So Many Bars in St. Pete – Challenge Accepted

 

One of the ways we measure a city worth visiting is by looking at the strength and diversity of its bar and restaurant scene. Of course, we prefer to see local owners succeed! Based on that, we think St. Pete, Florida is a great spot for a vacation or just a weekend. There are so many great spots that it’s hard for us to keep up! But here are some more #tipsypicks from our latest visit.

First, we love a good speakeasy … and there are a few in St. Pete we’ve explored before ... (Dirty Laundry, Bar Chica) But how often do you find one in the back of a liquor store? That’s the genius of 1st Avenue Liquors. From the outside, it looks just like a normal liquor store on (you guessed it) 1st Avenue in the Edge District. Even when you walk inside, you see shelves of bottles. But if you peek behind one of the walls, you see the hidden cocktail bar ... the Clubhouse Bourbon Bar! We almost hate to share too much, because this is a not-so-well-kept secret spot. The drinks are fabulous, and we very much appreciate their prices, even on allocated bourbon. They say the secret is making money on the retail side so they can pass on the savings in the back. We approve! Definitely a #tipsypick.

Speaking of speakeasies, we say farewell to one of our favorites, The Saint. The Grand Central District spot has changed concepts from a themed cocktail speakeasy to more of a dance club with live performers, including burlesque. The cocktails are still well done at the new spot, named The Ball. When we visited, we did in fact have a ball! Just be prepared for “the show.”

Just down the street from the Ball is a step back into the 70’s with a spot called Lost & Found. This is a fun space with retro furniture, wood paneling, and plenty of great cocktails! We enjoyed a fantastic Manhattan, among other things. The living room area looks like it belongs on the set of “That 70’s Show." It’s a fun way to hang out for a drink!

Hanging out on a porch, patio, or rooftop is easy when you have scenery like downtown St. Pete. We’ve been to a number of rooftop bars in the area … now we’ll add The Sparrow to the list! The Sparrow is on the rooftop of the new Moxy hotel on Central, an ideal location to visit all our favorite spots. The bar and restaurant itself are full of Instagram moments, as is the patio area. We sat at a table outside and had some creative and refreshing cocktails with some lite bites. Definitely worth a visit. 

The Moxy itself has a wonderful bar space on the ground floor, aptly named Bar Moxy. This hotel chain is one of our preferred spots when we travel, and this one is now on our preferred list! Bar Moxy is a great hangout space with live music in the evenings, and you can choose to sit inside or outside. We had one of the best cocktails of the trip here – a smoked pineapple Old Fashioned! It seems this hotel bar is also popular with the locals, for good reason.

Just down the street from the Moxy, Bar Mezzo is a lively cocktail spot with rollup garage doors to enjoy the fresh air. They were very busy the evening we were there, so we suggest going early before the crowds arrive if you want a seat or room to spread out. Try the Old Fashioned!

Did we mention fresh air? If you like a good cocktail on the porch, we highly recommend Perry’s Porch! This relatively new spot at the foot of the Pier in downtown St. Pete has some excellent outdoor spaces including bar seating and chairs along the canal. Their house Old Fashioned hit the spot and they have a nice wine selection as well. 

And finally, we can’t resist a good historic hotel. The Scott is the lobby bar inside the Cordova Inn, which has been welcoming guests since 1921.  The Scott is an intimate space with a small bar offering fantastic cocktails including a Boulevardier and Sazerac. And yes, you can enjoy them on the porch in a rocking chair.

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re taking our cocktails outside. Let us know if you have any St. Pete favorites we should know about!

🍷 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

New Year – New Fun Finds in St. Pete

Welcome to the third year of this little adventure we call Off the Tipsy Path! We’re going to start it off with a return to one of our favorite spots – St. Petersburg, Florida. This Gulf Coast city is also where the idea for Tipsy Path began (over a few beverages, of course)!

Downtown St. Pete, like a lot of cities, is seeing incredible growth. Tower cranes are everywhere as new condos and apartments are being built to meet demand. The city’s culinary and cocktail scene is growing at a similar pace. Here are just a few of the places we’ve found since our last visit.

So what’s new? How about a jungle-themed restaurant with a somewhat-hidden bar in the basement of a historic “Five and Dime” building? That’s Concrete Jungle! The restaurant occupies part of the main floor of the historic Kress building on Central. Its theme is “Tulum inspired,” meaning Mexican flair. It’s a great spot for date night dinner and cocktails! But don’t miss out on the downstairs bar! It has some added cocktails to the upstairs menu that are not to be missed – “Smoke and Mirrors” was an excellent smoked concoction and the “Platano” was a complex bourbon drink with coffee and banana. And the jungle theme ramps up to create very cool spaces around every corner. A #tipsypick for sure!

Staying with Mexico, Tequila Daisy is a tequila-focused bar (and other agave spirits like Mezcal) with some tasty drinks – and shots – and a dance floor where you can bust all of your moves that you think you should after a few said drinks/shots! Seriously, the signature cocktail the “Tequila Daisy” is seriously good! They don’t have food, but the taco truck that sets up outside is very popular.

Continuing the theme of “spaces that feel like different places,” Saigon Blonde may become one of our newest favorite spots! The décor is tropical-themed from the “1960’s” and includes three separate lounge areas that are about as unique as you’ll find – one is made from old airplane parts and the other is upstairs and overlooks the lower bar. And the drinks we had were superb - “Old Sin” is essentially an old fashioned with flavors of Vanilla AND chocolate! We will definitely be back!

One more tropical theme – this time on a rooftop!  Cane & Barrel is the new rooftop bar at the AC Marriott. It has a Cuban theme, with drinks and food to match. The indoor/outdoor spaces make for a nice way to spend an evening, or an afternoon with brunch. We admit we didn’t make our way very far through the menu, because we were drinking champagne for New Year’s Eve! We will check this one out again next time!

Now let’s completely switch themes – to Christmas! Xmas Bar is billed as a seasonal pop-up bar, but it’s still going strong as of January. We will say that this is a very festive space worth checking out if only for the décor. During the holidays, we’re told they had some great themed cocktails. But when we visited the weekend of New Year’s, we were told those are no longer being served - lots of canned drinks and shots going around. 

If you’re looking for a great space for cocktails and brunch that’s a bit #offthetipsypath… we suggest The Library. This space is part of the Johns Hopkins hospital complex just south of downtown, but folks in the know come here to enjoy the food and drink all week long. Our brunch meals were excellent. We’ll have to come back one evening for happy hour and let you know more about the cocktails.

And finally, an update on one of our #tipsypicks – a local wine bar called Bar Chinchilla has new owners! The intimate spot changed hands early in 2023, and the new owners have kept much of the cozy décor but have elevated the wine offerings… and the beer! Tipsy Hubs was most impressed with the lineup of Belgian beer on tap. The real secret is the deals on their “to go” bottles of wine! Love this place!

As always, we’d love to hear from you about your favorite places and anyplace we should check out on our adventures! Cheers to Year Three! 

🍹 Cocktails and More in the Conch Republic 🍹

 

Key West, Florida is a popular destination, especially in the winter months when people are trying to escape to warmer weather, but not infernally hot weather like July and August.

First, we’ll set the scene by saying there is a party atmosphere in Key West all year long. And they sure love any excuse to have a parade! It’s no wonder folks like Ernest Hemingway and President Harry Truman felt drawn to this place. It’s easy to find a list of the “must do” bars for tourists in town, which includes Sloppy Joe’s, Captain Tony’s and the original Margaritaville location. And while tropical drinks are everywhere, there are also some places to get great craft beer and cocktails in the Conch Republic!

Tropical climates are great for sipping dark rum, especially if it’s locally made!  Key West has two main rum distilleries. Both are open for tours and tastings. Our favorite for both is Hemingway Rum Company, home of the Papa’s Pilar line (named for the author’s favorite boat, which was named for one of his favorite ex-wives). There is a small charge for a tour, well worth it for the experience and tasting at the end. They also offer cocktail classes separately for a small fee.

Key West First Legal Distillery is the other option in town. Yes, the name means they were the first to open once distilling became legal. They’ve been operating since 2013. They offer free tours and tastings and it’s definitely worth checking out!  They also have a bar onsite that makes tasty rum drinks like Mojitos that you can even take with you.

If you want to try lots of rum from different parts of the world, including the local brands, then the Rum Bar at the Speakeasy Inn is your place to go! They make just about every rum drink you can imagine, and you can do flights of rum and other spirits. It’s a great way to get a taste of the islands (along with wine, beer and a full bar, of course). Their front patio is a cool place to people watch on Duval Street.

And if you’re wandering up Duval Street, don’t blink or you might miss the Smallest Bar in Key West. That’s literally the name of this tiny watering hole that describes itself as “about the size of a jail cell.” But if you miss it, you’ll be missing a fun little spot for some good cocktails and lively conversation. 

As we mentioned, there are also places to get great bourbon, beer and wine in Key West.  Our “go to” spot has been The Roost. The bartenders make fantastic classic cocktails like Old Fashioneds and Manhattans but they also have a great wine selection. This is the one place we would suggest checking out for a great cocktail experience (once you’ve done the necessary stops we mentioned earlier). It’s a bit #offthetipsypath but definitely a #tipsypick!

Another excellent cocktail bar is Berlin’s. The atmosphere is about as far away from Duval Street as you can get, with lots of leather seating and jazz playing over the speakers. They have an excellent cocktail and wine selection. But in case you need reminders that you are in Key West, the bar overlooks the harbor and has a fantastic view at night.

If you prefer wine, there are several wine bars that fit the bill. Vinos on Duval Street is where we usually visit. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. They also have charcuterie boards and other nibbles for a reasonable price. Grand Vin Wine Bar is a combination bar and wine store with a wide selection. There’s even a winery – Key West Winery. We’ll check that one out on our next visit.

And not to be left out, there are a number of craft breweries on the island (and a few others if you want to make the drive up or down Highway 1). Since we like history, First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery is our go to stop for a “flight” of craft beers. It’s located in the old Pan-Am airways office just a few blocks from both the Hemingway House and the Little Truman White House. They have an extensive food menu as well as a full bar. That pretty much covers everything for us! Waterfront Brewery is probably the largest brewery in the Florida Keys, with an expansive space near the harbor in Key West. Their beer menu is also extensive along with their food and other beverages. It’s hard to go wrong with either of these #tipsypicks!

Speaking of food (and the island’s largest Bloody Mary bar), we recommend Ram’s Head Southernmost for brunch or great food and a patio any time of the day – not to mention drinks in buckets for sharing. They also carry a full lineup of beers from Delaware-based Fordham & Dominion brewery.

And finally, if you just want to let someone else give you the grand tour so you don’t have to decide where to start and finish, there are some great pub crawls and food tours to choose from! You can even make your own by starting around Mallory Square and seeing how far down Duval you can get before your liver gives out (with a short detour to The Roost, for sure!)

As always, let us know what you think and watch for us on our Facebook and Instagram pages!