The Iconic Supper Club Where Jazz, Cocktails And Surprise Frank Sinatra Performances Once Collided

The desert oasis of Palm Springs, CA, is oozing with style. From the mid-century architecture to the plethora of high-end boutiques, art, sunshine, and resorts, it's a place that has attracted celebrities for decades. Some big names famously associated with the city include Elvis, Lucille Ball, Liberace, and Frank Sinatra, who was known to frequent a swanky spot called The Purple Room, a classic supper club, and one of Ol' Blue Eyes' favorite restaurants in the U.S.

Open since 1960, The Purple Room is, in effect, an ideal representation of supper club culture, which stemmed from the Midwest. Here, guests could spend an entire evening, starting with cocktails, moving on to dinner while enjoying live entertainment, and then lingering over more drinks until the late evening. It was the perfect place for Sinatra, who lived the high life during the 60s. He and fellow Rat Packers, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., would retreat to Palm Springs often, and it wasn't unusual to find them at The Purple Room, where they would unwind and sometimes treat guests to spontaneous performances. Though Frank Sinatra died in 1998, his impact is still very much a part of The Purple Room, which remains a very cool place to eat, drink, and be merry (and entertained).

The Purple Room is in an unassuming location, which may be why so many famous faces were drawn to it. Rather than announce its presence in bright, Vegas-like fashion, the venue is smaller and sort of private, located inside the Club Trinidad Resort. It has ebbed and flowed in popularity since the 1960s (it even closed completely at one point), but it's a historical place, and one that still attracts many who want to see where Frank Sinatra and pals would hang out and perform. The Purple Room recognizes this and has named several menu items (mostly cocktails) after the iconic crooner or his songs, like the Witchcraft martini, and whiskey-based Stranger in the Night, Old Blue Eyes, and A Date With Frank. He was so fond of Jack Daniel's whiskey that he was buried with a bottle of it.

The Purple Room offers a full menu, with many dishes one might have seen in mid-century supper clubs like steak, shrimp cocktail (which is best paired with sauvignon blanc), escargot, and whole roasted branzino. In true supper club fashion, there is entertainment every night, with Wednesdays being reserved for music from the Rat Pack era, which no doubt includes Sinatra's greatest hits, as well as those from his famous friends. It's the perfect place to experience a fun slice of the past; dress up (because people did back then), book your babysitter for overtime, and enjoy the dim lights and Palm Springs glam.