FOLIO
The purists will kick my ass for lumping these together. I might kick my own ass for lumping these together. But the reality is this: Drinking in the Downtown and Springfield areas is a different experience than drinking in Riverside (where the Post/King and Five Points areas are likewise not strictly contiguous but still are close enough to stumble from one to another, though probably not back again in the same night).
I’ve seen most of the changes of the last quarter-century. The old folks remember the Milk Bar 25 to 30 years ago Downtown and the Pearl in Springfield — which had a really good initial run before the crowd fell off, then built up with the kinds of people you want to avoid in the urban core, then died for good. In its current state, the bar scene between the Main Street Bridge and Eighth Street has something for almost everyone right now. Let’s talk about a few options at your avail.
HAPPY HOUR ||| THE VOLSTEAD
In my business, I drink with a lot of people who are in government, both locally and outside Duval County, and when they come to town, this is where I take them. Volstead has been around for more than a year now, and it’s a spacious speakeasy-type lounge, with comfortable chairs throughout, and a wraparound bar that fills up around happy hour with people who live and work in the area, including some of the region’s premier power brokers in media and policy circles.
The drinks I get when I go are variations on the classics. Check out the remix of a Tom Collins, The Hoax, which enlivens the tried-and-true standard with the addition of basil and ginger.
Also, if you want to wobble out, try a couple of Adams Street Sazeracs, like I did when talking to a source a while back (I may have said some things that were less than politic. Of course, so did he, so we have something on each other).
DIVE ||| SHANTYTOWN
The name on Jacksonville’s quintessential dive bar has a double meaning. First of all, it’s in a ramshackle building that looks like it’s one good storm away from no longer being a building anymore. Second, the name is derived from a song by pre-Marley-reggae singer Desmond Dekker — despite that copy of Legend you wore out in college, Bob didn’t invent the genre.
Shantytown is not the place you go on your business expense account; really, if you aren’t paying a nominal cover to see a local act on the cramped stage, you can get in and out, and get a buzz on with little more than a ten-spot. If you’re a juggalo, they have cold Faygos in a cooler. Like beer? You can get the usual stuff for two or three bucks depending on the day. They have some ciders on tap, and some assorted stuff in bottles. The neighborhood has its share of locals and panhandlers, reinforcing the spot as sort of a frontier outpost of Springfield’s perpetual gentrification. After a couple of drinks, you won’t mind. And there’s a backyard, along with plenty of secluded areas nearby, should you need to have a quiet conversation about something besides alcohol.
ENTERTAINMENT ||| TSI
Smart people try to delay careers and mortgages for as long as possible. Which is where TSI comes in. They don’t have a full liquor license, but you can get a bottle of champagne from the bar, as well as a token assortment of wines and a few beers. TSI is not my first choice for a solitary drink. However, when the drinking happens in conjunction with an event only they would host — like the Crunchay 24 (a full 24 hours of local DJs doing EDM) — the vibe is like nothing else here in Jacksonville, a new school club with an old school sensibility that might be the true spiritual progeny of the underground spots that came before it.
UPSCALE ||| UPTOWN MARKET
There are a few places in Northeast Florida that effortlessly combine a gourmet’s menu and culinary touch with an equally sophisticated full bar. With a rotating list of daily specials to eat, and a full bar as well, Uptown (at Third and Main in Springfield) is that clean, well-lit place Springfield pioneers take out-of-town visitors to show them a neighborhood in the full flower of revitalization.
What to drink, though? Why not their original cocktails? Whither the piquancy of the Bacardi vehicle, their justly acclaimed Cucumber Mojito? How about the peachy Jax-Hattan? After a few, you will feel like you’re in the Big Apple, or at least halfway there. Or the citrusy Clove Club, a botanical blend made with St. Augustine gin? As opposed to Shantytown, this is definitely a corporate expense account spot, as lunchtime brings out a lot of neckties and cellphones on the table.
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