Tag: bars

The essential libations of childhood are summertime mainstays for a reason, but local bars and restaurants have stepped up the game with drunken spins on retro favorites like milkshakes and slushies. The thinking is simple—if a refreshing, icy confection is delicious as it is, a shot or two of something stronger can only make it better.

Ever wanted to return to the days of old when alcohol was illegal and accessible only behind shady fronts? While Atlanta’s speakeasy scene isn’t as historical as New York City, we do have our fair share of bars that utilize secret passwords, hidden passages, and special memberships to recreate history. Below are five local establishments. Dress up and stack your wallet—oh, but do be quiet about it.

“Location, location, location”—preferably with street visibility and plenty of parking—is one of the tenets of restaurant success. Ideally, though, a city should also have secret haunts where urbanites can hide from the maddening congestion and cruel glare.

Fortify yourself with a basket of chicken at Harold’s Chicken & Ice Bar—and don’t forget the hot sauce.

Former Atlantan RuPaul may 
be our national claim to drag queen fame, but locals give props to his 
compatriot, Charlie Brown—a performer in our gay scene for more than four decades.

Okay, so Atlanta’s not Paris, but you can pretend you’re Owen Wilson and travel back to the Jazz Age, when the likes of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tallulah Bankhead, and Charles Lindbergh mingled at the Georgian Terrace Hotel.

Start easy with a sherry cobbler—the subtly sweet, low-octane cocktail of the moment—at H. Harper Station, housed in a former train depot in Reynoldstown. Head over to Poncey-Highland to eavesdrop on the journalists and politicos at Manuel’s Tavern and sip a SweetWater 420.

Atlanta’s venerable blues joint is named for one legend (Blind Willie McTell) and is the best place to see another: Francine Reed, whose soulful voice, feisty wisecracks, and dance-inducing songs mesh perfectly with the intimate dive bar’s New Orleans–inspired atmosphere.

Cocktail guru Paul Calvert is a man on the move. He was recently named Beverage Director at Victory Sandwich Bar—the Inman Park location as well as the forthcoming Victory in Decatur. Calvert made waves with the Sound Table’s bar program and went on to spice things up at Pura Vida.

I find it ironic that two of my best friends each own popular Atlanta bars within aerobic stumbling distance of my front door. Years ago I would have foamed at the mouth to be in a position that allows me to freeload booze with such abandon.