The Hot Eye

First Look at the Hot Eye, the Sexy Cocktail Den Below Savannah’s Municipal Grand | Eater Carolinas

"Tucked beneath Municipal Grand, this intimate, low‑lit lounge backed by leaders of the legendary Death & Co opens October 11 with a $12–$17 cocktail list led by head bartender Alexis Cooper (formerly of Edgar’s Proof & Provision at the DeSoto Savannah), spanning easy‑to‑sip highballs to booze‑forward creations like the Crushed Vice, a tequila Mai Tai riff with corn and pasilla chiles. The nonsensical name is meant to be provocative and surreal, and AAmp Studio’s design leans dark and sultry—wine‑red walls and banquettes, smoky mirrors, walnut, and black tile—deliberately contrasting the bright lobby upstairs. Guests enter via the alley at 125 E. Congress Lane; inside, the bar seats 50 across barstools, booths, and tables on a first‑come, first‑served basis with no reservations or waitlist, and hours run Thursday through Sunday, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Beyond drinks, I can even tack on a discounted, impromptu stay upstairs, and the non‑gendered bathrooms (shared with the lobby bar) flirt by the original 1960s bank vault with terrazzo tiles, chrome railings, low ceilings, and communal sinks. Aimed at Savannah locals—including the SCAD community and industry friends—and anyone seeking an offbeat spot that feels electric and alive, it even ties into a hotel‑guest Easter egg: find the hidden key in one of the 44 rooms and redeem it for a round on the house." - Colleen McNally Arnett