🍸 A Cocktail Adventure in Slovenia’s Capital 🍸

It’s very possible you’ve never heard of the country of Slovenia. It’s only been a sovereign nation since 1991 – formerly part of Yugoslavia. But more Americans are discovering it because of its history, natural beauty, and wonderful culture. So we’re going to take you to the capital city of Ljubljana to share our #tipsypicks for fantastic cocktails and wine.

First, the city is very walkable, with most of the spots we’ll mention all within walking distance of each other … which is a good thing since most of the historic city center is pedestrian-only! Second, most Slovenians speak English as a second language, especially in major cities. We had no trouble getting around and ordering what we wanted!

Local bartenders in Ljubljana will admit there are only a few “true” cocktail bars in the city. Silk and Fizz is one of them and probably the one that is most like something we find in New York or Miami. They have an upscale vibe and some of the most creative cocktails around, including one that’s a tribute to Elvis (think PB and Banana) with a banana-flavored garnish that completes the package. Their classic cocktails are also delicious. We visited three times during our stay! It’s our #tipsypick!

The other true classic cocktail bar is Kolibri, an intimate spot down a side street from the riverfront with lovely patio seating outside and warm retro spaces inside. We enjoyed both. They have an apothecary-style counter that fits with their creative cocktail ingredients. But they can also do classic cocktails on request!

Slovenia has a vibrant “patio culture” with sidewalk seating at most places. But we found one spot that takes it to another level. Normally we wouldn’t recommend drinking under a bridge … unless it’s at Klub Recnih Kapitanov (KRK). That’s right, this bar is actually under a bridge, with seating right along the Ljubljanica River and plenty of shade because … it’s under a bridge! They have great beer selections and some perfect patio cocktails like spritzes. Definitely worth the stroll along the river to get here!

On the way back toward the city center from our bridge adventure we wandered into a lovely corner bistro bar that turned out to be a wonderful discovery. Ferdinand is very much a locals spot but close enough to the tourist spots with a great food menu, cocktails and wine/beer selection as well as a lively patio space. It’s a very relaxing #tipsypick!

Have you ever been to a bar or restaurant that makes you feel like you’re somewhere else?  That’s the vibe we got at Captain’s Cabin. It’s a basement bar with a pirate/nautical theme straight out of the Caribbean … or maybe our favorite Pirate Tavern back home!  We especially enjoyed the 2-for-1 cocktail special, meaning we had to order two per person, although that could be dangerous in the wrong hands! Great spot for a drink (or two) or a fun night out with friends!

Speaking of places where you feel like you’re somewhere else … Ljubljana does indeed have a medieval castle overlooking the city! How about drinking wine at sunset with such a view? Grajska Vinoteka is a winery, cellar, and wine bar within the walls of the Ljubljana Castle. They host sunset parties with a view straight out of a fairytale! You can choose from glasses or bottles with nibbles and wander the grounds of the castle as well.

You can also ride the funicular cable car to the castle and back for some extra views. After your visit (or on the way up) you can stop at the base of the funicular for a drink at several spots. We chose Daktari after our sunset wine experience. They have a fantastic selection of cocktails, including a solid Old Fashioned, that you can enjoy on the patio or inside. The indoor space reminded us of a library speakeasy with some “old world” charm.

Ljubljana also seems to be a college town, with lots of students out on the streets and squares both day and night. One of four favorite spots we found close to the main university was Tozd. It was a delightful mix of coffee bar and drink stop, perfect for relaxing and/or pulling out your laptop. We really enjoyed the vibe, the service, and an opportunity to try one of the local brews.

There are lots of great restaurants in Ljubljana … in fact a surprising number!  Here are a few we enjoyed: Tabar – tapas and drinks along the river; Julija – a modern dining experience with expansive patio on a busy street; and Pop’s Aperitivo, which was probably the most crowded one we visited, but they had great food and drinks in a lovely courtyard setting. All of these options had great cocktails and natural wines.

Overall, we think Ljubljana and all of Slovenia is worth a look for your next European adventure!

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.

🍷🍸 NYC: Underground Cocktails and Above Ground Natural Wine 🍷🍸

 

New York City is home to literally hundreds of great bars – dive bars, speakeasies, historic watering holes and world-class cocktail experiences. But there are some you just have to try for yourself.

For example - have you ever considered going dancing in the subway in New York City? If you’re willing to go underground near Times Square, you’ll find Nothing Really Matters. Even if you miss the discreet door on a landing, once you step inside, the disco ball is a dead giveaway that you’re in for a good time. The atmosphere was indeed fun and the drinks were better than we expected! This is a unique stop for any night out near the square.

Not far from the first stop, you’ll find the entrance to what looks like a sex shop. In the 1970’s and 80’s, that wouldn’t be an unusual sight in this neighborhood, as Times Square was full of adult bookstores and theaters. Now, the signage would appear out of place if you didn’t know that this one leads to The Woo Woo, a fun underground speakeasy behind the faux sex shop. Clutch your pearls and embrace the kitsch and you’ll be rewarded with great and creative cocktails and a fantastic experience. In fact, we had one of the best smoked old fashioneds of the entire trip here. Enjoy the visuals, it’s a #tipsypick!

While we’re at it, we should also recall our first visit to an underground subway speakeasy … La Noxe is worthy of another mention in this category from a previous visit. This former brothel turned cocktail spot is still going strong!

Now let’s go back above ground for a few #tipsypicks we recommend on the Lower East Side and the Village!

Bar Veloce (pronounced velo-chay in Italian) is a neighborhood cocktail bar that we think is hidden in plain sight. That’s maybe because we haven’t noticed it until now! But it will definitely be one we’ll return to. It’s the kind of place you can enjoy an afternoon cocktail or glass of wine (which we did) and escape the madness that is NYC. We hear it gets quite lively at night though! We’ll be sure to let you know. (We should note that there are several locations, all locally owned, but we visited the one in the Bowery.)

Another neighborhood spot nearby with a well-earned reputation is Mother’s Ruin. Yes, it’s named after the historic nickname for gin during prohibition, so there are gin drinks aplenty. During the day it’s a low-key spot for great drinks and food including brunch, but at night it can be a bustling hot spot, mostly for locals. We will visit this one again as well!

Since we’re on the Lower East side, it’s no secret that we are enjoying exploring the world of natural wines. Those are varieties made without preservatives and other additives. And there are three fantastic natural wine spots all within a few blocks of each other on the LES. All of these were recommended by the folks at our local natural wine bar in Knoxville.

Somm Time is maybe the most intimate of the wine bars but they make up for it with a giant reputation for having some of the best food to go with their selection of wines by the glass and bottle as well as pairings. They also have quite a selection of orange or amber wines, also known as “skin contact” wines.

Which brings us to another wine bar in the same LES neighborhood… Skin Contact. That’s right, they embrace the selections of wine that are left to soak with the grape skins. They opened in 2020 and weathered the pandemic by focusing on natural wines and small producers, mostly from Europe, that you don’t find elsewhere. This is a great stop for wine lovers!

And finally, yet another fantastic natural wine bar in the LES … The Ten Bells. They have a lovely space that includes garage doors which they open to enjoy the fresh air, and if you think oysters go well with wine, this is your spot!  They also have a great happy hour and tapas to pair with your wine. They were among the first in the city to embrace natural wine back in 2008 and they’re still going strong!

Can we ever get enough of NYC? What are your favorite spots?

🃏 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!