Mortgage or Pen & Pencil yet?
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The secret's out on these top-secret Philadelphia spots! Well, now it is - thanks to us.
1 Tippling Place is a quirky neighborhood bar near the busy corner of 20th and Chestnut in Center City. If you're wondering 'how on Earth you missed it'...you're not alone! (I've walked by it several times myself because the sign is really easy to miss, but that's kind of the point!) The walls are covered with decor like zebra heads, and cozy furniture with crazy patterns to sip the night away on.
I tried the El Diablo (Blanco tequila, black currant, fresh ginger, club and lime juice), The Blackmail (white rum, lime, blackberry, champagne) and the Tobacco Road (stirred scotch with an extra spritz of scotch on top). The 432 whiskey varieties in house are more than I've ever seen in any single bar!
If you do an internet search for Franklin Mortgage, you will most definitely end up in the wrong spot. You must walk down Schubert Alley off 17th Street in Rittenhouse Square, and even still you might have to annoy a few neighbors before you find the right door.
Inside, you will find a swanky, dimly lit, multi-room lounge serving light snacks and perfectly sculpted drinks. I tried a gin cocktail, called the FVK Swizzle, a sour smokey concoction of mezcal, grapefruit juice, and Thai chili called Per My Last Email, a peanut butter and jelly old fashioned called With A Baseball Bat, and the doppelganger, a fiery version of a mai tai, that is officially my favorite drink on Earth.
Pen and Pencil, or what's affectionately called the P&P by its visitors, sits next to a parking garage on 15th and Latimer, and if you don't see the neon lights, they probably aren't open.
This legendary bar has been around for 130 years, and it's strictly members only. But don't get too excited about obtaining a membership any time soon, there are some limitations.
Members are required to work in journalism, the entertainment business, or the service industry in some way, and there are different levels to the membership too. (So unless you know one of these people, you might be out of luck.)
I tried their staple cocktail, The Emeritus. A perfect manhattan made with Bulleit Rye whiskey. To future members: What happens at the P&P stays at the P&P!
