Must-Try Panther City Happy Hours
Courtesy Le Margot/Facebook
The phrase “happy hour” has been around for some time. The Merchant of Venice’s Lorenzo tells Portia, “Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you.” Its modern use connoting discounted afternoon cocktails and appetizers probably came about in the 1920s when sailors used it to describe designated times for socializing aboard ships. Panther City is awash in great happy hour deals, including these must-try experiences.
The Local
The Local is a community-minded sports bar that hosts car shows, markets, DJ dance parties, and other fun events throughout the week. The bar’s Mon-Fri happy hour (2-7 pm) promises to return your bar tab to pre-inflation prices with cocktails starting at $3.50. We could all use some 2019 deals, especially on booze.
Jackie O’s Cocktail Club
Happy Hour starts at 3 pm at the Near Southside’s Jackie O’s Cocktail Club. I’m a huge fan of their Negroni (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s favorite libation) and rotating frozen cocktails. The neighborhood bar is a great spot to chat up locals or to finally nail that Seal cover song you’ve been rehearsing in your car. Monday nights are for karaoke, where you can loosen up with reverse happy hour prices from 9 pm to midnight.
Le Margot
Le Margot offers French cuisine with local and seasonal ingredients. The menu features small plates, shareables, “plats du jour” specials, steak frites, tartare, and other French cuisine options. Stop by weekdays 3-5 pm and enjoy half-off wine and happy hour cocktails appetizers, including smoked salmon, bacon, or bleu cheese tarts.
Branch and Bird
The view from this downtown restaurant alone is worth the visit, but the service, food, and drinks are what keep people coming back to Branch and Bird. The “High Rise” happy hour specials run Tue-Fri 4-6 pm and include $5 cocktails, $5 glasses of wine, and discounted items from the menu.
Acre Distilling
Downtown’s Acre Distilling runs happy hour specials most days, including all day Sunday, Discounted drinks include $7 Bloody Marys, Moscow Mules, and martinis, along with discounted spirits on the rocks. The mint- and ginger-kissed mules have been my go-to order lately.
The Down ‘n Out
Sure, it’s just a regular bar, but it’s a regular bar with some of the craftiest bartenders (here’s looking at you, Tiki Dave) and hippest patrons in town. You’ll never do a double take when paying your tab at Down n Out, and the deals are even sweeter if you pull up between 3-6 pm on weekdays where you can order $3 Bud drafts, $4 frozen boot shots, and $7 specialty cocktails.