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Dive Bars: Where Community, Nostalgia, and Inclusivity Collide
569 Plays7 months ago
Dive bars - they’re more than just a spot for cheap drinks. They’re community hubs, cultural icons, and spaces brimming with stories. In this episode of States of Discovery, Marisa and Sara dive into the charm, history, and evolving culture of dive bars. From their roots as literal underground hangouts to their role as inclusive, welcoming spaces, we explore why these beloved establishments hold a special place in our hearts.
Episode Highlights:
- The Dive Bar Vibe: Discover the history of the term “dive bar” and how these establishments evolved from disreputable dives to cherished community spaces. Learn why dive bars resonate as places of authenticity, camaraderie, and connection.
- Evolving with the Times: Dive bars have always been inclusive, but they’re adapting even more to modern times. We discuss the rise of mixology in these unpolished gems and the growing popularity of non-alcoholic options like those we discovered at The Agency in Milwaukee.
- Stories That Define Them: Behind every dive bar is a tapestry of tales—from the owners who pour their passion into these spaces to the regulars who make them feel at home.
- Looking Ahead: With changing neighborhoods and rising costs, we examine the future of dive bars and how they’re finding ways to stay relevant for new generations.
Special Features:
- Clips from dive bar enthusiasts and owners sharing their unforgettable experiences.
- Personal favorites from Marisa and Sara, including dive bars from their travels.
- Industry insights into the non-alcoholic beverage trend, a growing force in the bar world.
Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review States of Discovery on your favorite podcast platform. We love hearing from our listeners, so share your own fair memories and suggestions for future episodes with us!
Connect With Us:
- Phone Number: 805-298-1420 - Leave us a message! We’d love to hear from you.
- Email: podcast@onlyinyourstate.com
Thanks for listening to States of Discovery. Until next time, cheers! 🍻
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Transcript
Introduction: 'States of Discovery'
00:00:05
Speaker
I don't know, it's like grungy in like the best way possible and like very wholesome. Because it's people from everywhere that are eye to eye bars, you know, like just any type of person from any walk of life pops in, can get a beer or a drink that they can afford, have a good conversation, play a game, just like live and let live, you know.
00:00:35
Speaker
Welcome back everyone to States of Discovery, a podcast where education and curiosity about the world collide. I'm here with my co-host, Sarah. Hi, Sarah.
00:00:46
Speaker
Hey Marissa, so let's get right into it.
Exploring Dive Bars: Unique Stories and Communities
00:00:50
Speaker
In this episode, we're talking about something near and dear to my heart, and it is the fascinating world of dive bars. In this episode, we are featuring exclusive interviews with LA-based mixologist Victor Feliz, CEO and founder of the agency in Milwaukee, the country's first hybrid cocktail bar Ryan Casteles, as well as Casey Gerber, bar owner and founder of the Cloak and Dagger Vegan Cocktail Lounge in Cleveland. And they might look a little rough around the edges, and this might scare some people off, but honestly, beneath those worn out booths, the sticky vinyl and neon signs, these bars are seriously home to some of the most unique stories, friendships, people, and a subculture all of their own.
00:01:38
Speaker
Yes, and they are more than just places where you can get cheap drinks, which, contrary to popular belief, these are actually places of comfort, camaraderie, and community. Personally, for me, dive bars are some of my favorite places to go. I always, whenever I travel, I always seek out dive bars first,
00:02:03
Speaker
And I know that you share the same sentiment because to me, there's no better way than connecting with locals than at the local dive bar. Yeah, I love dive bars. There's this authenticity they have that you don't find in chains. You don't find in these like um sports bars and things that like you just the focus isn't on the people and community in it. I really do enjoy it. I'm not going to lie, I feel sometimes intimidated when I go into a dive bar because there is that already established community and I'm just so eager.
00:02:35
Speaker
To want to be accepted by them I am I love it. um but Let's get into like what exactly makes a dive bar a dive bar because over the years that term has changed and it used to be somewhat derogatory and definitely had a negative skew but now it's almost like a badge of honor.
00:02:57
Speaker
in dive bars are known for that authenticity I referenced. They're unpolished, they're mysterious. There is an anything goes vibe in a cast of regulars, but not in an unsafe way. It is like their second home. They all know each other. A bartender might hug a customer coming in. They're telling them about a job interview or a breakup or anything that under the sun really.
00:03:23
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's interesting you say that. And just like how sometimes walking into a dive bar, I, especially one in a new state, I feel like an interloper that doesn't belong there because they're greeting every, the bartenders are greeting everybody by name. And I'm just like this weird tourist, but it's so interesting how quickly you become part of that, like dive bar tribe that yeah you know, i to me, that's what makes it stand out is like you immediately are welcomed into this family of, ah you know, cheap drinks and and yeah, sticky booths. But
The History of Dive Bars: From Basements to Community Hubs
00:03:59
Speaker
we'll get into that. I did i did want to um talk a little bit about the term dive bar and how it came to be, which I found very fascinating because the term itself first appeared in the New York Herald in July 1871.
00:04:16
Speaker
And the term dive was used to describe disreputable places, often located in basements, sellers. So it's essentially where patrons would dive into the establishment because they were so far underground.
00:04:33
Speaker
quite literally di dive right in. Yeah. um yeah and And speaking of disreputable, even in 1882, 1883, it was mentioned in Harper's Magazine that these dives were actually opium smoking dives. And so yeah, it's definitely not just what we see today. And in 1886, the term came up again in direct reference to a bar.
00:04:55
Speaker
So in that 1886 mention, it was specified that a dive bar was called so because it was in a lower part of the building, very similar to the diving into the basement. um And yeah, dive bars were and often still are in basements of larger buildings and annexes and these little hovels and holes where you can quite literally have to like navigate your way down to find them, which to me is actually part of why I would want to go seek these out.
00:05:22
Speaker
And that so that's part of the appeal. Dive bars are places where regulars become family, everyone knows each other's name, let's call it the cheers mentality for anybody that has watched Cheers, where you are valued as a guest for specifically being yourself, that genuine aspect of being in a place where there are no pretenses, they don't care what you're drinking,
00:05:50
Speaker
they just want you to be yourself and have a good time and exist. And I think that to me is one of the most important elements of why I love dive bars. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the allure of one, someone knowing and remembering my name is really high up on the list. You have that familiarity and that sense of community that is just really hard to find, especially, look,
00:06:18
Speaker
Once you leave college and you're at a job, finding community can be tough. like You have to seek it out. You're not just thrown in with people that are going to value and remember you and feel that certain kind of way about you. and so As times change, so do dive bars. They started out, let's reference, basements you dive into, opium smoking dives dens and dives, and then also now these basement sort of annex style of bars.
00:06:48
Speaker
But these these spaces are always evolving, but they have always been inclusive. And I feel like that's an important aspect we have to remember even today. And as times change, so do dive bars. And maybe they started as opium smoking dives and literally quite literally below ground levels where you had to jump on in and they evolved to maybe these bars and basements and annexes. but What's important is that they have always been inclusive spaces, and I think that's even more important today as they have evolved. so Many dive bars have become more welcoming to all, focusing on inclusivity, whether it's women, LGBTQIA folks, or even just creating a safe space for people from all walks of life.
00:07:35
Speaker
yeah and i think ah Just to like pepper in my own personal story, I know we're gonna talk about this a little later. There was a dive bar that I went into in um Austin, Texas that I went because I found out that they served vegan Southern cuisine. It's like vegan ribs, vegan mashed potatoes. It was like part dive bar, part vegan food truck. And I went, it was a a very heavy motorcycle bar with like heavy metal playing, you know, and I show up um just looking for some vegan ribs and I was so welcomed in that bar. Let me tell you, nobody cared like that. I didn't have a ah motorcycle club jacket on or nobody looked twice at me. Everyone was like, Oh yeah, the ribs are so good. And it's just like, that is, I feel like a consistent experience that I have when you're talking about inclusivity, no matter
00:08:33
Speaker
the dive bar. And I can't blanket statement this across the United States, but you know I do feel like there's this common ground with dive bars that it's like, hey, yeah, come on in. Everyone's welcome. Let's have a drink and you know just kind of exist together. Yeah. and so No, and I just wanted to comment really quickly. There's nothing more beautiful than seeing a biker or metalhead or whoever they are and them just being the biggest marshmallow that cares about vegan ribs. That is the most wholesome thing I've ever heard.
00:09:08
Speaker
Yeah, it was great. It was a really great experience. um And so yeah, that this is what essentially dive bars are often one of the very few spots where everyone's welcome. And there is a real sense of community there. That is only deepened as more people seek out these spaces in order to feel included to feel at home, regardless of background identity, etc.
Mixology in Dive Bars: Victor Feliz's Insights
00:09:33
Speaker
I'm Vic Feliz. I live in Los Angeles, California, and I've been in the food and beverage industry for about 10 years. And I'm just here to share a little bit of of my love, you know? One of those loves happens to be ah going to a dive bar. It's a safe space. it's somewhere where you don't care if you're going to smear buffalo sauce all over your face, if even if you go to like the ye old rustic inn in and Los Feliz, or you know, go for like a 1am pastrami sandwich at the kibbit's room right at Cantor's there in West Hollywood. Die bars in Los Angeles are like cathedrals, just shelters for many. A lot's changed over the last 10 years.
00:10:11
Speaker
ah You have to make the drinks cheaper and approachable for a lot of people. So we've had to get really clever with how to reduce costs, especially after the pandemic and in this economy. So we don't want to waste things. We want to become as sustainable as we can so that we can keep prices low and draw in more people.
00:10:32
Speaker
And that's been a big shift. Because of the mid-2000s, you can now probably get like an old-fashioned at a dive bar or a Negroni. Now, this one's pretty funny and people like to debate about this, but it's also... Is it a dive bar if you guys serve really good wine? A lot of dive bars have been implementing a natural wine program.
00:10:59
Speaker
That's been up for debate and I love to see it. I love to see the forever evolving part of the industry where where people will challenge the old guard and see who's going to write their gatekeep, these sort of things. it's It's kind of funny. But yeah, dive bars are an integral part of Los Angeles and I don't want to see them go anywhere. I see them being a very important part of people's weekly lives.
00:11:29
Speaker
One interesting thing I think that is happening with dive bars, look, we're talking about unassuming, community-driven, inclusive spaces, right? And we're talking about no frill spaces too. yeah But to your point in your example, a dive bar offering vegan ribs and vegan comfort food, there's another trend I think that's really evolving as part of this dive bar community, and that is mixology.
00:11:59
Speaker
Now, to me, when I walk into mini dive bars, I think I have have the cans, I have whatever's on draft and maybe some basic liquor, right? But now instead of beers and well drinks, more places are also adding a twist to the menu. So instead of this, you know, hoity-toity cocktail lounge, you get that old school charm and that really widely appealing setting, but you also are starting to get craft drinks in mixology and really unique takes on um um beverages that you probably haven't seen before in a dive bar.
00:12:35
Speaker
Yeah, and and partially to that point as well, I love that dive bars nowadays are kind of taking these classic cocktails from long, long ago and reinventing them or reintroducing them to younger crowds. You know, like Tom Collins, obviously, you know, old fashions had a huge rise, Negroni's,
00:13:00
Speaker
All of these drinks that used to be very popular in 50s, 60s, 70s, and maybe kind of disappeared for a while, and now they're being reintroduced, reimagined in this mixology way that I think is really fun.
00:13:18
Speaker
But not only are we talking about some of these classic cocktails that are making a resurgence even the in the dive bar scene, but we're also seeing a rise of non-alcoholic beverages as well, which might be a surprise to some. Yeah, I think this is a very, very interesting trend that is on the rise. Zero-proof alcohol or bars that feature non-alcoholic beverages is I think we should absolutely discuss this because this is a huge area of interest, especially I feel like with these, um you know, dry January or I think somebody did dry tober. it could You could do. I've heard about it. Dry June. ever It's just just put dry in front of it. But just this concept of, um you know, people coming into a 30-day period and just not having any alcohol for the health benefits, mental health benefits,
00:14:13
Speaker
you know I know a lot of people came out of COVID and being locked up and they just were like, I'm drinking too much. I need to do something to kind of level this out. So I think it's really cool that these non-alcoholic or zero proof beverages are on the menu.
00:14:29
Speaker
Yeah, and I also think there's something there too about the ritual of being out with friends, getting drinks, and especially some when, surprising enough, like the sober lifestyle can be somewhat looked down upon or demonized, especially if you're in a group that's, quote unquote, trying to have fun, not to say everyone's like that, it's a bit of a toxic take. um But I feel like there has been, you know, people fake but face backlash for wanting to switch to water, say.
00:14:54
Speaker
So it's nice to have to give them an opportunity to dist still participate in a group activity and not feel like they have to drink alcohol. um Although I will say, I found that out of all my peers that I've polled about this, oh god, the alliteration, um a lot of folks are really divided on the non-alcoholic beverages in a craft cocktail and mixology setting because to me, they say, look, I'm paying a markup.
00:15:23
Speaker
four yeah right for alcohol. So are if you're going to give me a Shirley Temple, I would expect a price decrease. And so then you start to get to, okay, is it just ah ah an alcohol free beverage or are you still getting a supremely crafted and well thought out beverage that maybe deserves the price point? That's a great question.
00:15:45
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, and I know we're going to talk about this here in a bit, but but I think there are some circumstances where it is really beneficial to still embrace it as a premium offering, even if it doesn't have alcohol. But even at that, I mean, the non-alcoholic market is growing. So volumes have been increasing 9% in 2022, and the international wine and spirits record expects this growth to continue.
00:16:11
Speaker
And so between 2022 and 2026, maybe what, 7%, 10% of these sales and market growing exponentially. Yeah, and in the US, in 2022 alone, non-alcoholic sales reached nearly $400 million dollars with low alcohol sales reaching nearly $3 billion. So, wow. And also, ah one of the first introductions I've had to um to and a non-alcoholic line, so you know i've I've come across like curious elixirs and things like that, but I had a friend who
00:16:49
Speaker
was pregnant and she swore by things like Seed Lip to where she could have you know these mocktails that were so, so similar, not sponsored by Seed Lip, but you know whatever, but that we were actually absolutely delicious and it made her didn't feel like she was missing out you know yeah due to you know being being pregnant and planning that part of her life. So I thought that that was really special.
00:17:12
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. i we you know I have a friend who um you you know she doesn't drink. And when she comes over to the house, my fiance will make her a mocktail every time and and puts effort into it. you know It's not just pouring a glass of cranberry juice. It's like, no you know how can you kind of jazz these drinks up, remove the alcohol, but like you said, still provide people with the ritual of like congregating over drinks and and you know talking. and and having them be included rather than take them out of the equation just because they don't drink alcohol.
00:17:46
Speaker
Right. There shouldn't be that stigma. um yeah Because yes, some people want to take a tolerance break. They want to have a dry January or a dry October or dry whatever, and they want to maybe um to refocus on some goals and there shouldn't be this like undercurrent of, well, why are you doing that? i had a I love this bit by a comedian, I forget who exactly, about how people react whenever you tell them that you don't drink or you're not drinking. And they say,
00:18:13
Speaker
why are you are you is there a problem are you addicted and he compared it to you wouldn't do that with mayonnaise like oh i i don't eat mayonnaise why are you addicted to mayonnaise you wouldn't ask that that's such a good point
Innovative Cocktail Concepts: Ryan Casteles and 'The Agency'
00:18:29
Speaker
Right. um But yeah, a few months ago, whenever you and I were in Milwaukee for the Wisconsin State Fair, which we did an episode on, listen to it if you haven't yet, we visited a really special place called The Agency and it is the country's very first hybrid cocktail bar.
00:18:50
Speaker
My name is Ryan Casteles. I am a drink maker, kind of toned CEO slash drink maker, which has been a really interesting transition from being a guy who puts things in tins in the middle of the woods to leading 30 people across five businesses. It's been a pretty wild journey and it's still honestly catching my tail a little bit every day.
00:19:12
Speaker
um My role with agency is as a service director and founder. So I work with Kat, who's our operating partner. She is really the brains and the bond behind the day-to-day at agency. as She does all the ordering, the training, designs, the menus. Agency would not be a thing without Kat Doughty. She is just an incredible, incredible, and incredible partner.
00:19:35
Speaker
and an incredible mind and visionary. We came up with the idea for agency kind of as an evolution of a bar that we were trying to run called The Counter. It's been a really fun concept to be able to put into the world and to to share with people. and to see reactions. you know I think any time you do something new and weird, it's fun to see how people react to it. So this has been a really a really fun concept to bring out to people. A core part of our work, truly, for both Kent and I, is um what we call like narrative drink development. you know So we're we're building narrative frameworks. And when I when i talk about drink making in general, I talk about two forms of drink making. So we have top-down drink making, and then we have bottom them-up drink making.
00:20:18
Speaker
um I think most, a lot a lot of bars, a lot of coffee shops build from a bottom-up perspective, which is awesome. And we do this too, right? So a bottom-up drink would be, these are the ingredients I have in front of me. This is what I have in the fridge. This is what I have in the bath bar. And I'm going to take these ingredients to make a drink. And and while I'm combining these ingredients, a story will the present itself. And that story that presents itself by the combination of these ingredients is the overall and goal of that drink.
00:20:45
Speaker
um A top-down drink, which is where we spend a lot of our time currently, um is we actually start with the story. We start with the idea. And from that idea, we fill in the ingredients that that's telling. And so that's that's been a practice that we've honed in and developed over over many, many years. of how do we build an actual translatable framework of ingredients, textures, flavors, tonalities, temperatures, smells, presentation um that actually starts to trigger um both psychological and physiological responses that are in alignment with our story.
00:21:23
Speaker
I think the pricing is continuing to evolve in really exciting ways. Primarily, I think one of the biggest evolutions that we've seen over the last 20 years. Technology has become a much bigger thing in the bar world. In large part to Dave Arnold and his publishing of the book Liquid Intelligence.
The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Bars
00:21:42
Speaker
um I think when that book came out, it was kind of a ah new manifesto for the bartender of, wait, there's there's actually a lot more to this than we thought. you know like Not only there is there this crack, but there's also this science um and there's also of this art.
00:21:57
Speaker
and And I think that's what I love about drink making is that I love so much about this field. is It is this perfect the union of science and art. There is both and both are necessary. And the more science you know, the better art you can make. The other is the move towards NA. And I think this will be This is not a trend. It is a movement, and it is a movement that is accelerating with wild intensity. If you look at the compound annual growth rate right now of the alcoholic segment, you're right in between 1% and 2%. If you look at the compound annual growth rate of the non-alcoholic segment, you're right in between 8% and 10%. We are literally growing the NA segment four to five times faster than alcohol. But this is not a trend. This is a movement.
00:22:42
Speaker
um and And I think what is so important um is that borrowers recognize, all borrowers, that in order to maintain relevancy going into the future, um you need to be able to cater to both of these programs and you need to be able to offer both of these offers.
00:22:59
Speaker
ah dilogs For me are all about the community. It's like ah do I feel comfortable here? That's really that's really the question right because like but the the beers are gonna be pretty much the same ah The cocktails are gonna be most I was pretty much the same for me I think the number one thing is how comfortable do I feel there?
00:23:17
Speaker
I think in Milwaukee, we really rest because we have a couple bars that um have this very like lowbrow approach to the way that they um approach bartending, but also the cocktails are delicious. They're exemplary. You know, ah Mothership and Thinks are the two that I think of all the time. I think Tin Widow even has a little bit of these vibes, where they're not lops and trying to be. You know, they' they're community watering holes, but the cocktails are great because why not make great drinks?
00:23:45
Speaker
Like, like the and and I love that mentality. I think it's so, so cool. You have rookie using the sous vide at mothership and most people go there and they get a $20 pint of hams. You know, it's just so cool that the there are trick makers in the city. ah Johnny Haffney is another guy. He has a wild pedigree. It is like watching a dancer dance when you watch this dude bartend and he bartends at things. You know, it's it's a dive bar with nice dance. And so I think that there's a luck that we have in Milwaukee where dive bar culture here is so developed that we were able to have these bars that are just little outlets of deliciousness. And I think we see that primarily all over the Midwest. you know i I know many in Chicago as well that that have these divey little watering hole fields and then you order cocktails and it's like, wait, damn, that's actually really a good.
00:24:36
Speaker
You know, so we can talk and wax poetic about this all fucking day. I can literally talk about this shit till the cows come home. um But if you come into agency and have a bad drink and a bad experience, nothing that I said matters at all, right? but Because it's just, it's just policies. And so it's the people on the ground floor of this, people like, cat Alana, principal bartender, Tierra, and Nova are servers. like These are the people who are actually taking everything that we've just talked about and translating it to the guests in a way that they get to experience and understand and and in enjoy. I mean, extremely small part of a very beautiful interworking web that that creates this dynamic. and And I think all of the best buyers, whether you're a dive bar you're a craft bar operating at the highest level, um share that philosophy.
00:25:26
Speaker
I think I need to address the elephant in the room. Can you please, one, give me an overview of what spaghette is? and And tell listeners the journey we went on because of this. A spaghette is a Miller High Life with Aperol. And sounds interesting, right? It's like you get this like pink. They put the Aperol in the Miller High Life. It's like a pink ah reddish. Anyway, so that's what a spaghette is.
00:25:52
Speaker
Then when we get to this, this bar, the agency, Ryan was like, Hey, do you know what a spaghet is? We have something similar, but they made it hilarious to where they atomized spaghetti sauce and created their own label for the Miller High Life. That was like grandma's special sauce or something. No, it is it is a play on um the M&M song. yeah its Mom's spaghetti. Yeah, the champagne of pasta. Yeah. And they so they sprayed this spaghetti atomized spaghetti sauce into the high life. So when you take a sip,
00:26:32
Speaker
you it really tastes like spaghetti and that was just their tongue tongue-in-cheek way of like shaping it and they started with a bread stick they did yeah like just it's it was just such a fun experience being there and it went like Ryan brought it out. he He put on some white gloves. They were set and he displayed it. It was the most hilarious, well thought out and bizarre drink I've ever had. I mean, look, we had to split it. I don't think I could down multiples of these, but I would highly recommend if you're ever in the Milwaukee area, you have to try this cocktail. It is bananas.
00:27:07
Speaker
100%. Yeah. And, and it was just, it's a place where you can go, you can bring your friends who don't drink, and you could still get, everyone gets the same experience there, which I think is very cool. Because you can't just go into any bar with a non drinker and have the same experience. But this is like you go into the agency, whether you drink or you don't, it's a shared experience.
00:27:31
Speaker
It is. And what's so special, I think, about that experience we had together, but also the magic of any dive bar, is that it's the experience and it's the stories.
The Social Fabric of Dive Bars: Safety and Connections
00:27:41
Speaker
And these bars are often run by passionate owners, and they've probably seen it all from wild nights to karaoke moments, feather boas, strange line dancing, and even just more heartfelt moments. And, you know, dive bars aren't just about the drinks.
00:28:00
Speaker
which might be the overarching theme. We already discussed the cheers mentality. And that's why I think there is this resurgence in dive bars or being an ironic dive bar. There are places that offer connection and comfort, sometimes even healing. If you're talking to somebody that you would never like talk to on the street and you guys just happen to be splitting a beer, and like what a great way to get to know your neighbor in a safe space. And these dive bars act as these neighborhood anchors, places that you'll be welcomed with open arms, a cold drink, and they'll probably remember your name the second time you go in there, which is very special.
00:28:45
Speaker
And I will say, like, I know we are a waxing poetic on dive bars, but I just, just, you know, girly things I wanted to put out there. You can read the room if something doesn't feel friendly as much as I love yeah walking into a random bar and with the best intention sometimes.
00:29:02
Speaker
Maybe it's not the cheers mentality you're walking into. So I would just say be open to it. Don't be afraid of it because so, so many of these dive bars are welcoming, wonderful places and you should not judge a book by its cover. But sometimes there are moments where you're like, well, I am going to peace out of this place.
00:29:18
Speaker
Yeah, I gave it a try. And it's okay to, you know, I've ah've done the turnaround. I don't know if you've seen that Simpsons clip where grandpa Simpson walks in, he's barred at the, well, I'm going down a rabbit hole. But basically, you can 180 if you need to. Don't feel like you're silly or awkward. um Yeah, that's ah actually, that's a very valid point. And a great thing to touch on is that You know like because me personally I usually try dive bars with other people I'm not really going alone because that's not something I necessarily feel comfortable with um But yeah trust your intuition and make sure it's a safe environment for you to be in and Yeah, if you have to leave you have to leave no harm. No foul. Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely um but Yeah, to just to move forward as we think about our
00:30:07
Speaker
the future of dive bars with rising w rents, changing neighborhoods. A lot of dive bars do face uncertain futures because look, even if they're not evolving their offerings and adding mixology, if they really are a no frills, we have Bud Light, Miller Lite, some well drinks,
00:30:26
Speaker
Sometimes there is some uncertainty there. I'm sure the margins aren't crazy good. um yeah But still, a lot of them are finding ways to thrive and finding ways to connect with new generations and adjusting to modern tastes. And I truly hope that more and more dive bars can take a note from the more successful ones.
00:30:46
Speaker
Cloak and Dagger is an intimate cocktail lounge and vegan restaurant that is focused around craft cocktails and shareable from scratch vegan small plates. The menu format is in the style of a book, which we release every three to four months. The cocktails are themed around the book itself.
00:31:04
Speaker
The intention when launching Cloak and Dagger was to first and foremost create a bar that was lasting and much different than anything available in Cleveland. We do that by offering a completely vegan dining experience from cocktails to all the food in a comfortable space with no TVs in a very intimate setting.
00:31:23
Speaker
I think that what makes us truly special is the menus. We release menus that are so immersive. The theme of the book makes you want to drink and eat your way through the entire menu. When we release a new menu three to four times a year, it's always something new and exclusive because it isn't going to stay around long.
00:31:42
Speaker
I think bar culture has shifted in some ways, and in a lot of ways it's still at its core the same thing. Dive bars still have a place, cocktail lounges still have a place, and the restaurants with a good signature cocktail list all have places. But it has shifted where creativity drives lasting business.
00:32:02
Speaker
Pushing limits of what can be put in cocktails or how they look is endless. Even diet bars now have signature cocktail menus and I think that's really cool. I think studying relevant is a two-headed dragon most times. um You have to have people talking about you. Word of mouth is probably the strongest thing that you can have and the way you get word of mouth is by having great hospitality and having a great product. But there is the social media side of things and I think that is becoming stronger and stronger with this day and age. The creative process for me always starts about a year in advance. I start working on my menu release timeline.
00:32:41
Speaker
each year, about a year and a ahead, planning the themes and what they're going to be, what they're going to look like. I start talking about it. I start talking about my cocktails idea ideas, even if they're just rough. I like to draw, and I think that's probably the most interesting thing is even though I'm not the best at it, I draw all my cocktails before I ever make them.
00:33:01
Speaker
I even have this notebook that I carry around that I drew the bar before we saw it and it's pretty close. It's pretty pretty damn close. The best winter cocktail in my opinion is something that's going to be booze-forward and served hot.
00:33:17
Speaker
I'm a big fan of hot toddies or hot rum punches. I've made both of those on cloak and dagger menus and they're heavy favorites but I probably like them because I'm a freeze baby so they serve a multi-purpose at that point. Favorite dive bar is ah a question that hits home since I'm a new mom. I don't kick out very much but my favorite one when we do go out is I like Edison's a lot. It's only a few blocks from cloak and dagger so it's a favorite light night spot or an after shift spot for most of us. ah They have a great beer selection, a pool table and a great pagi on the back when the weather's nice. It's a very chill vibe and there's even a pizza by the slice shop right next door if you're hungry. Just like, I don't know, it's kind of, it's similar to if you ever watched Anthony Bourdain when he travels. Yeah. That he's just like going into these places, you know, no frills.
00:34:15
Speaker
and just connecting with people. And I feel like that is what dive bar culture is at its root is connection. It is. um Yeah, and I feel like that's um that's something I know I issued that warning earlier about like keeping your head on a swivel, but please open your hearts to having these connections because you're going to have unforgettable experiences if you are willing to do this.
00:34:39
Speaker
So, whether it is a classic dive bar or maybe a modern twist on one, I think it is safe to say, Marissa, that dive bars are probably here to stay. So, whether there are serving up drinks or a sense of community, that is just why we love them and why I love them and I hope that um I have more and more dive bar experiences ah ah for the years to come. but