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All the Buzz – Delightful Downtown Cocktails

Whether you like your martinis dirty, your bourbon neat, or your brew stout, marg my words – Downtown Pensacola has an intoxicating bar scene with a recipe that’s two parts delicious, one-part Gram’able, a spoonful of sophistication, and a dash of fun.

Let’s call a spade a spade – Sid Williams-Heath likes a stiff one.

Case-By-Case

Eclectic has a name in the Perennial Hospitality Group, and regardless of your taste, there’s something for everyone throughout their properties. Perfect Plain Brewing Co.'s taproom is just as charming as it is crafty, and their beer selections offer a wide variety of options to guarantee the party is HOP’in. Directly behind Perfect Plain grows Garden & Grain, an outdoor cocktail garden whose menu is handcrafted, meticulously curated, and accommodating of public and private events within the garden itself and the adjoining Grainhouse. If you prefer inside and up-scale, then The Well is the one for you. Adjacent to its sister properties, The Well wins in aesthetic and setting. Their Old Florida feeling lounge provides a luxe atmosphere that pairs perfectly with their high-caliber cocktail program. The funky, upbeat bar experience continues with Perennial, an outdoor daiquiri concept that nails the patio pour.

But PHG isn’t the only collection of bars to keep its variety of offerings within the family. Local woman-owned joint Old Hickory Whiskey Bar boasts over 750 whiskeys and artfully-crafted cocktails within the dim-lit library of bourbons. The musky ambience matches the rich imbibement and conversation you’re sure to experience from the barstool. Right up Palafox Street sits her second location, The Kennedy, which fuses mid-century cocktails and 21st-century libations. Posh nostalgia is served on the rocks in the modern twist that is The Kennedy. (Owner Katie Garrett knows how to make spirits bright each holiday season with her annual Nightmare on Palafox" pop-up takeover beginning in October with Halloween themes then transitioning to a Christmas overlay after Thanksgiving - to warm your cup of cheer.)

The New Old-Fashioned Way

Pensacola’s preservation and reuse of historic structures as gathering hubs for cocktail and cuisine is sub-lime. Take Lily Hall, a new beverage beacon featuring boutique hotel rooms, delectable dinners, and a hidden speakeasy, which resides in a former Baptist Church gone underground punk venue ultimately listed on “Pensacola’s Seven to Save” list. Its rebirth gave way for Sister Hen – a blind pig era establishment that requires entry through the ice box or taking the back door to claim one of the limited seats. (If their honey-combed ice cubes don’t win you over the second you pick up your first Bees Knees, the pep soon-to-be in your step from their espresso martini surely will. 10/10!)

The Handlebar has a rich history of resilience and bringing diverse groups of people and music interests together – never burning a bridge, but certainly playing with fire. After an outbreak of fire gutted the historic Dee’s building in 2001, the then dive-bar came back swinging and slinging drinks with the help of the community until 2018, when the music venue’s doors shut unexpectedly. Now on its third rendition, The Handlebar reopened in 2022 as a state-of-the-art performing facility hosting a variety of alternative music in a true underground experience. (This isn’t your mom’s Handlebar – and those with memories from decades ago will be shocked at the redesign. The dirtiest thing you’ll find inside today is the martini.)

Keeping the quirky libations alive is Play, the interactive neighborhood bar that has everything you need for a good time – from vintage arcade games, Skee-Ball machines, air hockey, pool tables, karaoke, and what’s voted as Pensacola’s best signature drinks.

Road Block on the Rocks

Transport yourself back in time to the Gulf Coast’s Entertainment Destination since 1967 known as Seville Quarter. The block-wide New Orleans-inspired structure is coined as the place where Pensacola goes to party. The once only beer-and-peanuts saloon has grown to include seven rooms – from the two-story Phineas Phogg’s “boom boom room” to Rosie O’Grady’s dueling piano show. You can watch the debauchery across the block from a more elevated experience – literally on the balcony of Seville’s highball older sister, The District. The 1888-structure has been converted into fine dining downstairs and a refined piano bar upstairs flowing outside onto the charming balcony with gas lantern views. The sunset, the breeze, and the Pinot are the garnish on the picturesque Florida terrace, while the revolving talent inside will mix up your feels over your mixed drink.

Looking to experience a little bit of all the bars? Be sure to check out the guided tours of Pensacola Pub Crawls to start planning your own cocktail journey.

Pensacola’s serving a buzz, and your next night on the town need no shaking and stirring any further than Downtown’s variety of cocktails and entertainment.

Sid Williams-Heath

Author

Sid Williams-Heath

Sid Williams-Heath has lived in Northwest Florida since 2016, after relocating from New York City while working for the Savannah College of Art and Design. He is the executive director of the Pensacola Little Theatre and Pensacola Cultural Center. Williams-Heath serves on a number of Boards and organizations, including the Stamped Film Festival, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Pensacola Independent Arts Council, American Association of Community Theatre, and Leadership Pensacola’s class of 2019.

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