Take a Walk (or drive, or bike) on the South Side for Great Cocktails

 

Hello Knoxville! It’s been a while since we went #offthetipsypath in our own back yard, so let’s take a trip across the Tennessee River and we’ll show you what’s happening in South Knoxville!

Once upon a time, the area across the river from Downtown Knoxville was popular enough that Island Home had its own trolley stop! Fast forward to today, and the Old Sevier area is bustling once again. With more residents, growth also is bringing more places to eat and drink, especially along the Sevier Avenue corridor and surrounding neighborhoods.

For as long as we can remember, “nightlife” in South Knoxville along the river ended when the restaurants (and more recently the breweries) closed. Now there’s a game changer called Fly By Night. This 70’s themed lounge one of the first true cocktail bars along Sevier Ave, and they’re open late (as in past midnight most nights). They even have a Thursday night dance party til midnight! Oh, and their cocktails are fantastic. Ever tried a Sarsaparilla Old Fashioned? It will change your life, we promise. This one is brought to you by the same folks who have Tern Club on Gay Street downtown. Break out the bell bottoms and check them out!

There’s no shortage of good food options along Sevier Avenue these days. Redbud Kitchen has amazing food and some really creative cocktails (The SoKno Sunset…) and a generous happy hour. The Landing House may look like an old house on Sevier, but it’s serving up some excellent Asian dishes, along with craft cocktails, beer and wine. They also have a great patio with covered seating (in what used to likely be the front yard).

If you’re looking to enjoy a drink outdoors (or in) Southside Garage was originally billed as a food truck park, but now they have resident food trucks. More importantly, they have beer, wine and cocktails to go with it! The cocktails are surprisingly good (since it’s a food truck park) with rotating draft cocktails that include Old Fashioned, Bourbon Punch, and a variety of flavors for a Moscow Mule.

If tequila and Margaritas are your style, SoKno Taco Cantina has been around longer than most places in the “new South” Knoxville. Their patio area is a great place to sip on something iced and enjoy your evening.

Which brings us to the newest attraction in the neighborhood – 71 South. Located in an old Baptist church, this restaurant (which is also just down the street from SoKno Taco) gets the award for most creative use of an old space! They make a great Old Fashioned along with other cocktails. An added bonus… Crafty Bastard Brewery just opened up their South Knox location in the same building!

Speaking of beer, South Knoxville is home to three other amazing breweries, all within walking distance on Sevier Avenue. Alliance Brewing was the first to take up shop here and they are still going strong! Printshop Beer Company is in a cool space – you guessed it, an old print shop! They have a wide variety of brews made right in the old building along the river. Hi-Wire Brewing is a local outpost for the Asheville-based brewery. They have a huge space for fun things like life-size billiards and silent discos and a rooftop patio. Their beer selection is spot on as well, although they may not get as creative as some.

And if you just want to try lots of great local beers (and cocktails) at one place and enjoy a view along the river, Trailhead Beer Market is a cool spot! They have live music and other events on a regular basis, along with a great patio. 

A few footnotes – we’re always looking for recommendations and new spots - Nauti K’s Riverside Bar and Grill opened in August 2023 in the former (and very scenic) Sweet P’s along Maryville Pike. We’re hearing good things, so we’ll have to visit and share what we find!

And RIP to one of the best menus for a variety of Old Fashioneds around – Simpl on Sevier closed in early summer 2023 after a good run. The owners plan to reopen as a breakfast and lunch concept along the river later this year. We’ll be sure to visit them in their new home!

Tipsy Pick: Fly By Night

We’re glad to be back in Knoxville – stay tuned for more: North? West? It’s all #offthetipsypath with us!

Paducah – More than a stop over for Bourbon and Beer

 

If you’re headed up Interstate 24 Westbound from Nashville to some exotic destination like St. Louis or Cairo (Illinois, not Egypt) you should consider a visit to Paducah, Kentucky! Yes, it’s home to the National Quilt Museum and some really cool mural art on their flood walls, but the city also has a growing downtown cocktail scene with some very cool places for craft beer. That’s what we’ll focus on here (sorry quilters, maybe next time…)

While Paducah is quite a way from the actual Kentucky Bourbon Trail, there are some places that are embracing the Kentucky bourbon heritage with some great offerings and reminders that Paducah has a long history with bourbon. 

Located along the historic Paducah riverfront, Barrel and Bond boasts an impressive collection of over 1,600 bourbons to taste. Their owner also founded the Paducah Bourbon Society. It’s fun to just explore the bottles on the shelves, some of which you won’t see very often. Oh, and they have fantastic flights and cocktails like Manhattan and Old Fashioned.

Just up the street, FoxBriar Cocktail Bar also has a nice selection of bourbon, and they make some great classic cocktails! This is a more intimate space, which makes sense since it’s also attached to a boutique hotel upstairs.

If you want a classic bistro feel with some great cocktails The Johnson Bar is a #tipsypick! The evening we were there we had an excellent charcuterie board and a very good Sazerac, among other things.

For a little more upscale dining experience, along with a great selection of bourbon and cocktails, Freight House is located in the historic train depot a few blocks from the main street.

And there’s always room in the historic downtown for a good no-fuss locals bar. Bully Gorilla Bar is just that. 

You can also take a “forgotten spirits” downtown walking tour and find out more details about all the bourbon connections in Paducah that you don’t know about. We haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds fun!

Now let’s talk about breweries for a minute. We love when craft breweries make use of historic buildings that might otherwise sit empty or be torn down. There are two great examples in Paducah! 

Paducah Beer Werks is a brewery and restaurant near the riverfront located in the old Greyhound Bus Station – how cool is that? They’ve managed to blend some of the industrial and art deco aspects of the building into a cozy atmosphere. They also have a nice covered patio area outside. The beer menu is extensive and they have good food. 

Not to be outdone, Dry Ground Brewing Company is located in the old Coca-Cola bottling and distribution center, known simply as “The Coke Plant.” In fact, they were the first tenant when the renovations to the 1939 art deco gem were complete. Dry Ground has a steady offering of staples on the beer menu, and they do some tasty creative limited brews. The patio is a great place to just hang out.

And lastly, if you need more proof that bourbon is still around, there’s Silent Brigade Distillery. They’re located on Broadway within walking distance of all the bars. They focus on flavored moonshine, but we hear the bourbon is worth a try. We’ll let you know when we visit next time!

Paducah may be #offthetipsypath but it’s worth putting on your radar for a weekend.

As always, let us know what you’re thinking … and drinking!

The “ABCs” of Cocktails in the southern Caribbean

Since our last couple of posts have been focused on Florida (including about as far south as you can go – Key West) we thought we’d go even farther south – to a few of our favorite islands in the Caribbean!

We’ve been fortunate enough to take numerous cruises over the last decade to some amazing places, but some of our favorite spots are found in the “ABC Islands” – that’s Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Those Dutch Caribbean islands are quite a sail from the U.S., just off the coast of Venezuela. The weather is always warm and there’s no shortage of beaches and water adventures. 

But what about a great cocktail? Yes, there’s more than Pirate’s Punch to be found!

We’ll just go in alphabetical order on our latest adventure. Keep in mind these are from the perspective of cruise passengers, so we may be missing something! (Feel free to share as always).

So let’s start with Aruba. 

There are any number of good places in the port city of Oranjestad. If you want a great view of the water and a lively atmosphere (including some fun placement of dollar bills) check out The Paddock. It’s a true dive bar to grab a local beer like Balashi!

But for a true cocktail experience that’s #offthetipsypath, seek out Apotek! It’s a speakeasy-style cocktail bar along a side street – yes, they ask you to keep the location secret. We had more than a few smoked old fashioneds, along with other original drinks in a very creative and cozy atmosphere. They have a “prescription pick up” wall with drinks listed that aren’t on the menu. Just grab a “prescription” and head to the bar! Definitely a #tipsypick.

Bonaire is the “B” in ABC. It’s the smallest of the islands. Kralendijk is the town where the cruise ships dock. It has a quaint downtown area with a street market (where we found the local Cadushy distillery with a table and free samples). Tiki & Co bills itself as the only authentic tiki bar in the Dutch Caribbean. It’s the kind of place where you could spend an hour or an evening. We enjoyed letting Eddy make us something to our taste! We even found some glassware from another of our favorite bars, Death & Co. It was meant to be! Another #tipsypick.

Also on Bonaire is the Bonaire Blond brewery where you can get a refreshing blond ale made with local Aloe Vera flowers! The pub fare is also worth a stop, especially after a long walk around the island.

And finally, Curacao is probably one of our favorite islands in the region. It’s a wonderful mix of island and Dutch culture, including food and drink. Unfortunately, some of the wonderful places we visited before the pandemic did not survive the shutdowns. However, one place that seems to live on in the capital of Willemstad is Netto Bar. Yes, that’s the home to the famous green rum! It’s also the oldest bar on the island, dating back to 1954. The man who pours it behind the bar today was trained by the original owner, “Netto” himself. It’s definitely #offthetipsypath from the port, but walkable if you know where you’re headed. 

For great views and tasty cocktails right on the water (and the beach), checkout Schooner Bar! And the other can’t miss spot is the distillery that makes the drink named after the island itself – Curacao! Tours are offered most days and it’s a short car ride from the port. Curacao (the liqueur) is made from dried fruit that grows on the island. The original settlers got creative with all the leftover peels and made alcohol! The Blue Curacao is the most well-known (it’s the stuff that makes most blue drinks blue), but our favorite is Tamarein, made from the Tamarind fruit. It’s a taste of the tropics for us!

One side note – on a separate cruise recently we enjoyed a couple of breweries worth mentioning near the port on St. Thomas (clearly not an ABC)…  Leatherback Brewing is just up the street from the port in Charlotte Amalie. The owners were very kind and they had a great variety of brews AND cocktails. And Rock City Brewing is within eyeshot of the port, so we had to visit. Just a little extra for you #offthetipsypath.

ABC  Tipsy Picks:

Aruba – Apotek

Bonaire – Tiki & Co
Curacao – Netto Bar and Curacao Distillery

Have a totally DUSHI summer (that means sweet, nice, or good in the ABC islands) and let us know what you think! We will bring it back closer to home in our next post…