Asheville’s Local Hotspots are Open for Business

 

In September 2024, Asheville North Carolina and the surrounding mountains faced the unthinkable when a hurricane (or what was left of it) brought flooding and devastation to the region. More than a year after Hurricane Helene, local businesses in Asheville want people to know one thing… they’re open for you. Unfortunately, there are some exceptions – locations that were too heavily damaged and will never reopen. But here’s our attempt to highlight those that we found on a recent visit that are open and serving again!

First, we can report that long-time favorite downtown spots like Top of the Monk and Imperial did in fact survive both the pandemic and Hurricane Helene. Top of the Monk in particular is worth the wait for seats, even if you have to stand out in the cold for a bit. Their cocktails are top notch and where else can you pick your own snacks from an apothecary cabinet?

Speaking of apothecary… we’ll go with that theme for our first few highlights. How about a fantastic cocktail bar that also makes its own liquor? Antidote is a relatively new spot in the South Slope area – new construction that looks like it’s right out of the 1920s. They have creative cocktails and a wonderful Black Manhattan on the menu as well as tasty charcuterie and other bites. They’re part of the Chemist Spirits distillery, which offers their own gin, vodka, and whiskey. This is a #tipsypick!

There’s also a place downtown that makes their own natural wines and cider! Botanist and Barrel is a cool little spot where you can get wine and cider by the glass or by the bottle. The staff is excellent at helping you navigate and taste the options… and there are lots! They also have guest bottles for purchase and a cool atmosphere perfect for hanging out. This is an ideal mix of bottle shop and wine bar!

And one more with the theme – Sovereign Remedies is an eclectic cocktail spot with lots of dark wood but also great natural lighting through their huge windows. They have a fantastic Old Fashioned among other cocktails and a nice wine selection.

Changing tracks, you know we love a good speakeasy! The Crow & Quill fits that with an unmarked door down a side street. But it’s worth the hunt because this place always delivers great cocktails and some live music along with a very cool vibe that fits the theme. Their Smoked Old Fashioned is one of the best around and you have to see for yourself how they add the smoke! This place is less of a secret now that they were named one of the best in the country by USA Today. Find out for yourself why this is a #tipsypick! 

We also love great historic buildings that find new life as places for great drinks. That would include The Times Bar and Coffee. This eclectic spot used to be the S&W Cafeteria back in the day – as in 1929. It was also home to the Asheville Times newspaper for many years. Now it’s home to a coffee shop in the morning that turns into a beautiful cocktail spot at night, complete with high ceilings and chandeliers. The drinks are top notch, with their takes on classic cocktails including the Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, Sazerac, Daiquiri, and too many others to mention… even barrel aged and smoked if you prefer!

For creative cocktails in an underground vibe – literally – Farmese Cocktail Lounge is a great spot!  This basement space has lots of great areas to relax for a drink – think wood and leather furniture. Customer service is a winner – the bartender even apologized for running out of “big rock” ice before he made our drinks, which were still very tasty. 

Some others worth mentioning – 5 Walnut Wine Bar is a welcoming space with a great wine list and food options. They often have live music!  Rankin Vault is billed as a cocktail lounge, but they are very popular for their burgers, which we can agree are fantastic! There is even a room that was a bank vault… the door is still intact. And Curate’ has a wonderful food menu with tapas, wine and cocktails. 

Do yourself (and these businesses) a favor and make the trip to Asheville and give them some love!  Stay tuned because next time we’ll share some cool places we found in a couple of neighborhoods just outside of downtown in our next Off the Tipsy Path post.

🃏 Always Lucky with Great Cocktails in Las Vegas 🃏

Let’s face it … there are lots of ways to spend and lose your money in Las Vegas. But would you believe we rarely hit the slots or a casino table? We’re too busy spending our money on great cocktails! That way we know we’re bound to have Lady Luck on our side. 

Since the Las Vegas Strip is one of the most recognizable places in the world, we’ll start here. As a disclaimer, almost every hotel on the Strip has a number of bars to choose from, and an increasing number of speakeasies. We can’t try to cover them all … so we’ll focus on some of the unique spots we found. 

Where else can you find a Ferris wheel big enough for an open bar with a view of the Strip? In Vegas, it’s called the Half Happy Hour on the High Roller at Linq! That’s right … an open bar for 30 minutes inside an air-conditioned capsule on a Ferris wheel that goes 500 feet into the air. Of course, at the top you get shots! Along with some very strong drinks, you also get a great view of the Sphere and the entire strip. This is a must-do for anyone over 21 who doesn’t mind heights and can take advantage of an open bar opportunity!  A #tipsypick for sure.

Then how about letting robots make you a drink? That’s called the Tipsy Robot! This low-key cocktail spot is part of the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile shopping mall. The drinks are strong and fairly inexpensive… and you get to watch the robot arms make them in front of you. They even have a bundle where you can order multiple drinks and shots along with a souvenir cup or glass for one of the best values on the Strip! There are also humans on duty in case you miss drowning your sorrows to a real live bartender. This was a great way to start our evening!

For a true speakeasy experience, find the door with a donkey on it at the back of the food hall at the Cosmopolitan and check out Ghost Donkey. You should have seen the look on the faces of people seated at a nearby table when we pushed open the door that they had been ignoring! We were rewarded with some of the best cocktails in Vegas, including a mezcal Old Fashioned and a spicy take on a Margarita. This is a small space, but well worth the attempt! Another #tipsypick.

And while we’re at the Cosmo, we suggest trying to get a seat inside the aptly named Chandelier cocktail bar. It’s literally a three-story chandelier in the hotel lobby glimmering with all the sparkle Vegas can offer. There’s plenty of champagne, but they also have a decent Old Fashioned and even a pricy upscale version that’s worth the splurge. And yes, you should try the fabled “secret” menu drink called the Verbena! It’s a trip. Chandelier is a great spot for photos and to glam it up Vegas-style!

Now if you’re ready to get away from the Strip and get a taste of “Old Las Vegas,” we recommend heading downtown for some classic cocktail spots and a new twist – a shipping container district! We’ll get to that in a minute…

Downtown Vegas includes the dynamic Fremont Street Experience as well as plenty of hotels and casinos. One of those hotels – the Commonwealth, is home to one of the original Las Vegas speakeasy bars, The Laundry Room. This secret spot is indeed tucked inside a former hotel laundry room. It’s an intimate space where the bartenders serve you directly and ask what you like before making you something you’ll enjoy. They have become a bit more “upscale” over the years, with a dress code and a minimum spend, so be warned. But this is a #tipsypick regardless.

Just a few blocks away is one of our favorite speakeasy experiences… The Underground Speakeasy at the Mob Museum. Located in the basement of the expansive museum dedicated to organized crime, you’ll find great cocktails, live jazz, and an inviting atmosphere. We had to circle the building to find the stairwell, but it was worth it!  Hint: you don’t have to go to the museum itself to find the speakeasy, but they do have an entrance from inside there as well. And look for the password on social media.

Finally, we mentioned a container park. This downtown attraction is made up almost entirely of old shipping containers converted into businesses, including a couple worth mentioning as #tipsypick spots for a night out!

Oak & Ivy is a classic cocktail bar with emphasis on great whiskey drinks, including flights. It’s amazing they managed to create an intimate feel inside a steel container. But they also have a nice patio area! Definitely check out the classics like their Manhattan and Old Fashioned, both barrel aged, and the Boulevardier.  They have an extensive selection of bourbon and whiskey you won’t find elsewhere in Vegas. 

Across the courtyard (which also hosts live music) is Bin 702. This particular container is a wonderful little wine bar, including some natural wines, with nice food options packed into a small space. They also have a great patio area for days when it’s not 100 degrees.

And finally, there’s an entire neighborhood of Las Vegas called the Arts District with enough cocktail spots to make a separate post. We’ll save that for another visit! Viva Las Vegas, y’all!

🍷 No Whining About the Wine Bars in St. Pete 🍷

If you haven’t caught up with us on our blog, you might not realize we’re pretty fond of the cocktail scene in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now we’re getting up to speed on the vibrant wine scene! 

First, we’ve shared before in previous posts about a couple of our favorite #tipsypicks – Bar Chinchilla and Dracula’s Legacy. These are our go-to spots every time we’re in town. We’ve also had a lovely dinner and some wine at Sauvignon previously. So, you can read more about those here.

Recently, thanks to our friends at Zero/Zero in Knoxville, we’ve started exploring the world of natural wines. That is wine made without pesticides or additives. And they recommended one of our new favorite stops in St. Pete – Cellarmasters. It’s almost like a speakeasy because it’s tucked behind a wine bottle shop and can be hard to miss if you don’t see it’s there. But you’ll be glad you found it! The bartenders are all friendly and knowledgeable! They call it “The dive bar wine bar.” They will take the time to find out what you like and recommend something just for you. There are lots of great spaces to hang out or chill for a date night. This one is definitely on our regular list now!

Wine tastings and wine flights are great ways to figure out your wine palate. Now there’s a spot in downtown St. Pete just for that! It’s appropriately named Try Wine Company. You have the option of purchasing curated flights of various wines or pouring your own samples from dozens of machines around the shop. We chose the curated route along with some fantastic charcuterie specific to the flights. The wines came in test tubes, which was a nice touch. We very much enjoyed this experience!

What could make a glass of wine even better? Maybe enjoying it with a good book! You can do both at Book & Bottle. We discovered this little shop a few years ago but never took the time to enjoy it until recently. It’s a combination wine store, bar, and bookstore! They have a wide selection of wines by the bottle or glass that you can enjoy with a book you can purchase from the shelf in the same space. When we visited, there were lots of people sitting at the bar and at most of the tables, many of whom had… you guessed it… a book in hand. This is a great place to spend a few quiet hours with friends or just by yourself reading.

Our next stop is one that we’ve walked past a dozen times but either couldn’t get in or didn’t try. But we’re glad we did this time! Bacchus is appropriately named for the Roman god of wine and revelry. We found a bit of both! Bacchus reminded us most of a European market where you can get wine by the glass or bottle and fresh deli meats, cheeses, and produce. There are tables outside on the sidewalk as well as room inside. Jazz music in both places add to the ambiance. It’s ideally located close to the Pier and Beach Drive!

So, if wine is your thing, there are plenty of options in St. Pete! In fact, we have a couple more on the list for next time. If you’ve been to The Study or Lolita’s Wine Market … let us know what you think, and we’ll check them out!

#tipsypick for this time (if we have to pick one) - Cellarmasters

Barcelona’s Tipsy History

Barcelona has quite an interesting history – including an ongoing desire to become a separate country from the rest of Spain! So it should be no surprise that there are bars and restaurants with history and stories of their own, especially in the Gothic Quarter and El Born neighborhood.

For example, 4 Gats (or Els Quatre Gats in Catalan) opened in 1897 and was a magnet for artists and writers including Picasso, who held his first exhibition here. After being closed for a few years, it reopened in 1989 and still looks like something out of 1920s Spain. The food and drinks are authentic and tasty. It’s definitely worth a visit!

Picasso was also a patron of Boadas, an upscale cocktail bar that’s been around since 1933. It’s an easy walk to the north end of La Rambla. 

Not historic enough for you?  How about a bar that’s been around since 1820? Bar Marsella is one of the oldest in the city and was frequented not only by Picasso, but also Hemingway, Dali, and Gaudi were said to enjoy a pour or two here – particularly the absinthe! We were able to enjoy a nice Manhattan, but not without asking more than once. They prefer to keep it simple and with cash if you have it. Again, worth the walk through the Gothic Quarter to Raval.

Writers and artists also spent time over the years at Bar del Pi, known to be one of the oldest remaining tapas bars in the city, founded in 1927. We enjoyed a visit on the upstairs terrace with some excellent food and drinks, including a mug of the local brew. They also have a lovely patio space on the square, which is common in Barcelona.

Speaking of historic squares, the Placa Reial (or Royal Place) is a lovely outdoor space just off La Rambla with a variety of bars and restaurants. We found it to be just as busy and vibrant at night as during the day. It’s also a bit #offthetipsypath, but well worth seeking out!

One of our favorite spots on the Placa Reial is Ocana. We wandered up one evening and the gentleman in drag (yes, and he looked fabulous!!!) escorted us to an outdoor table. The drinks and paella were so good, we missed the live jazz inside! Ocana is actually three very distinct spaces including a separate cocktail bar – Apotheke – downstairs. We highly recommend taking time to explore them all!

Rei de Copes is also a great spot on the square to soak up the sights over a cocktail on the patio. And we heard great things about Pipa Club, but they weren’t open the night we were on the square.

Our experience at Ocana isn’t unique – Barcelona is an extremely walkable city where sometimes you can just wander into some amazing cocktails!

Case in point – Especiarium. We probably walked past this intimate spot a dozen times on our way through Born before we stopped in. And we are so glad we dropped by! The mixologists here are as creative as any we found on the “best of” list. Our cocktails were served with wooden boxes on the side and we were encouraged to open the box and inhale the contents after taking each sip to get the most of the flavors in the drink. What a creative way to enhance the experience!

Just down the street from there is yet another example of what we’ll call “fortunate drinking.” We found our way into Dux to meet a friend and wound up having some amazing cocktails. Dux labels itself as a gin joint, but don’t sleep on the bourbon and wine!

Barcelona is full of lively squares and outdoor patio spaces. We found Ina as we were walking through a square and decided to stop for some wine and tapas. Same goes for Travel Bar, which was recommended as a good stop for tourists. We enjoyed espresso martinis in their outdoor space as the bar inside was busy with a cocktail class.

And finally, there are quite a few breweries or brewpubs in Barcelona, some with outdoor spaces. We enjoyed an afternoon at Black Lab Brewhouse & Kitchen on their patio. It’s an American-style brewery founded by two Americans from Chicago. Check them out if you are down near the Barceloneta beach!

We hope we’ve said enough to get you excited to visit Barcelona for yourself. Let us know what you think!