Heads & Tales staff dressed for the Prohibition theme This week, Heads & Tales bar and Kyloe restaurant hosted their first Subterranean Supper Club taking guests back to Prohibition-era America. Having always been drawn to fashion, design and the post-war hedonism of this time, this was an event I did not want to miss. Right from the start, the attention to detail brings the theme to life. From the password on the door and low lighting, to the plush décor and coupe glasses, every carefully curated touch evoked the decadence of the era and the illicit nature of the speakeasy. However, it is the thought that has gone into the menu that really impresses. Designed to look like a newspaper, each of the courses and paired cocktails has been created around facts from the time, all related to Prohibition. 'Bread' The first course is based on American bootleggers hiding bottles of alcohol with day- to-day items, in one case, inside hollowed out loaves of bread. Hence, the whisky blend for the first drink ‘Bread’ arrives inside a custom-made ‘loaf’ and diners are invited to mix it with the soda water, apple, tonka and vanilla already in their glass to create a Scotch highball. This is well-paired with the sweet and salty combination of Torched and Whipped Scottish Goats' Cheeses, pickled shallots, radishes, chives, and a sherry vinegar reduction. The second course, ‘Ham and pineapple’, draws on the popularity of flights to the Caribbean during Prohibition, where alcohol could be enjoyed legally. To evoke this holiday location, BBQ & Orange Rubbed and Roasted Pork Belly is served with a light and fresh mango salsa, mojo rojo and chimichurri. The paired drink ‘Aviation’ is placed on a recreation of a Pan Am coaster from the era, and is a delicious and well-balanced blend of Porter's Gin, Cocchi Americano, Noilly Prat, pineapple, bergamot and cardamom. The third course,‘Beef and wine’ is a rich braised Ox Cheek with garlicky Walnut Spaghetti – according to the menu, a favourite dish of Al Capone, who continued to ship in Italian red wine throughout Prohibition, pretending the drink was actually homemade ‘berry wine’, which was allowed. The paired drink ‘wine’ is a pretty good recreation of a fruity Italian red, though with a little more punch, combining Dubonnet, Cocchi de Torino, Bourbon, blackcurrant, and lacto-fermented strawberries & blackberries. An indulgent Cherry and Chocolate Meringue Pie brings the meal to a close. described as ‘Pie and ice cream,’ this final pairing is inspired by breweries turning to ice cream manufacturing to survive during the period. The paired beverage looks deceptively like a tankard of beer, but is instead an Oolong & cream soda highball, with Black Cow Vodka, vanilla and condensed milk. The standards are high throughout the meal, equally from the staff, chef and mixologist, with Aviation our drink highlight and the Ox Cheek our favourite of the courses. While there is a good amount of food to soak up the booze, the meal is well paced, and we didn’t leave feeling overstuffed. For a ‘forbidden’ taste of the good life, the Speakeasy Supper Club will be open again on 9th & 24th April Venue: Heads & Tales Bar, 1a Rutland Place, Edinburgh Times: 6 pm-8.30 pm Tickets: £49.50 (fizz on arrival + the 4-course tasting menu); optional matching cocktails £30