Curfew Cocktail Bar

What Curfew Cocktail Bar does

Curfew Cocktail Bar is a single-location speakeasy cocktail bar operating from Vesterbrogade 20 in Copenhagen, Denmark, hidden behind the shelves of a former bookstore dating back to 1919. The business is structured as a Danish private limited company (Curfew Copenhagen ApS), is founder-owned by Portuguese bartender Humberto Marques, and operates with approximately 11 employees. Its core offering is a curated cocktail experience themed around the 1920s–1930s Golden Age of cocktails, served in a reservation-only format to adults aged 21+ in smart-casual attire, with a two-hour seating window and a minimum consumption requirement of two drinks per guest.

The defining technical and experiential assets are two restored late-19th-century Coles hand-crank shaker machines used in active daily service, a floor-standing Imperial Shaker scheduled to join the collection in Autumn 2026, and a vintage spirits collection spanning the 1940s through 1980s used both as standalone pours and in vintage-ingredient cocktail preparations. Supporting product lines include an online shop for curated merchandise and vintage barware, gift cards sold through the Fresto booking platform, and a private events program available Sunday through Thursday. Marketing is conducted almost exclusively through earned media, with features in Forbes, Financial Times, Condé Nast Traveler, The Independent, and a 5-star review from Politiken.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and transaction-based: primary revenue comes from per-cocktail sales within the two-hour reservation window, supplemented by gift card prepayments, merchandise and collectibles sales, and private event bookings. Reservations, gift cards, and online shop orders are processed through Fresto, with payment-card data handled by Fresto's payment providers; the company itself does not retain card details. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, but revenue per visit is structurally anchored by the minimum-drink requirement, the optional third drink after the first hour, and a DKK 100 per-guest late-cancellation or no-show fee enforceable via credit-card hold for parties of three or more. The company is bootstrapped, with no external funding, parent entity, or acquisition activity disclosed.

Name

Curfew Cocktail Bar

Legal name

Curfew Copenhagen ApS

Website

https://curfew.dk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Curfew is a Copenhagen speakeasy cocktail bar founded by Humberto Marques, operating a reservation-only venue inside a 1919 former bookstore, serving premium classic and vintage-spirit cocktails using restored 19th-century hand-crank shaker machines to affluent adult guests.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cocktail Bar / Hospitality Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Cocktail Bars & Speakeasies (THAFAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cocktail Lounges & Speakeasies (MPAGAIAD), Bar & Beverage Catering (Mobile Bar, Bartending) (HSACAGAF), Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF), Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)

Keywords

• Speakeasy cocktail bar
• Craft cocktail service
• Vintage spirits collection
• Private cocktail events
• Cocktail bar hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cocktail Sales: Primary revenue from serving cocktails prepared with premium spirits, vintage spirits, and classic recipes. Two-hour reservation window with minimum consumption requirements of two drinks per guest, plus one additional drink after the first hour.
2. Gift Cards: Online gift card sales through the Fresto-powered booking system, offering curated amounts for gifting the Curfew experience.
3. Private Events: Exclusive private cocktail events for groups, available Sunday through Thursday, with limited food options. Groups over 8 must email for availability and are hosted between 17:00 and 20:00.
4. Merchandise & Collectibles: Sale of Curfew merchandise, vintage and collectible barware, cocktail tools, glassware, and other carefully chosen items inspired by the bar's history and atmosphere.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Curfew Cocktail Bar operates a hidden speakeasy-style cocktail bar in central Copenhagen, concealed behind the bookshelves of a former bookstore from 1919. The venue serves handcrafted cocktails prepared with restored 19th-century hand-crank shaker machines (Coles Shakers and Imperial Shaker) and a curated selection of vintage spirits from the 1940s-1980s, complemented by a 1920s-1930s jazz-and-swing atmosphere. Revenue is complemented by gift cards, a small online merchandise shop, and private event bookings.

Product overview

Curfew Cocktail Bar is a speakeasy-style cocktail establishment housed in a former bookstore from 1919, offering a unified experiential hospitality product centered on cocktails and cocktail history. The core offering comprises the Cocktail Menu featuring theatrical presentations and refined classics, the Vintage Spirits Menu with rare spirits dating from the 1940s-1980s, and the signature Hand-crank Shakers experience using authentic restored mechanical shakers from the late 19th century. Supporting services include Gift Cards for gifting the experience, an online Shop for merchandise and collectibles, a Reservations System with structured booking guidelines, and Private Events hosting. All elements are designed to transport guests to the elegance and romance of the 1920s-1930s Golden Age of cocktails.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cocktail Menu

Quantifiable outcome

• One of very few bars worldwide operating original restored mechanical cocktail shakers as part of daily service

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FrestocoreTechnology or IntegrationReservation, gift card, and online shop functionality powered by Fresto booking system. Handles reservation management, gift card purchases, and online shop orders. Card payment details processed by Fresto's payment providers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mr Lyan / Lyaness: London-based award-winning cocktail bar group by Ryan Chetiyawardana. Comparable premium, design-led cocktail experience and benchmark for international expansion of a craft cocktail brand.
• American Bar at The Savoy: Historic luxury hotel cocktail bar with vintage and heritage focus. Closely comparable to Curfew's Golden-Age positioning and founder Marques' Gleneagles pedigree.

Direct peers

• 1105 Copenhagen: Boutique Copenhagen cocktail bar focused on classic and creative serves. Competes directly with Curfew for the same craft-cocktail enthusiasts visiting Copenhagen.
• Employees Only: Pioneering speakeasy cocktail bar that has expanded to multiple cities. Comparable hidden-entrance concept with global brand recognition among cocktail tourists.
• Ruby Cocktail Bar: Award-winning Copenhagen speakeasy cocktail bar in a similar price tier. Direct competitor for the same affluent, cocktail-tourist customer base in the same city.
• PDT (Please Don't Tell): Iconic New York speakeasy accessed through a hidden entrance, with reservation-driven demand. Benchmark for hidden-entrance speakeasy positioning and cocktail-tourism demand.
• Death & Co: Multi-location speakeasy-style cocktail bar known for craft cocktails, branded merchandise and a published cocktail book. Comparable business model across bar, book/merch and brand extensions.
• The American Bar at Gleneagles: Historic luxury hotel cocktail bar where Curfew's founder trained. Closely aligned heritage-led, vintage-spirits and theatrical-prep cocktail concept at a similar premium positioning.
• Himkok: Oslo speakeasy-style cocktail institution regularly ranked among the World's 50 Best Bars. Direct comparator for the Nordic speakeasy cocktail-bar archetype.

Emerging players

• Tayer + Elementary: London cocktail bar known for theatrical, design-forward presentation. Comparable newer-generation premium cocktail bar targeting similar affluent, experience-driven customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curfew-cocktail-bar

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Curfew Cocktail Bar