Raleigh’s newest bar is part speakeasy, part neighborhood joint.
by Ayn-Monique Klahre 

WALTER recently had the pleasure of sampling a drink at The Atlantic Lounge, Jason Howard’s newly-opened private club concept nestled in a basement along Person Street. The cozy bar seats just a few dozen people, which is part of the reason Howard is limiting the clientele to key-holders and their friends. While the concept of needing a key to get in—plus house rules that bar anyone under 25 or talk of politics and religion—might strike some as restrictive, Howard assured us that the goal is not to create a sense of exclusivity, but to cultivate a sense of ownership in a neighborhood bar he hopes will be there for decades. And it seems like all the pieces are there: great cocktails (like the One Horse Race, above, a take on the mint julep), a sweet spot on an already-popular strip, and an enthusiastic crowd ready to make it their own. We’ll toast to that!