The Late Great

Nashville Music Row Speakeasy the Late Great Is Now Open to the Masses | Eater Nashville

"Modeled after the artist-haven “B-rooms” of old-school recording studios, I learned that a Music Row cocktail lounge opened in May 2021 inside Virgin Hotels Nashville as a private members-only speakeasy with an unmarked entry and private liquor lockers. Called The Late Great and named after the 1972 Townes Van Zandt album, it was designed by Hannah Crowell (Johnny Cash’s granddaughter and the daughter of Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell) to be “a sort of time capsule” for country music through 1979, paying homage to icons like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. The lounge is outfitted with a Meyer sound system tuned to Led Zeppelin–level specifications and is strewn with musical instruments to encourage jam sessions, though these appear to be invite-only. As of early September, groups of up to four non-members can make reservations (Wednesdays and Thursdays only) that include a sampler of cocktails and bites; drinks with names such as the Coal Miner’s Daughter, Boy Named Sue, and Time of the Preacher are made with bourbon, rum, Amara, sage, and smoke and are theatrically served with a lit “joint,” a la Willie Nelson, and reservations run $82 per person." - Clair Lorell