In Navigli it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the cacophony of shouts & colors, walking through its charming channels the body quickly gets accustomed to the plethora of bars, staggering tourists and cobblestones all around, until something unusually secluded strikes the senses. No banners surrounding it, just a window of weird ornaments grasping a wooden door with a black, tiny shutter. Knocking on its shiny surface summons a deep voice from behind, which unveils the arcane: it’s a little bar, the actual smallest bar in the world, “il bar più piccolo del mondo”. Backdoor 43 is an atypical place, 43 square feet delimiting a smooth wooden chamber saturated with odd memorabilia & bottles embedded in its walls.

The barman welcomes you with a V per Vendetta mask and a friendly, open attitude. Any explanation, dialogue and confrontation is primed, while his experienced hands play and mix with an astonishing number of whiskey bottles. This spirit will be the liquid epicenter of the 2 hours you’ll be able to spend inside, the number of actual cocktails limited but often changing, tastes focused on simplicity and the supreme quality of a few ingredients.

This Italian attitude intertwines uniquely with a vintage Neo-victorian aesthetic, all collaborating to create a cozy, relaxing atmosphere that you can further mold by putting your music playlist on the speakers. 3 people maximum will be allowed to enter for each session, 1 week minimum the time in advance to book, but the experience will stay, carved inside like a little, somehow hidden magnetic wooden door.