All right, people. I don’t put my liver on the line all year long for nothing. Here’s my Christmas list. Send gifts to: LEO Weekly (Attn: Bar Belle), 640 S. Fourth St., Louisville, KY, 40202.
• Free City Scoot for a year
• No hangovers for a year
• Bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15-Year
• 6-pack of Bud Light Lime
• A book deal that includes “Drunk Dialing for Dummies,” “Did I Say That?” and “Strangers in the Sheets”
• A flask that doesn’t leak, preferably pink
• My own bar stool at BBC on Fourth Street, preferably a highchair
• My own bar
Speakeasies exist!
Last Saturday, I stopped by the Monkey Wrench to wish a coworker happy birthday and make sure she was fully loaded. Her friends were trying to whisk her away to some private dance party they knew about. I rolled my eyes but somehow got dragged along on the departing gravy train. As we approached the place, which doubles as a restaurant by day, I was apprehensive. The lights were off, the tables and chairs stacked. But a thumping beat bounced from the doorframe. I stood up straight, pretended I was important and proceeded in. This was a private party, indeed, but no one was turned away. It was a speakeasy, alive and thriving in secrecy among those in the know.
Tubs of Miller High Life bottles were selling in the corners. Two hipster bartenders were fashioning cocktails behind the bar. Smoking was allowed. The dance floor was packed as people broke it down to DJ-spun tracks. We were getting away with something very naughty, and we liked it.
Next time someone catches wind of a private party, suppress your doubts and go explore. I can’t reveal the details of the speakeasy, but stick close. You’ll know when I know.
This article appears in December 16, 2008.