Mr. Monopoly will be in the Queen City this October, so be on the lookout for his signature handlebar moustache.

Top Trumps USA, the American division of Winning Moves International, announced the debut of MONOPOLY: Cincinnati Edition in late October, under a license from Hasbro. The company is still seeking partnerships with established Cincinnati businesses and nonprofits to participate in the effort.

“Cincinnati is a proud community full of iconic landmarks and traditions,” Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney said in a news release. “Celebrating this city through such a famous gameboard is an exciting opportunity for Cincinnatians.”

MONOPOLY Cincinnati Edition will replace the board game’s iconic squares, such as Boardwalk and Park Place, with Cincinnati-based businesses, nonprofits and landmarks. In addition, the Cincinnati board will also include a customized Community Chest, Chance playing cards and MONOPOLY Money.

Top Trumps USA is currently seeking public input on which locations should be included as squares on the board.

Public submissions and business inquiries can be sent to cincinnati@toptrumps.com for consideration.

MONOPOLY: Cincinnati Edition will debut in October 2026 and will be available in stores and online through retail partners, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and select local Cincinnati retailers.

The post MONOPOLY: Cincinnati Edition to launch this October appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Folk artist Noah Kahan’s ‘The Great Divide Tour’ is coming to the Queen City this summer.

The 23-leg tour, which kicks off in June, takes Kahan across North America, stopping at some of the continent’s marquee sports stadiums, including Fenway Park in Boston, the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and Wrigley Field in Chicago, among others. The tour is tied to his forthcoming album, The Great Divide.

Kahan’s tour will be at Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, on July 1. An artist presale begins Tuesday, Feb. 10, at noon local time. Fans must sign up by Thursday, Feb. 5, at 11:59 p.m. to participate. General ticket sales begin Thursday, Feb. 12, at noon on Noah Kahan’s website.

The tour follows the release of Kahan’s new single, “The Great Divide,” which debuted last week and marked his largest streaming launch to date. His fourth studio album, also titled The Great Divide, is set for release April 24 through Mercury Records.

The post Noah Kahan’s ‘The Great Divide Tour’ coming to Great American Ball Park appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

RedsFest returned to Cincinnati this weekend after a two-year hiatus.

Renovations at the Cincinnati Convention Center — previously known as the Duke Energy Convention Center — have put a pause on Reds Fest since December 2023. RedsFest was the first event held at the newly renovated convention center.

City leaders praised the renovation during a Jan. 7 ribbon cutting, saying it reshapes the area into a premier destination for large-scale meetings, events and tourism.

“You look at the jewel we’re cutting the ribbon on today, and you will see exactly why we are so confident about Cincinnati’s future,” Mayor Aftab Pureval said during the ceremony.

RedsFest is an off-season event that allows Big Red Machine fans to meet current and former players, snag autographs and peruse rare team memorabilia. 

The event kicked off on Friday and celebrations continued through Saturday. Check out what we saw at the event:

The post Everything we saw at RedsFest 2026 appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

It is said that an eerie energy settles over the path of totality during a solar eclipse. Animals might instinctually change habits, the temperature drops and for a brief amount of time, day turns into night.

On April 8, when the moon comes between the earth and sun, a stretch of 124 miles in the U.S. from Texas to Maine will see a total solar eclipse. Naturally, this astronomical event causes shifts in our world, what we see and hear will transform before our eyes, but what about how we feel? CityBeat spoke to experts in astrology and professionals who practice spiritual healing and have the psychic ability to understand how humans can prepare for the eclipse’s possible metaphysical effects.

Some experts say there are spiritual elements connected with the upcoming eclipse, whether that be a chance to meditate and release or the opportunity to invite change on a grand scale. In the realm of astrology, there are numerous potential effects depending on one’s horoscope. While there’s no blanket statement that can be applied to everyone, each individual has an opportunity to gain more from the event than a rare sighting.

According to Pam Gallagher, owner of the Midwest School of Astrology, a shift in energy is certain.

“Eclipses have been tracked since at least 2000 B.C. There are clay tablets, trackable to the fact that they were aware of the solar eclipses,” Gallagher says. “They were omens of change; they were omens of destiny. They considered them to be a change in power or earth disruption of some kind. Even in modern times, we’re aware that there seem to be shifts in energy and behavior.”

During the April 8 eclipse, the sun will be in the sign of Aries, Gallagher says. This affects individuals differently depending on their horoscope, but some general effects can be applicable, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. Since solar eclipses always occur on a new moon, they are said to initiate unique opportunities, fresh starts and new beginnings, the Farmer’s Almanac states.

“The whole world with this solar eclipse in the sign of Aries and being a total eclipse – meaning we’re going to get a full shadow – makes it a stronger, bigger release of energy. For the whole world, it can be a new start,” Gallagher tells CityBeat.

The Farmer’s Almanac says there could be a “crisis moment” linked to this opportunity to refresh, so a willingness to defy comfort zones or change perspective quickly could be advantageous. The darkness that accompanies a solar eclipse can signify our collective path into the unknown, which could also urge a sense of discovery or trust in a new path.

Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac. It is the sign of self, of “I am,” of independence and has initiating energy, Gallagher tells CityBeat. Aries’ ruling planet also has something to do with the eclipse’s potential impact.

“Mars is the ruler of Aries,” Gallagher says. “Because of the fact that this eclipse is in Aries and since Mars is the ruler of Aries, this is a new energy, fire-energy start. Mars, in ancient mythology, was a warrior. He was a pioneer; he was the first one out of the gate.”

“Wherever you have 19 of Aries, and it is everyone’s chart somewhere, that’s going to be highlighted. Perhaps maybe for a week or two, or months, that’ll put more energy into that part of your life,” Kluska says. He followed by urging individuals to remember that the stars influence one’s astrological birth chart on an everyday basis, not just during a grand event or depending solely on the sun sign. The entire horoscope comes into play when applying any foretelling wisdom or translating impact.

But overall, embodying an adventurous spirit and leaning into your sense of wonder can facilitate a positive solar eclipse experience during the event and moving into the future. The effects are part of a larger story, so to take advantage of this event from an astronomical point of view means you should keep up with the changes to come, too.

“I would say it’s a very positive chart and to be adventurous,” Kluska tells CityBeat. “Aries is very outdoor-ish so it would make sense to get in your car and roll the dice on taking a chance to see it. Aries is the pioneer; take a chance. It’s very athletic; it’s physical; it’s challenging. So I would say not to fear [the eclipse], to expose yourself to it in the sense of enjoying it and connecting with the cosmos. People can have a really huge, joint experience in our divided world, like going to a concert or sports event where everyone gets behind a team.”

Local spiritual guide and healer Erica Smoot says the solar eclipse, in combination with other recent significant events, represents a powerful reconciliation of letting go, a symbol of an ending and learning to release what no longer serves. Smoot says the events can help us reimagine certain thought processes or patterns that might keep us stuck in a mindset or prevent us from moving on.

“It signifies an ending of sorts, a releasing,” Smoot tells CityBeat. “What is interesting is not only do we have the solar eclipse, we just had a full moon on the 25th of March, and that is about releasing what doesn’t serve us. We [had] Easter on Sunday, which is a letting go of who you used to be to accept who you’re becoming. We’re about to head into Mercury retrograde, during which a lot of things come back, like people’s exes. So it’s about releasing things that don’t align with your spirit. It’s interesting that now the solar eclipse is coming in; that’s also a releasing. Something I’ve noticed in a lot of my clients, a lot of the advice I’ve been given, is all about letting things go. We tend to hold on to things and it keeps us in a certain thought process. So I think it’s for the best for everybody to learn how to let go.”

Smoot operates Smootyfox, which offers oracle readings, shadow work and guided healing. She says that this eclipse calls for an assessment of one’s life. Action can be taken by writing lists that concern a life assessment. The list acts as a physical representation of something spiritual.

“I think people should write down all the things that they no longer are or they no longer want to be or they no longer want to be around. And then I think they should either burn that piece of paper that they write everything on, or, in some way, shape or form, destroy it.”

She says destroying the physical thing shows the universe that it no longer serves you and you no longer want it. Physical assessments can lead to emotional release, she says. Humans being ruled in a planetary way is evident in our history as a species, which is why we can rely partly on the universe for guidance.

“We come from dirt, we return to dirt,” Smoot tells CityBeat. “So it would be a natural thing, as humans, for us to look to the stars or use the earth to ground us. This comes from our ancestors.”

Smoot says while everyone else will be looking up during the eclipse, she will be looking down. She will focus on grounding herself, sitting in gratitude and looking back on the moments that brought her to the present.

Psychic medium Melissa Alejandro also says she’ll be meditating during April 8’s solar eclipse, which she interprets as a “changing of the guards,” and a cosmic ritual. Alejandro is partly focused on the impressive number of coinciding events during the eclipse like CERN – the European Organization for Nuclear Research, whose mission is to uncover mysteries of our universe and how it works – testing the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator on the same day.

She also notes that NASA will launch rockets during the eclipse to study the eclipse’s effects on the atmosphere. There’s potential for the horned celestial object named the “Devil Comet” to be visible on April 8, too. And coincidentally or not, the path of totality includes a couple cities of the same name – Nineveh – she says. The city’s name is synonymous with themes of repentance, as it was known for “sin and depravity” in the Bible.

Alejandro says be mindful of frequencies leading up to, during and after the eclipse. She says she isn’t concerned by the rampant end-of-the-world talk, that nothing earth-shattering will suddenly occur in your life but to focus on being prepared and open to what’s forthcoming.

“I keep getting something with frequency. Frequency is everywhere,” Alejandro tells CityBeat. “The Earth has a frequency, we do, everything has a frequency. I am not worried about some big terrorist attack or something like that, and I know people are. I would be concerned about the magnetic pull on the Earth because we do have pole shifts, or could be pulled into an earthquake.”

The consensus from the experts, regardless of their thoughts on the eclipse’s effects, is that this upcoming astronomical event will provide a moment to reflect and welcome change. A new path or fresh perspective is always in reach. If the stars align to guide us toward it, why not take advantage?

“I say just breathe. Just let it go and let it flow. A lot of talk is going on about it’s the end of the world. It’s the end times. I really don’t think anything major is going to happen,” Alejandro says. “I feel like there is an awakening coming in with this. And your soul knows when you’re ready. So if you’re not ready, you’re not going to have any downloads, you’re not going to have anything coming in.”

The post Cincinnati Astrologers, Psychics Share Their POV on the April 8 Total Solar Eclipse appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

Hoppy weekend, Cincinnati. The Easter Bunny is coming to town, along with a lot of egg hunting events. Thursday is the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day, featuring the 105th Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. Round out the weekend with a hike, the beloved Northside Record Fair or a visit to an art gallery. Scroll down to see our weekend picks.

If you’re looking for even more to do every day of the week, visit the CityBeat events calendar, which is free to use if you have something planned that you’d like to advertise to CityBeat readers.

The post 14 Things To Do in Cincinnati This Weekend (March 29-31) appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

* * *

Scott Walker (Jan. 9, 1943–March 22, 2019)

How could one craft an appropriate epigraph to sum up the singular musical life of Scott Walker? Can you imagine Frank Sinatra in his later years collaborating with a doom metal band? Or Justin Timberlake chucking away stardom for cigarettes, sunglasses, Bertolt Brecht and slabs of raw meat as percussion instruments? Walker did it his way, and then some.

Fresh from a stint as a teenage session musician in L.A., Walker (born Noel Scott Engel in Hamilton, Ohio) became one-third of the Walker Brothers in the mid-1960s; they became immediate sensations in the U.K., mixing beat-combo moves with symphonic grandeur, yielding hits like "Make It Easy on Yourself" and the immortal "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore." Soon enough, Walker found that the screaming fans and the pop life weren't for him, at one point apocryphally retreating to a monastery to get his head together before being ejected by the monks as fans besieged the gates.

Walker struck out on his own, and from 1967 to 1969 crafted four of the most exquisite and heartbreaking albums of all time, the eponymous Scotts 1 through 4. This was Walker at his most iconic: sunglasses, shag haircut and a soaring, unbelievably gorgeous voice offering no hope whatsoever. Latterly hailed as the gospel by artists from David Bowie to Thom Yorke, these albums had the net effect of destroying his career, eventually forcing him back into the arms of the Walker Brothers for a reunion in 1975, but Scott couldn't even do a cynical cash-grab right, penning the sinister "Nite Flights" and "The Electrician," two gleaming hits of dystopian electro-pop that still sound state of the art, pointing the way to possible sonic futures even now.

From there, Walker began his gradual disappearing act, retreating to a life based around the simple pleasures of bicycling, seeing movies, and going to the pub and watching regulars play darts. He'd emerge every few years with ever-more ambitious and mind-bending solo work — Climate of Hunter, Tilt and The Drift — but by the time Walker was given the hagiography treatment in the 2006 documentary 30 Century Man, it was clear he wasn't going to give fans a triumphant return to the stage. Instead of the nostalgia circuit, he gave them strange and beautiful work like the instrumental piece for dance "And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball?," collaborations with Sunn O))) and Bat for Lashes, a final solo album, Bish Bosch, and two film scores for Brady Corbet.

Walker passed quietly this year due to complications from cancer, enigma fully intact. — Matthew Moyer

* * *

Russ Gibb (June 15, 1931–April 30, 2019)

If Iggy Pop is the Godfather of Punk, then Russ Gibb is its uncle.

After working as a Detroit-area schoolteacher, radio DJ and promoter, "Uncle Russ," as he was known, became a major booster of Motor City rock 'n' roll when he founded the Grande Ballroom in 1966, inspired by a visit to San Francisco's Fillmore. The venue became known for booking local acts like the Stooges, Alice Cooper, the Amboy Dukes and the MC5, who served as the venue's house band and recorded its debut Kick Out the Jams live there. That's all in addition to booking national acts like Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Cream and the Who, among others, many of whom played some of their first U.S. shows at the venue.

Gibb was involved in other milestones in rock history as well. In 1969, while working as a part-time DJ on WKNR-FM, Gibb took a call from a listener who claimed the Beatles' Paul McCartney died and was replaced with a look-alike, and that there were clues in the band's lyrics and album artwork. The conspiracy theory soon went viral. (Perhaps it would come as no surprise that much later in life, Gibb would promote Donald Trump's conspiracy theories about Barack Obama's birth certificate on his blog.)

Gibb closed the venue in 1972. But in the 1980s, he was back in the music business, providing financial backing for the Graystone Hall, a Detroit punk venue. All the while, Gibb worked as a history and media teacher at Dearborn High School; he died in April at 87 of natural causes. The Grande, however, long abandoned and now sporting an MC5 mural, could soon see a new life: It's now owned by Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church, who said they might lease it out for events — including possible music concerts. — Lee DeVito

* * *

John Witherspoon (Jan. 27, 1942–Oct. 29, 2019)

"John Witherspoon is black history," writer Rembert Browne tweeted after the comic actor died of a heart attack at his Los Angeles home in October at age 77.

It was a fair assessment: Witherspoon's filmography spanned decades, including

Born in Detroit to a family with 11 siblings, Witherspoon got his start taking theater classes in the Motor City in the early '70s. He got into standup at the behest of his acting instructor, who thought he'd be funny in a holiday comedy show. Witherspoon soon relocated to Los Angeles, opening for the legendary Richard Pryor at the Comedy Store. Later, Pryor cast him as part of his short-lived NBC variety show in 1977 before it was canceled for being too risque.

For many, though, Witherspoon will always just be "Pops" — the amusingly cantankerous father to Ice Cube's Craig Jones in the 1995 stoner comedy Friday. Witherspoon would reprise the role in 2000's Next Friday and 2002's Friday After Next, and was cast in a similar role as "Granddad" in the comic strip-turned-Adult Swim cartoon The Boondocks, which debuted in 2005. After years of development hell, a fourth Friday film was finally given the green light in 2017, but was only in pre-production at the time of Witherspoon's death. He was also set to appear in a recently announced Boondocks reboot, though that project had not begun production yet either.

In an odd way, Witherspoon got to enjoy a final goodbye. In 2012, when a false report of his death went viral, Witherspoon reacted to the news just as Pops might. "What the hell ya'll talkin 'bout on here?!?!?" he tweeted. "I ain't dead, I'm in Ft. Lauderdale." — DeVito

* * *

Bernice Sandler (March 3, 1928–Jan. 5, 2019)

In 1969, Bernice Sandler was a bright young instructor at the University of Maryland, hoping to land a full-time spot on the faculty.

She knew she was a good teacher, and there were seven open positions. So when she was barely considered, she asked a male faculty member if he had any insight. He conceded she was easily qualified, "but let's be honest, you come on too strong for a woman."

Sandler, who died in January at age 90, probably repeated that quote thousands of times in interviews and speeches in the five decades that followed.

"Sometimes people ask me what inspired me to get involved in women's issues," Sandler supposedly said in 2012 after receiving a human rights award. "I have to tell you, I wasn't inspired at all. I was mad."

She began researching sex discrimination and found an executive order barring organizations that received federal money from discriminating based on race, religion, national origin or gender. Armed with that information, Sandler filed complaints against 250 universities, battling the system that routinely discriminated against female teachers and students. She partnered with crusading U.S. congresswoman Edith Green to pass Title IX. The 37-word bill, signed in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, has since become a versatile and powerful tool for fighting sex discrimination. Most famously, it has been applied to collegiate sports, guaranteeing female athletes opportunities previously unheard of.

Sandler spent the rest of her life advocating for equal rights. She served as chair of the National Advisory Council on Women's Educational Programs under presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and has been cited as a hero by some of this country's top athletes. But she never forgot that line about coming on "too strong for a woman." It turns out, she was too strong to be stopped. — Doyle Murphy

* * *

Dan Robbins (May 26, 1925–April 1, 2019)

Dan Robbins was a little-known commercial artist at a Michigan paint company in the late 1940s when his boss asked him for an idea to help sell paint sets to adults.

The early offerings were faint line drawings, created by Robbins himself, intricately divided into sections that corresponded to pre-mixed paint colors. Soon, an army of artists, working under the Craft Master brand for Detroit-based Palmer Paint Co., were churning out kits based on Robbins' model. Using the slogan "Every man a Rembrandt," 20 million kits were sold in 1955.

Artists and critics were appalled that painting had been turned into a step-by-step instruction guide and mass-marketed, but Robbins didn't seem to mind.

"I remembered hearing that Leonardo used numbered background patterns for his students and apprentices, and I decided to try something like that," he once told the Associated Press.

The paint-by-numbers craze crashed within a decade, and Robbins' boss sold the business. But he made a mark, even penetrating an art world that derided his efforts. Andy Warhol riffed on the model, and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History even displayed an exhibition of paint-by-numbers pieces in 2001 and 2002. Robbins died at 93 knowing he had influenced legions of people who might have never picked up a brush if not for him.

"We like to think Dad was one of the most-exhibited artists in the world," his son Larry Robbins told AP. "He enjoyed hearing from everyday people. He had a whole box of fan letters." — Murphy

* * *

Norma Miller (Dec. 2, 1919–May 5, 2019)

People were done with the waltz and tired of the tango as the '20s came to a close. The craze that came next was swing, a vivacious, freewheeling dance born in Harlem. 

Swing spread across dance floors the world over with the help of the dance group Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, named for the Lindy Hop, an especially athletic member of the swing dance family. It was a specialty of Norma Miller, a dancer who earned her spot in a group that counted Dorothy Dandridge and Sammy Davis Jr. among its members, and whose skill and renown earned her the moniker "Queen of Swing."

Miller was a woman of many specialties. A Harlem native, she worked as a choreographer, actor, author and a Redd Foxx-backed comedian. But being a black girl in early 20th-century America was a circumstance with limited paths toward success. Her mother cleaned houses, and Miller likely faced a similar life of hard labor, but she was clearly an anointed talent. By 5, Miller was wowing locals at talent shows. She and her preternatural prance were discovered outside the famous Savoy Ballroom and, by 14, she was in Paris performing with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. Through the '30s and '40s, the group set the standard for swing on international tours and in movies like the 1941 major motion picture Hellzapoppin'.

Miller, who passed away this year of congestive heart failure at 99 in her Fort Myers, Florida home, was not just the youngest member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers but also the last surviving member. Into her 90s, she was teaching swing courses, speaking at engagements, choreographing dances and composing music.

In the documentary about her, Queen of Swing, Miller summed up the secret to her long and active life: "Keep on swingin'. —Solomon Gustavo

* * *

Barbara Hillary  (June 12, 1931–Nov. 3, 2019)

Barbara Hillary was not an explorer. Because she was the first black woman to reach the North Pole, and the first to summit the South Pole, she is often described as one, placing her in the company of intrepid trekkers like Robert Peary and Matthew Henson.

She accomplished those firsts relatively recently, reaching the North Pole in 2007 and the South Pole in 2011, a century after men first set foot on either spot.

Hillary was something more: a cultural adventurer, charting paths untrodden by black women like her — but also paths that few dare traverse.

The Harlem native, born in 1931, made her pole expeditions in her 70s (North, age 75; South, 79). She always wanted to travel and, after retiring after more than 50 years as a nurse, began making plans to visit non-touristy locations. How many black women before her, how many people in general, have seen Paris? Now, how many have been to the very tippy-top and very bottom of the globe? She went to Manitoba to photograph polar bears, and went dog-sledding in Quebec, and then she learned no black woman had been to either pole before and decided to be the one. Those treks are arduous, with stretches of intense hiking and skiing requiring immense stamina against harsh weather conditions that would hamper an athlete of any age. She hired a trainer and started eating more vegetables.

It was the kind of challenge that appealed to Hillary, who habitually stared down towering obstacles throughout her life. She beat breast cancer in her 20s and lung cancer at 67. In Queens, New York, she founded and was the editor-in-chief of The Peninsula Magazine, a nonprofit multi-racial publication that was the first of its kind in the area. She said she avoided stress and maintained happiness and a youthful, pole-summiting spirit, by choosing to stay unmarried.

In 2017, she spoke at the commencement of the New School, her alma mater, and advised the grads, "At every phase in your life, look at your options. Please, do not select boring ones."  

That was Hillary's style. She created her own desires, destinations that she reached by following a compass of her own making. — Gustavo

* * *

Andre Williams (Nov. 1, 1936–March 17, 2019)

Not many people get a big break in the music business. Andre Williams got two.

But by the 1980s, Williams hit rock bottom: Addiction found him homeless in Chicago. In the 1990s, however, Williams was rediscovered by the rock 'n' roll revival scene. That led to records like Greasy, released jointly on indie labels Norton and St. George Records in 1996, and Silky, released on In the Red in 1998. More indie rock collaborations followed, with Williams recording tracks with Jack White, Mick Collins of the Dirtbombs, and the country band the Sadies. His proto-hip-hop sing-talking style, penchant for profane lyrics, and sartorial preference for flashy suits and matching hats earned him the nickname by some of "the godfather of rap."

Williams continued to struggle with addiction, but he also continued to make music, releasing I Wanna Go Back to Detroit City in 2016. He died in Chicago at age 82 from cancer, but he never stopped: His manager, Kenn Goodman, told Billboard a week before his death that the singer "was committed to trying to sing and record again." — DeVito

* * *

Sahar Khodayari (birthdate unknown, 1990–Sept. 9, 2019)

Football — not the American kind — is the world's sport, in part because of its low barriers to entry. You don't need any expensive equipment to start a soccer game, just a ball.

But in Iran, half the population is barred from entering sports stadiums. Women have not been allowed to watch their favorite teams in person since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. This has led some women to disguise themselves as men in order to attend games, even though being caught likely means imprisonment and possible torture.

One woman, 29-year-old Sahar Khodayari, decided to take the risk to see a match at Tehran's Azadi Stadium between Esteghlal FC — her favorite team — and Al-Ain FC. She dressed as a man, but didn't make it to her seat before being noticed and arrested by security guards for "openly committing a sinful act."

After being released on bail, Khodayari was told that she was looking at a six-month jail sentence. In protest, she left the courthouse, poured gasoline on herself and lit herself on fire.

She died in hospital a week later.

Since her death, FIFA, the international governing body of football, informed Iran that women must be allowed to attend scheduled World Cup qualifying matches taking place in Iran. On Oct. 11, the Iranian national team beat Cambodia 14-0, cheered on by 3,500 women sitting in a segregated section of the stadium. — Thaddeus McCollum

* * *

Agnès Varda (May 30, 1928–March 29, 2019)

She's sometimes called the mother — or grandmother — of the French New Wave of cinema, but Agnès Varda was more of an

Her recent collaboration with French muralist JR, Faces Places, gained her more attention in 2018 than she'd seen since the '80s. With her two-toned bowl cut, sneakers and loose tracksuits and pajamas — although, we note, they were by Gucci — Varda was a welcome haimish presence on the awards season's red carpets, looking like a comfy little kitchen witch among the gazelle-like starlets.

She inhabited the film world in the same way — showing up when and where and exactly how she chose, following no rules but her own. Rather than stick with the narrative films that won her acclaim (Cléo From 5 to 7; One Sings the Other Doesn't) she followed her muse to documentaries (Mur Murs; Jacquot de Nantes). She made lightly dramatized biopics of her loved ones' lives, cast family members as actors, and inserted herself into her documentaries; she made dramas, comedies, a sci-fi parable and a feminist musical.

More rule-breaking: After losing patience with the traditional dance of studio backing, she founded her own production company to handle her films and those of her husband, Jacques Démy; but she ran the office (located across the street from her home) like a shop, often hand-selling DVDs to visitors or allowing them to watch her editing. "I love being able to have the direct contact with people who are consumers. It's like a peasant, you know, who grows tomatoes and you can come and buy the tomatoes at the farm," she bubbled to Sight + Sound magazine in 2011.

Her final film, Varda by Agnès, was released posthumously in November. It's a self-directed retrospective of her 60-year career, a knowing and playful wink to an oeuvre preoccupied always with human behavior in the face of mortality. This coming year's FotoFocus will include the Cincinnati premiere of Varda by Agnès. — Young

* * *

Ken Nordine (April 13, 1920–Feb. 16, 2019)

You may not know Ken Nordine's name, but chances are you've heard his voice.

Over the course of a 60-year-plus career, Nordine put the "art" into the concept of a voice-over artist. His silky baritone graced the airwaves of Chicago radio stations, narrating The World's Great Novels and other programs. He was also the voice behind several educational films, so if your teacher ever used a woefully out-of-date filmstrip in class, you might recognize his timbre. His most enduring creations, though, were his Word Jazz albums, on which, over backing tracks of cool jazz, Nordine tells stories or acts out scenarios with a particular focus on meter and sound.

Nordine's success with the Word Jazz series earned him a weekly program of the same name on flagship NPR station WBEZ in Chicago, and the show ended up running for more than 40 years. His 1967 Colors album, in which Nordine expounds upon the personalities of various hues, remains a favorite of those interested in offbeat curiosities from yesteryear. (It grew out of his radio commercials for the Fuller Paint Company.)

Lines from his recordings have been sampled in songs by Aesop Rock, Pizzicato Five and the Orb, and in 2007, David Bowie himself asked Nordine to perform at the High Line Festival in New York.

Nordine passed away on Feb. 16, 2019, at the age of 98, preceded three years earlier by Beryl Vaughn, his wife of 71 years. — McCollum

* * *

Lil Bub (April 2011–Dec. 1, 2019)

It's been a bad year for viral cats. Not only did Grumpy Cat, perhaps the most commercial of all the internet animal celebs, die in May, but just as we finished putting this article together, the inimitable Lil Bub passed away in her sleep, a victim of a persistent bone infection.

Not only did Bridavsky's many Bub-centric bits of merch — socks, T-shirts, plush toys, fridge magnets — prove catnip to her internet fans, the monies raised were donated to various animal shelters and rescues for special-needs cats. And not only did Bub's oddball mug feature on consumer goods, she starred in a Vice documentary (Lil Bub & Friendz), hosted 14 episodes of a talk show (Lil Bub's Big Show, with guests including Michelle Obama and Steve Albini), recorded her own album (Science and Magic) and guested on Run the Jewels' feline remix album, Meow the Jewels.

Bridavsky always claimed Lil Bub was a "magical space being," and whether she came from outer space or not, she certainly seems to be magic: She raised $700,000 for animal charities in her short life, and brought immeasurable joy to millions.

Good job, Bub. — Jessica Young

Walter Mercado (March 9, 1932–Nov. 2, 2019)

Walter Mercado was much more than a TV astrologer born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. By the time he died at age 87 on Nov. 2, he had created a cultural legacy far beyond the televised predictions viewed by millions of abuelitas across Latin America: Mercado had become an icon and inspiration for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people living in Latinx society.

"This is a culture that's been dominated by machismo and homophobia for a very long time," film producer Alex Fumero told Fox News upon his passing. "He was really brave."

It didn't take clairvoyance to know Mercado's on-screen persona, a stylistic cross between Carolina Herrera and Liberace, was an act of courage. He owned more than 2,000 capes and pointed to viewers through the camera lens with fingers adorned in colorful rings. He never publicly discussed his sexuality, but he definitely let audiences know which team he played for.

In his decades of appearances on Telemundo Puerto Rico, Mercado became a common point of relation between superstitious oldsters and open-minded youth — perhaps even more so after he moved to Florida to broadcast on Univision. In college, he had studied pharmacology, psychology and pedagogy, before becoming a well-known ballet dancer and theater star, and later appearing in telenovelas.

His fans will perhaps remember him most by his catchphrase, somehow even more meaningful after his death: "Pero sobre todo, mucho, mucho, mucho amor," or "Above all, much, much, much love." — Dave Plotkin

* * *

Bill Buckner (Dec. 14, 1949–May 27, 2019)

When he hung up his cleats after a playing career that stretched across an incredible four decades, one of only 29 ballplayers to do so in baseball's entire history, Bill Buckner laid claim to an incredible list of achievements. And those numbers and stats look even more impressive now, 29 years after his retirement. He ranks among the top 200 men to ever play the game in hits (2,715, ranking 66th), RBIs (1,208, ranking 150th) and extra-base hits (721, ranking 174th). He was an All Star, a batting champion and an evangelist for the game long after he stepped off the field, until his death this year from Lewy body dementia at the age of 69.

After 22 seasons with stints spanning the Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, Angels and Royals, Buckner moved to Boise, Idaho, with his wife and three children, where he stayed involved with the game, joining the Boise State baseball team as a hitting instructor in 2012. For all his gaudy stats and contributions that helped the Red Sox make the 1986 World Series, his legacy was much more. As Gary Van Tol, who was the Boise State coach while Buckner was with the team, said, "He taught me humility, dignity, grace and patience."

And yet, he's remembered in popular culture for one error, an infamous miscue during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, when he was at first base for the Red Sox. The Red Sox lost the next game and with that the series; and Boston fans, rarely noted for the virtue of forgiveness, focused their ire on Buckner, raining taunts, boos and even death threats on him. The heckling was picked up by opposing teams and their fans, and followed him for years.  

Seventy-eight players, many of whom played far fewer games than Buckner during his career, have made more errors at first base than the legendary stalwart. None of them were forced to move to Idaho to spare themselves and their family the taunts and hatred of sports fans and reporters who care far more about the results of games than the humanity of the players that play them. — Vince Grzegorek

* * *

Donald "Nick" Clifford (July 5, 1921–Nov. 23, 2019)

We build things, large and small, temporary and permanent, and then years later we marvel at them. The names attached, through the names of these things themselves — built by, named for or dedicated to — are monumental, notable ones. But we also marvel, perhaps without knowing or fully recognizing, at the people who built these things, the men and women who toiled in ways big and small, through ideas or labor, to make them reality.

So for all the names associated with Mount Rushmore — the four presidents, to start with; followed by Gutzon and Lincoln Borglum, the father-son sculptor and artist team who designed the monument; followed still by Doane Robinson, the South Dakota state historian who first conjured up the idea of a sweeping mountainside sculpture to drive tourist traffic to a neglected part of the state — let us also immortalize Nick Clifford, who died this year at the age of 98.

Clifford was the last living worker who helped build Mount Rushmore, a job he fell into after being recruited by the Borglums to South Dakota to play for a baseball team they'd put together. Work began in 1927 and lasted 14 years, and when Clifford turned 17 in 1938 and could qualify to work the site, he jumped at the chance to join the other 400 men. Half a century later, Clifford was unendingly proud of his contribution and was often present at the Mount Rushmore gift shop to sign copies of his book about the work, which paid tribute to the other workers who created the monument. Recognition for them was hard to come by prior to Rushmore's 50th anniversary, but with the celebration came interviews and a chance for Clifford to expand on his and their histories, while paying respect to its designers.

"None of us were sculptors," Clifford, who was also a World War II veteran, said in one interview. "We had only one sculptor — that was Mr. Gutzon Borglum."

A few years before his death, Clifford said: "I feel like Mount Rushmore was the greatest thing with which I was ever involved. It tells a story that will never go away — the story of how America was made and the men who helped make it what it is today."
Clifford was one of them, and let us remember his story too. — Grzegorek

The post People Who Died 2019: The Extraordinary Lives of Mostly Ordinary People… and a Cat appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

With 34 shows in this year's lineup — not to mention the fest's other elements — Fringe can be a lot to take in, especially for newcomers. That's where CityBeat's team of reviewers come in. We're reviewing early-run performances of shows within the primary lineup and will post them on our Fringe Festival Coverage hub here. 

And here: 

• Critic's Pick: Dave Maher Coma Show
• Critic's Pick: 90 Lies an Hour
• Critic's Pick: Let's Prank Call Each Other
• Critic's Pick: My Geriatric Uterus
• Critic's Pick: Dandy Darkly's All Aboard
• Critic's Pick: Walking While Black in Moscow
• Critic's Pick: Kumferted 
• Critic's Pick: Descent: A Murder Ballad
• Critic's Pick: The Origins of My Magic
• Critic's Pick: Body Language
• Critic's Pick: This House Will Never Let Us Go
• Critic's Pick: Zoinks!
• Critic's Pick: seXmas Cards
• Critic's Pick: Live Nukes!
• Between 3 and 5
• Kill You With My Love
• Puppets Should Speak
• Marriage: A Work In Progress
• Borderline A**hole
• SUFFER Fools
• The Vicious Hillbilly or Dating in the Deep South
• The Devil on the Wall or, That Time I Got Kidnapped
• The MILF Also Rises
• Martha
• Nellie Bly: A Menace to Propriety
• Diagnose This! Tales of a Medical Actor
• The Consciousness
• Stow Your Baggage
• the Vegetables!
• Knifeslingin'
• Nightmare Fuel
• Meatball Séance
• Child of Friday
• Tales From the Cuckoo Club

Check this page often for the latest reviews, and click on over to cincyfringe.com for ticket information.

The post Cincinnati Fringe Festival 2019 Reviews appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

For the uninitiated: The rapped and sung musical, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, follows the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton. (Here's the soundtrack on Spotify in case you need to beef up.)

As reported by Fox19, the Cincinnati Arts Association confirmed earlier today that a few tickets were still available on its site, with prices ranging from $200-$500. At the time this article was published, scattered tickets were available throughout the show's run, which invades Cincy Feb. 19-March 10. 

When the tickets originally went live Nov. 16, they were reportedly sold out within two hours. And that comes at no surprise — Hamilton has sold out theater halls across the country since it first opened two years ago, earning a record-setting 16 Tony nominations (and winning 11 of those, including for Best Musical). The show also snagged a Grammy and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

You can order tickets at CincinnatiArts.org. To get them in person, visit the box office at the Aronoff at 650 Walnut Street.

Details from the ticket on-sale press release:

HAMILTON has a ticket limit of four (4) tickets per household address, billing address, or credit card number. After all available tickets are sold, online purchases will be reviewed, and any purchases that violate the HAMILTON ticket limit, based on full household account information, will be canceled without notice.

The post The Aronoff Center Just Released More (Albeit Limited) ‘Hamilton’ Tickets appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

The difficulty of getting tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway has been a comedic punchline for the past two years and there is nothing to indicate that tickets to see the touring show will be any easier to come by. So if you're hoping to attend, you should probably make plans to be online or at the Aronoff box office Friday morning. 

You can order tickets at CincinnatiArts.org. To get them in person, visit the box office at the Aronoff at 650 Walnut Street.

Details from the ticket on-sale press release:

There is a maximum purchase limit of four (4) tickets per account for the engagement. When tickets go on sale, prices will range from $65 to $195 with a select number of $279.00 to $449.00 premium seats available for all performances. Additional fees will apply to online purchases. There will be a lottery for forty (40) $10 seats for all performances. Details will be announced closer to the engagement. Group sales are not available for this engagement.

Producer Jeffrey Seller says, “It's tempting to get tickets any way you can. There are many sites and people who are selling overpriced, and in some cases, fraudulent tickets. For the best seats, the best prices and to eliminate the risk of counterfeit tickets, all purchases for the Cincinnati engagement should be made through CincinnatiArts.org.”

Hamilton's mix of Hip Hop, Blues, Soul, Jazz and American history took Broadway by storm, earning a record-setting 16 Tony nominations in 2016 (it won 11, including for Best Musical). The show also won a Grammy and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

Update: Tickets to see Hamilton at the Aronoff reportedly were all sold out after only two hours. Stay tuned for info on the lottery tickets.

The post Tickets to see ‘Hamilton’ at the Aronoff Center Go On Sale This Friday appeared first on Cincinnati CityBeat.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere — that means it’s time for a drink. Whether you’re looking for a nightlife destination to mix and mingle or some place to spend happy hour before heading home to Netflix, there’s a bar for every vibe in Cincinnati. 

The Drinking Issue has divided up a smattering of these boozy destinations into different categories to help you pick where to raise your glass next. In the mood for a nice cabernet? There’s a wine bar for that. What about a place with a piña colada and beach volleyball? Sure! Just want to go where everybody knows your name? We have those kinds of bars, too.

And if your favorite watering hole didn’t make the list, don’t worry — plenty of great bars didn’t — which is as good a reason as any to curse CityBeat while using our free publication as a coaster during your next night out. 

Cheers!

DOG-FRIENDLY DESTINATIONS

For 10/10 very good boys and their humans

Braxton Brewing Co.

Braxton Brewing Company prides itself on loving beer and innovation, but their real soft spot is for dogs. Employees dole out treats and lots of belly scratches for any pup that visits the taproom. Cross the river for the Revamp IPA, stay for the canine haven. It’s what all the cool dogs do. And if you’re looking for beer with more attitude, stop by Braxton Labs. While the original Braxton has the feeling of a Midwestern garage — a place that holds memories, nuts, bolts and beer — Braxton’s second “lab” location has opened the doors to innovation. Located in the Party Source, the lab features 40 taps dedicated to the brand’s most unique offerings, as well as brews from across the U.S. and around the world, plus an outdoor dog-friendly AstroTurf beirgarten. Braxton, 27 W. Seventh St., Covington; Braxton Labs, 95 Riviera Drive, Bellevue, braxtonbrewing.com.

Hightail Mount Adams

This hillside watering hole, inspired by mid-19th-century whaling clubs in New England, brings a warm welcome to everyone who walks in the door. With an enormous selection of bourbons and beer, this is a perfect place to whet your whistle. But maybe the best thing about Hightail is that they encourage all tails, especially during their Sunday Yappy Hour from 7-9 p.m., where you’ll receive special deals and your pup will receive some yummy treats. It’s a neighborly place where they not only know your name, they know your dog’s name, too. 941 Pavilion St., Mount Adams, hightailmtadams.com.

Liberty’s Bar & Bottle

Liberty’s offers the best of both the bar and the bottle with 20 rotating craft beers on tap and 15 wines available by the glass — including half-pours — along with 100 bottles of wine and 40 craft beers via retail. It’s Rosé Wednesday each week, with a flight of three rosés for $13 (add pimento cheese and Ritz crackers for $6). They also offer a mean $6 Liberty’s Mule cocktail (a Best Of Cincinnati staff pick), with housemade ginger beer. Dogs are welcome and you’ll frequently find one or two sleeping under their owners’ stools at the bar. 1427 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, searchable on Facebook.

Southwest Porch at Washington Park 

When Southwest Airlines took over and rebranded the porch at Washington Park last year, this almost 3,000-square-foot space got a real upgrade. With a Southwest-inspired blue-and-white color scheme, the company added carnival-style string lights, patio chairs, a giant chess set, ping-pong tables and cornhole. Add those public party games to the selection of local beer from breweries like Taft’s Ale House, Rhinegeist, Fifty West and Christian Moerlein and you’ve got a space for happy-hour-goers, families and competitive gamers alike. The Washington Park dog park is within spitting distance of the porch. Owners can bring their drinks inside the doggie play paradise, and dog-less humans can watch pups from the porch — or get right in the mix and pet stranger’s dogs while sipping rosé (like a cat café minus the cats, plus alcohol). 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, washingtonpark.org.

Woodburn Brewery 

Founded by a lifelong Cincinnatian and an L.A. transplant, Woodburn promises the best of the West Side and the West Coast. Among its core beers are a Cedar IPA and a chocolate cherry stout. For summer sipping, try the hilariously named Garry Shandy, a German-style weisse beer with lemonade, or the Pineapple Smash beer cocktail with pineapple saison, Tito’s vodka, pineapple juice and citrus. Dogs are welcome to chill inside the taproom — they have a couple of regular booze hounds, including Myrtle the Brewery Dog — where they will receive many pets. 2800 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills, woodburnbrewery.com.

HIP HANGOUTS

For all types of cool kids — and adults

Longfellow

A very chill addition to the OTR bar scene, Longfellow offers cozy, mushed-together seating, a large U-shaped bar and a super-positive attitude as transmitted by D.C./N.Y.C. transplant and owner Mike Stankovich. With a focus on flavor, the cocktails here are dangerously drinkable. While selections change frequently, mainstay bevvies include the Spruce Goose (barrel-aged gin, honey, lime, bitters and tonic) and Shiso Painkiller (navy rum, shiso, orange, coconut and nutmeg). The beer menu is as extensive as it is impressive, with selections from Oregon, Germany and Japan, and you won’t be bored by the bar snacks, either — food options range from late-night pierogies and caviar to liverwurst and cottage cheese. A fun pay-it-forward menu allows you to buy drinks for friends, strangers and crushes. A nice spot for singles, good looking people abound here, especially if you’re into Williamsburg, N.Y.-type hotties and off-duty bartenders. 1233 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, longfellowbar.com. 

Hi-Mark 

Named for Ohio River flooding, the Hi-Mark — from the groups that brought you cult favorites Eli’s BBQ and Pho Lang Thang — is a laid-back neighborhood hang with a rotating tap list of local, regional and “essential” (read: Budweiser, Guinness, etc.) beers, and interesting hi-balls, like the Horse’s Neck, made with bourbon, bitters and ginger ale. The food menu blends barbecue and Vietnamese, with options like Bo Kho chili topped with cheddar, scallions and Sriracha, or a pulled pork banh mi with Eli’s smoked pork, do chua, cucumber, barbecue sauce and cilantro. Vintage flair, an upstairs rumpus room and East End address make this a destination bar and roadhouse for people who know what’s good for them — aka a new Fretboard brew and an order of chili fries — or just have a super long wait down the street at Eli’s. 3229 Riverside Drive, East End, thehimark.com.

The Lackman

Located in a turn-of-the-century building built by brewer Herman Lackman, it serves 14 beers on tap and more than 30 bottles and cans (microbrews, imports and domestics) in an environment decked out in leather banquettes, exposed brick and vintage-styled tile work. Try the barrel-aged Negroni, with Plymouth gin, Carpano Antica and Campari. Or something from the signature cocktail list, currently themed after favorite Cincinnati locales. The 13th and Vine boasts blanco tequila, simple syrup, grapefruit, lime, soda and fresh-cracked pepper; sweet with a kick, just like the Lackman’s location — a perfect place to congregate before or after dinner at one of OTR’s many eateries. 1237 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, lackmanbar.com.

Low Spark

Another one of 4EG’s creations, Low Spark offers a ’70s-style, square-shaped, theater-in-the-round bar, featuring an aquarium in the center and a slew of button-tufted orange leather bowling-alley-ish chairs. They have everything from $3 Bud to local beers on draft and a fine cocktail list, including a strong and refreshing Juniper Rays with gin, Campari, grapefruit and rosemary. The final Friday of the month is Vinyl Friday with resident DJ Matt Joy spinning favorite record selections. 15 W. 14th St., Over-the-Rhine, lowsparkbar.com.

Mecca OTR

Now you can hang out in a makeshift forest of ferns and philodendrons, drink craft beer in flashy cans and snap an insta pic by a number of neon signs — if you can find the place. With a courtyard main entrance tucked away down 15th Street (the streetside façade is actually a vintage Americana shop accessible from inside the bar), this destination feels very “in the know.” But the big-ass gravel patio, colorful street-art murals, panoply of rainbow lighting and plethora of communal seating make this a welcoming spot for those interested in no-frills drinking, L.A. vibes, vinyl tunes and corndogs. Every cinder block is covered in the works of local artists, including in the individually decorated bathroom stalls. The aesthetic is strong with this one, guys, and so are their make-it-mine San Pell Chunker cocktails, with a mini airplane bottle of booze inverted into a can of flavored sparkling water. 1429 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/meccaotr.

Mixwells Northside

Warning: Townies and tourists alike have been known to bust a move and seriously enjoy themselves at this establishment. Nestled along Hamilton Avenue’s eclectic assortment of dive bars and record stores sits Mixwells — Northside’s best and only dance club. It’s a neon-lit discotheque with rotating DJs and a let-loose, college-basement-party vibe where people be getting wasted, taking selfies in a makeshift photo booth and sweating it out to ’80s tunes. Check the schedule for upcoming themed dance nights, which range from Studio 54 to Darkotica Goth. 4169 Hamilton Ave., Northside, facebook.com/mixwellsBar. 

Myrtle’s Punch House

Non-beer drinkers, rejoice! Myrtle’s focuses on handcrafted punch sold by the bowl, glass or state-of-the-art draft system. The punch features fresh juice, syrup and in-house infusions. Shareable plates include vegan, vegetarian and carnivorous options. Holding down the corner in East Walnut Hills, right across from Woodburn Brewery, Myrtle’s makes for an easy group bar-hopping destination. There’s also half-price bottles of wine all day Sunday, trivia on Wednesday nights and Highly Improvable Comedy the second and fourth Thursday of the month in the downstairs Rathskeller, among other events. 2733 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills, wellmannsbrands.com/myrtles.

Overlook Lodge 

A rustic bar inspired by Stephen King’s The Shining, Overlook Lodge brings a bit of movie magic to life with its giant Overlook Hotel-inspired fireplace and eerie backlit bar. Try the Writer’s Block cocktail (bourbon and apple-berry sweet tea) or Redrum Returns (dark rum, strawberry clove purée, citrus, soda and cranberry bitters) to fit write in. Combine the themed atmosphere with live music on the weekends (including Acoustic Sundays) and housemade trail mix, and this Pleasant Ridge locale guarantees some much-needed play after a hard day’s work. 6083 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, thatshiningbar.com.

The Pony OTR

By the looks of it, you’d think The Pony has been around for decades with its honeycomb tile floors, low-hanging green bar lamps and a glowing neon sign luring you in for an Old Fashioned. Turns out the excellently comfortable dive-bar décor is the machination of hipsters, and we’re not at all mad about it. You can count on the Pony for weekly specials that’ll keep you galloping through the front door — Sunday cheap eats, Monday trivia nights, Taco Tuesday — not to mention a plentiful dose of classic bar food (chicken wings, chicken fingers and gravy fries), a nice selection of drafts and simple cocktails. It’s Main Street’s neighborhood bar where you’ll run into a nice cross section of OTR visitors and residents here for a drink, to escape from the nightlife chaos of Vine or to watch assorted sports on TV. 1346 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, searchable on Facebook. 

Sundry and Vice

Sometimes all you need to cure a case of the doldrums is a stiff drink. Sundry and Vice doesn’t deny their ulterior motives when creating curative cocktails. Their apothecary-inspired drinks lend more textures, colors and flavors than a classic list of libations; meticulously crafted by be-aproned bartenders, they take a little longer to make than usual, but that’s only because they’re so good. And though they may not be backed by “science,” they’re known to cure a sour mood. Take the Truth or Dare — it’s a well-balanced gin drink with subtle notes of sesame, sweet plum, grapefruit bitters… and a fortune cookie garnish. Or sling back a BRO.T.R — an upscale Boilermaker with a Rhinegeist Truth and a shot of draft Old Fashioned. 18 W. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine, sundryandvice.com.

The Video Archive

Named in honor of the video rental store where director Quentin Tarantino once worked, The Video Archive is a video store that doubles as a speakeasy, like a Blockbuster with a back-alley bar. Upon entering, you’d think you’ve arrived at an indie flick shop, until you discover the secret door — opened by selecting a specific VHS movie from the shelves — that leads you to the booze room. Come have a killer drink — like the $12 Royale With Cheese, made with yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice, simple syrup and Rhinegeist Truth — and argue with fellow movie buffs and assorted drunk people about which Tarantino film kicks the most ass. If you come on a Saturday this summer, catch a free film on the patio at 9 p.m. sharp (they’re screening Pulp Fiction on June 30). 965 E McMillan, Walnut Hills, gorillacinemapresents.com/archive.

PERECT PATIOS

Secret hideaways and people-pleasing party spaces

Arnold’s Bar and Grill 

A friendly, diverse and historic gin joint, Arnold’s is the city’s oldest bar — in operation since the 1830s. The cheap (strong) drinks and almost daily live music — from Bluegrass and Americana to Jazz — complement the awesome interior courtyard, which used to be a stable and carriage house. They claim to have one of the best bourbon lists in Cincinnati with nearly 40 options on the menu. Whether you like it neat or on the rocks, there’s sure to be something great to sip on while eating your weight’s worth in signature Greek spaghetti (on the menu since the 1950s) or snapping a selfie in the bathtub that was once reputedly used for making bathtub gin. 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, arnoldsbarandgrill.com.

The Blind Lemon 

Mount Adams’ favorite backyard bar since 1963. Walk down a set of stairs to find a secret, little hideaway. Inside, the cozy walls are lined with eclectic paraphernalia. Outside, the relaxed garden patio is like a boho blend of Bourbon Street and Paris café life. With a promise to hear Blues, Rock or Jazz every night, it’s one of the most romantic drinking destinations in the city. 936 Hatch St., Mount Adams, theblindlemon.com. 

Dutch’s

Dutch’s pony keg turned bar, bottle shop and artisanal larder is an East Side hang with an expansive kitchen, pantry and patio, complete with a fire pit and backyard bocce court. Pair one of 200 different available wines or craft on-tap beers with farmstead cheeses, natural meats or snacks like truffle popcorn. Thursday is Burger Night, with a special one-night-only gourmet topped burger available from 6 p.m. until they sell out. 3378 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, dutchs.squarespace.com.

Fries CafО 

At more than 90 years old, Fries is a laid-back dive-bar legend near the University of Cincinnati. Appealing to everyone from UC students taking a break from exams to Cliftonites and downtown professionals, the first floor features a draft bar with a focus on craft beer and a popular old-fashioned shuffleboard table. The lower level features two billiards tables and the top floor has more darts and billiards with access to the seasonal patio. The uncharacteristically large outdoor space (at least for Clifton) has a covered portion and deck, live music stage, cornhole sets and plenty of seating. 3247 Jefferson Ave., Clifton, friescafeclifton.com.

Kaze 

OTR’s backyard izakaya, this Japanese gastropub is notorious for its excellent outdoor space and one of the best happy hours in the city. Starting at 4 p.m., grab $5 specialty cocktails and discounted sushi rolls, among other options, and enjoy them on the giant private patio, featuring string lights, colorful vertical planters and Acapulco lounge chairs. It even has its own outdoor bar, perfect for not moving too far when you want a refill of $4 house sake. 1400 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, kazeotr.com.

MadTree 2.0

MadTree’s million-dollar makeover did not disappoint. The hugely expanded operation on Madison Road is bigger on all fronts, including its 10,000-square-foot beer garden. With 32 MadTree-exclusive taps, ambient lighting and an industrial brick façade leftover from the building’s factory days, there’s more than enough space to accommodate all the beer-drinking, cornhole-playing, dog-loving humans that hang at MadTree on the regular. Bonus: The expansion also included bigger bathrooms. 3301 Madison Road, Oakley, madtreebrewing.com. 

Mecklenburg Gardens 

At 150 years old, Mecklenburg Gardens is one of the city’s most historic eateries, and its vine-covered trellised biergarten is one of the best in the nation (an accolade awarded by Travel + Leisure magazine). Grab one of the German brews on draft, which come in several sizes, including a 1-liter glass boot. Wednesday night, the garden offers quarter flip specials: The bartender flips a coin and you call heads or tails while it’s in the air. If you guess right, you pay 25 cents for a half-liter beer. Check for specialty keg tappings happening each month. 302 E. University Ave., Corryville, mecklenburgs.com.

Rosedale

When Neons closed in 2016, people were devastated to lose “OTR’s backyard.”  Then, 4EG — the entertainment group behind Lackman, Mount Adams Pavilion, Igby’s and more — announced they’d be taking over the space. After some upscale renovations, they reopened as Rosedale in January 2018. They’ve added industrial-farmhouse chandeliers, bold floral wallpaper (perfect for an Instagram photoshoot), leveled out the first floor and added lounge seating. It’s a little more classed up than comfy-old Neons but has retained the former’s focus on craft cocktails… and the giant, dog-friendly patio (now with brand new seating). Sip discount drinks from the monthly $3 menu then grab some grub and support your community at the MORTAR Mess Hall, where food entrepreneurs hone their skills in a professional setting. 208 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, rosedaleotr.com.

Queen City Radio

Head to the beer garden at Queen City Radio for a local pint, boozy slushies, wine and cocktails. The former auto body shop turned gigantic, multi-level OTR hang features 14 rotating taps of local, regional and national beer, canned and bottled brews, a small cocktail program and adult-themed treats including alcohol-infused Popsicles. Garage doors create indoor/outdoor space, weather permitting, and the patio boasts not only a ton of seating, but also the on-site Queen City Whip food truck (which serves burgers, shakes and chili fries) and a new outdoor bar in a converted Airstream trailer. 222 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, qcrbar.com.

Pearl’s 

Located in a historic building in the heart of Columbia Tusculum (Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood), Pearl’s offers a rooftop bar and large outdoor patio for the warmer months and serves classic cocktails, draft beer and small bites. Named after the building’s last resident — Pearl — the entire establishment was designed to maintain a sense of authenticity and honor its former use as house. The bricks that came from the original chimney were used to create the freestanding fireplace on the 1,000-square-foot patio. The side paneling was refinished and reassembled; the wood floors, window frames and ceiling joists are all original; and even the building’s whitewashed exterior looks lived-in and antiqued. With string lights, ample seating and even a TV or two, the exterior patio is one of the most comfortable places in town to grab a glass of wine (with half-price bottles on Wednesday nights). 3520 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum, pearls-cincy.com. 

LOW ABV MENUS

The latest trend in cocktails is less alcohol

Aster

This social sippery is a casual cocktail space above the new downtown location of Sleepy Bee Café. Beverage director Giacomo Ciminello — known as much for his distinctive handlebar mustache as the boozy milkshakes he has made a staple at Sundry and Vice — worked with Bee chefs to create a menu that brought “the farm to the cocktail world.” Standout cocktails include the Fig Dandy, a fig syrup, bourbon and dandelion tea concoction, and the Voodoo Lily, a carrot-orange coconut milk and rum cocktail with a kick of curry. Tapping into the latest trend in mixology, there’s also a smattering of non-alcoholic and low ABV cocktails that go beyond soda and virgin mixed drinks to accommodate everyone in your party. The Moonville stands out on the non-alcoholic list — coconut milk makes it creamy while pineapple and rose water add sweetness. Socials — carafes of drinks for sharing with friends old and new — are perfect when imbibed on the rooftop patio. 8 E. Fourth St., Downtown, asteronfourth.com.

Please

This au currant culinary hideaway on Clay Street in Over-the-Rhine offers a constantly creative and frequently updated a la carte and four-course tasting menu for a low-key but high-art dinner. If you don’t want to commit to a meal and are just searching for snacks and a drink, the back bar offers both (and the full food menu until 10 p.m. every night). The 12-seater self-described “garden bar” has natural wines (sup, Pét-Nat?), local and European beers and trendy cocktails and spirits that utilize garden and farm flavors. The latest wave embraced by the bar team at Please is the low-proof cocktail trend. Try a Christina Pfeffer (drinks are named after Please friends and Kickstarter investors), with rosé, Aperol, grapefruit liqueur, lime and soda; or the Erika Leighton-Spradlin, with Dolin dry, banana liqueur, Velvet Falernum and pineapple tepache. 1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, pleasecincinnati.com.

GAME BARS

Drinking destinations with an interactive edge

16 Bit Bar+Arcade

Calling all button smashers and pinball wizards: 16-Bit has more than 50 free arcade games and a tasty selection of celeb-inspired cocktails for you to slurp down as you relive your childhood nerdy nostalgia sans the quarters. If you want to drink like an adult while you act like a kid, try a cocktail like the Pam Anderson (coconut rum, peach vodka and juice) or new Sugar Rush (citrus vodka, curaçao and ginger beer, plus a Pixy Stick and a gummi peach ring), or pick from a hefty selection of craft brews and old standbys (aka PBR). Double down with a boozy slushie in one hand while you play Dragon’s Lair with the other — as long as you order something from the bar, you play for free. 1331 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, 16-bitbar.com/cincy.

Arcade Legacy: Bar Edition

The boozy version of the local Arcade Legacy chain blends pinball, retro arcade games and classic console play with alcohol and Avril-Bleh hot dogs (plus vegan options, massive nachos and sides). Monday Night Fights are for serious players, and there’s a high-score board for some local fame. All games — except pinball — are free to play if you buy drinks or food. If you don’t want booze, they also offer inventive sodas. The bar, usually 21 and older, goes all ages from 2-8 p.m. on Sundays. 3929 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, arcadelegacyohio.com/bar-edition.

Queen City Exchange

Queen City Exchange is Cincinnati’s first and only stock exchange-themed bar, featuring 40-something beers on tap with prices that rise and fall depending on demand. Prices average around $4.50 to $7 — check the board for up-to-date numbers. When the market crashes, it’s time to buy, buy, buy and chug, chug, chug. For more gaming, visit during the drop-in dart league on Monday or Trivia Tuesday. 32 W. Court St., Downtown, queencityexchange.com.

The Rook OTR

At this board-game parlor, people can select from a library of more than 800 games featuring everything from Twister and Cards Against Humanity to Settlers of Catan and Pictionary. Snack on sliders, tots or pizza rolls while downing some classic and kitschy cocktails, like a Capri Against Humanity — made with a Capri Sun juice pouch and rum — or a Pretty Pretty Princess, with sparkling wine, amaretto, cotton candy and a candy necklace. 1115 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, therookotr.com.

Coming Soon: Pins Mechanical Company

From the Columbus-based Rise Brands, the group behind 16-Bit, this new bar — slated to open later this summer — will have 25 pinball machines and 10 duckpin bowling lanes, plus other “old school” entertainment options like foosball, bocce ball and shuffle board. The three-story bar will also boast a rooftop patio. 1124 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, pinsbar.com.

BOURBON BARS

Dedicated to providing a broad selection of brown liquor and a knowledgeable staff

Bourbon Haus 1841

Tucked away on the B-Line, Northern Kentucky’s bourbon trail experience, sits Bourbon Haus — one of 12 stops in the area (which also include New Riff, Bouquet Restaurant and The Globe) providing some of the best bourbon you can get your hands on. With an impressive selection of over 150 bottles, you’ll be overwhelmed by your options in the very best way. Whether you’re partial to an Old Fashioned or keen to try new things, the Haus has a lovely list of bourbon-backed libations for you to sip on while you decide which crafted flight is going to take you on a trip into Kentucky’s liquid history. 522 Main St., Covington, bourbonhaus1841.com.

The Littlefield

This Northside bar and bistro specializes in whiskey — from small-batch bourbons and ryes to white dogs and Japanese Hibiki — and cozy eats, like an artful shepherd’s pie and Sixteen Bricks bread with blue-cheese bourbon butter. Clever cocktails highlight verdant and floral flavors, like in the Mad Anthony, with Buffalo Trace bourbon, basil simple syrup, balsamic vinaigrette and housemade ginger beer. 3934 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, littlefieldns.com.

Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar

This shotgun-style wood-lined watering hole houses a mind-boggling bourbon selection — more than 300 bottles on floor-to-ceiling shelves — served in snifters by a well-educated, passionate staff. Each day OKBB offers a special hand-selected bourbon flight. For those less interested in straight booze, try the best Manhattan in the city. 629 Main St., Covington, wellmannsbrands.com/okbb.

Prohibition Bourbon Bar

Named one of the best bourbon bars in the country by The Bourbon Review, Prohibition Bourbon Bar started as a coffee and pastry shop before morphing into a speakeasy with one of the largest collections of bourbon and whisky in the world — the bar has more than 1,500 bottles and counting, including Scotch, Irish, Tennessee and Japanese brands, plus more than 50 wines by the glass. Like any good Prohibition bar, access is limited: The Newberrys only open their watering hole Thursday through Saturday nights. 530 Washington Ave., Newport, newberrybroscoffee.com.

Wiseguy Lounge

Housed above Goodfellas Pizzeria, Wiseguy Lounge tries to embrace the ambiance of the Roaring Twenties with a selection of craft cocktails that utilize homemade syrups, fresh-pressed juice and even open flames, plus rotating beer taps and an “elite” bourbon selection. There are more than 250 bourbons to choose from, including hand-picked single barrels, and a Bourbon Connoisseurs Club for serious imbibers. 603 Main St., Covington; 1211 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, goodfellaspizzeria.com.

SOME BREWERIES AND BEER BARS

Can’t list ’em all

3 Points Urban Brewery

Named after the triangle shape of Pendleton — formed by Liberty, Reading and Main —  3 Points opened on June 1. With eight of their own beers on draft so far (the goal is 12) and a 185-person taproom, this urban brewery is a design-forward and artful space where all are welcome to indulge. Six artists were commissioned to create pieces inspired by the house beers and taste profiles. Birdseye is a Saison that melds fruity, spicy and clove-y notes together like a patchwork quilt. Lindsay Nehls’ artistic interpretation looks exactly as it tastes — boldly colorful, simple in construction and wholly satisfying. Other taps feature options like Sinking Orca oatmeal stout or the Origami Post Coast IPA. Check out the art that goes with each brew online or in the taproom. 331 E. 13th St., Pendleton, 3pointsbeer.com.

Crafts & Vines

A great pony keg and bar in MainStrasse, this shop has more than a dozen different wines and beer on draft. All beer is from Kentucky and Cincinnati and the tap list features rarities like brews from Mash Cult — Crafts & Vines is one of the only places to serve the local nano brand on draft — as well as Paducah’s Dry Ground, Louisville’s Apocalypse Brew Works and Lexington’s Ethereal Brewing. The female-helmed operation also offers a selection of snacks and charcuterie, and a wine club. 642 Main St., Covington, craftsandvines.com.

Growler House

This craft beer destination features 30 taps of local, regional and national beers — from favorites to hard-to-find rarities — for you to imbibe onsite or take home in one of the bar’s 32- or 64-ounce growlers. Taps rotate daily. Sample new brews via a pint or 5-ounce “Benchers,” or create your own flight. If you want to stick around and drink, the Growler House also offers a direct ordering station linked with O Pie O (across the street) so you can get sweet or savory pie creations delivered to your table. 1526 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills, thegrowlerhouse.com.

Higher Gravity  

These guys really want to help you love beer — so much so that they’ve installed iPads around the store to help you browse their inventory and find your perfect brew. Let their friendly “beeristas” pour you a flight, and don’t leave without visiting their growler and crawler station to take a cold one home with you. Higher Gravity is kid- and dog-friendly, as well as B.Y.O.F. (bring your own food), so bring the whole fam and order in something tasty from one of their Northside neighbors. 4106 Hamilton Ave., Northside, highergravitycrafthaus.com. 

Nine Giant Brewing 

This brewery and snackery in the heart of Pleasant Ridge just celebrated its second anniversary. Nine Giant’s story begins with a fabled giant named Nine. Though many don’t know, these mythical creatures once called Cincinnati home, guzzling the great brews of the city’s past. The giant found a place among the shimmering taps and glistening blue walls of what would become his namesake. There are no flagship beers at Nine Giant — its 10 taps are subject to endless experimentation. Currently, you can complement your fried pickles with Fake Empire, a Czech pilsner, or Loveless raspberry witbier. 6095 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, ninegiant.com.

Rhinegeist

This uber popular OTR brewery and event space is celebrating its fifth anniversary on June 23 with an epic birthday party. Also epic? Its new Jurassicgeist dinosaur bone display — a never before exhibited Galeamopus skeleton, on loan from the Cincinnati Museum Center. In addition to sampling the brewery’s lineup of West Coast-inspired brews or playing a game of cornhole, you can grab short-order takeaway from downstairs brasserie Sartre OTR (served via a pneumatic tube) or head upstairs to the weather-dependent giant patio. This very chill wooden rooftop deck features ample seating and an upstairs bar with 15 draft beers and ciders — including Bubbles — plus a selection of wine and draft cocktails. 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, rhinegeist.com.

Streetside Brewing Co.

From their taproom/brewery along Eastern Avenue in Columbia Tusculum, Streetside Brewery blends craft and community. With beers like the milkshake blonde Cereal Milk, a red velvet donut stout collaboration with Holtman’s Donuts called Robe, S’more Fun Together brown ale and a key lime gose that tastes like buttery graham cracker crust, this brewery has developed a niche for having your cake and drinking it, too. The taproom frequently hosts food trucks and programmed events, and Streetside’s Return of the Mac coffee-blonde recently received a silver medal by RateBeer, a crowd-sourced global site for craft beer enthusiasts. 4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum, streetsidebrewery.com.

Urban Artifact

This brewery, taproom and music venue, located in a historic church, crafts beers with locally caught wild yeast and bacteria, resulting in a lineup of sour, tart brews — like the flagship Harrow Gose. If sour isn’t your thing, add some sweet flavored-syrups from the bar or try local Skinny Piggy kombucha on tap. The brewery also hosts events and live music basically nightly, including the long-standing Blue Wisp Big Band on Wednesdays, trivia on Thursdays, film screenings on Mondays and both local and traveling bands in genres ranging from Hip Hop to Experimental music. Its in-house indie radio station, Radio Artifact, just got picked up by WVXU. 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, artifactbeer.com.

Westside Brewing Co.

Since opening in spring 2017, this spot has brought a lot of life to its little corner of Westwood. Not only is West Side Brewing a great neighborhood watering hole, it’s also a community hub that’s seen a chili cook-off, dog-friendly nights, pop-up workout classes, live music, fundraisers and countless big-game watch parties in its first year. Originally pegged as a craft brewery for the everyman, WSB is inviting enough for the casual beer drinker, spacious enough for groups and families and legit enough to impress the most discerning local brewpub frequent flyers. WSB also has smart taps — all beer is tracked and displayed on digital menus, kind of like a phone battery, so you can see what’s freshly tapped (you’ll see a green, full keg icon) or what’s most popular (red, empty keg icon). 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood, westsidebrewing.com.

KILLER KARAOKE

Science says you sing better the more you drink

Below Zero Lounge

LGBTQ+ nightclub Below Zero Lounge is nestled snuggly between the nightlife action on Vine and Main streets in OTR and plenty of trendy theater destinations — Know Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Cincy Shakes and the Aronoff. These two facts are specifically important during Thursday night karaoke when the Patty and Matty Karaoke Show takes over the lounge. With a splash of panache, hosts Patrick Carnes and Matthew Pappert lead increasingly inebriated singers through everything from ’80s hits and radio-friendly Pop to favorite showtunes and plenty of Celine Dion. Because of the proximity to those theaters, it’s not uncommon for local talent or actors from traveling Broadway shows — or even a drag queen or two from upstairs’ The Cabaret — to hop onstage to belt their own takes on karaoke classics. 1120 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, belowzerolounge.com.

The Hub OTR

Celebrating Cincinnati’s urban bike culture and cycling activism, The Hub OTR services bikes by day and slings beer and cocktails at night. Trade your fixie for a $5 shot-and-beer special when the Hub transforms into a dog-friendly drinking destination with entertaining events and live music, including karaoke on Monday nights hosted by Hot Wheels Entertainment. Hot Wheels is the brainchild of karaoke jockey Bree, one of the city’s most notoriously engaging karaoke hosts — and a musician herself — whose business name reflects one of her other passions: advocating for those with disabilities, especially those in wheelchairs. It’s a perfect marriage of booze and tunes for singers who care about wheels of all types. 1209 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, thehubotr.com.

Northside Tavern

This laid-back neighborhood tavern features a front bar, back room and huge patio. There’s free live music almost every night of the week — including some you make yourself. Every Thursday is Karaoke Fantastic in the back bar, with more than 16,000 songs to choose from. And the first Saturday of the month, you can find a novel approach to the sing-along staple, Sexy Time Live Band Karaoke, which exchanges backing tracks for a full band of veteran Cincinnati rockers who are missing just one thing: a lead singer. During their karaoke “concerts,” you take the microphone and bring all the pomp, swagger and drunken falsetto to the stage while they play your song selection live. 4163 Hamilton Ave., Northside, northsidetav.com.

Tokyo Kitty

The neon-lit and uber kawaii Japanese karaoke bar plays off of Lost in Translation by offering seven themed private karaoke rental rooms — with high-tech in-room robot drink delivery via Bbot — a karaoke mainstage, a dance floor and Tiki-style cocktails. Private karaoke rooms go for between $20 and $50 an hour and singers can choose from around 500 popular party hits. It’s a futuristic fantasy land full of “happy fun song time” and shelves of pink wigs. 575 Race St., Downtown, thattokyobar.com.

TIKI BARS

Bars that put the lime in the coconut

Japp’s Since 1879

Japp’s transforms from a craft cocktail lounge to an island getaway on the first Wednesday of each month for Tiki Night. Jeremy Harrison, bartender, musician and one of Tiki Night’s founders, spins ’80s New Wave/Punk Rock dance jams throughout the night and serves up surf-ready drink staples. An homage to authentic Caribbean/Polynesian libations, expect complex and potent rum-based cocktails with a balance of sweet, sour, spice and a fruity or floral garnish. 1134 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, wellmannsbrands.com/japps1879.

Knotty Pine Rock Club & Tiki Bar

This Cheviot mainstay is all Rock club/pool hall inside and all beach vibes outside, as the one-eyed-pirate-meets-biker skull logo can attest. The outdoor Tiki bar abuts a sand volleyball court, with competitive and co-ed league play throughout the summer and daily happy hour from 3-7 p.m. 6947 Cheviot Road, Cheviot, knottypinerocks.com.

Northside Yacht Club

A loosely nautically themed and ironically landlocked Rock club from two local music and mixology veterans, the Northside Yacht Club is all fun. The cocktails — served by tattooed bartenders in the vein of Sailor Jerry — are masterful, made with fresh juice, fruit and herbal garnish. The tropically themed and navy-inspired drinks are served in Tiki glasses, but boat with caution if you order the Volcano Bowl. This punch comes with a highly potent mix of many, many rums, grenadine and pineapple and orange juice — all lit on fire and served with four straws. Lay down a base layer with a bar-food menu that features satisfying items like house-smoked wings, duck fat poutine and vegan lentil chili fries. 4231 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, northsideyachtclub.com.

Ludlow Bromley Yacht Club

With a giant shark figurine impaled on the sign, this bar, grill and marina has a definite sense of laid-back island humor — and cheap drinks. People might go for the irony, river views and glowing palm trees, but they stay for the grill-your-own steaks, live music and Tiki drinks served in Styrofoam cups. 860 Elm St., Ludlow, ludlowbromleyyachtclub.net.

The Sandbar

With seven volleyball courts and a view of the river, tap into your inner beach bum with a list of “Dock”Tails, including the Strawberry Colada with Malibu rum, peach schnapps, frozen piña colada and strawberry purée. If you don’t want to join a volleyball league, the bar hosts open play pickup games on Saturday and Sunday. Four Seasons Marina, 4609 Kellogg Ave., California, thesandbarcincinnati.com.

DISTILLERIES

When you want your spirits straight from the source

New Riff Distilling

This craft distillery, which opened adjacent to the Party Source in 2014, is all about embracing patience: This fall, they’ll finally be releasing the first batch of their bourbon and rye whisky, made in an all-copper column still, using well water discovered on site. While we count down the days until the New Riff release, you can currently sample their Kentucky Wild Gin, made with local spice bush, and unaged white dog. Free tours take visitors behind the scenes to see production from grain to barrel, and end in a tasting. 24 Distillery Way, Bellevue, newriffdistilling.com.

Northside Distilling Company

This award-winning local distiller started in a nearly 100-year-old abandoned horse barn in Northside — hence the name. Now, Northside Distilling Company’s bar on Race Street pays homage to its roots. Reclaimed barn wood decorates the walls of the space, giving it a rustic vibe. Take a seat in the cozy bar and enjoy a selection of cocktails crafted in-house from their spirits: Northside Shine, corn whiskey and award-winning vodka. Bourbon nerds: They released their first run of barrel-aged, small-batch bourbon in November. 922 Race St., Downtown, northsidedistilling.com.

Shumrick & Leys

The founders of this distillery and tasting bar have a history with wine, but now spirits are their specialty. The lineup includes small-batch rum (dark and light), bourbon (finished in wine barrels) and vodka (including a horseradish variety for the spiciest of bloody marys), distilled, bottled and aged in an industrial Norwood building that once held Banasch’s sewing company. Tour the distillery before winding down at the bar with a mixed drink made with their specialty booze. 2810 Highland Ave., Norwood, shumrickleys.com.

Second Sight Spirits

This artisan distillery in Ludlow produces innovative unbarreled white rum, spiced rum, bourbon-barreled rum and Villa Hillbillies Moonshine. The tasting room offers samples and tours under the watchful eye of Second Sight’s Steam Punk-esque copper still that looks like it came straight from the mind of Jules Verne. 301 B. Elm St., Ludlow, secondsightspirits.com.

Woodstone Creek

This boutique distillery only produces 100-200 cases of wine, mead and distilled spirits yearly. The offerings include dry to sweet wine from Ohio grape varietals, a wide range of mead, five-grain bourbon, single malt whisky (peated and unpeated), rum, gin, bierschnaaps, vodka and more. Sample anything and everything they have available during Saturday tastings. 4712 Vine St., Saint Bernard, woodstonecreek.com.

HOTEL BARS

For a night with friends and strangers where you don’t have to drive home if you can afford a room

The Bar at Palm Court

This lobby-level bar with French Art Deco décor in the historic Hilton Netherland Plaza is like stepping into an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Sidle up to the bar — if you’re lucky enough to find a stool — and peruse the drink menu, which offers classic cocktails like the Chef’s Old Fashioned and the NP, a best-of-both-worlds cocktail that pairs bourbon with something bubbly. Named after the Netherland Plaza, the cocktail features Four Roses yellow label bourbon, lemon, ginger, bitters and sparkling wine. It’s light, refreshing and still packs a boozy kick. Go during happy hour 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday and grab a plate of discounted light bites — lamb belly sliders, ricotta tortellini or chicken wings with smoked butter-Cholula sauce — to accompany your cocktail, or Friday and Saturday night for live Jazz. 35 W. Fifth St., Downtown, orchidsatpalmcourt.com.

Coppin’s at Hotel Covington

This boutique Covington hotel offers a fine selection of in-house eateries and drinkeries that’ll make you never want to leave. Coppin’s restaurant offers unconventional flavor profiles, gorgeous presentations and clever names. The Mother Smucker, for example, is an alcoholic take on a childhood PB&J, with a concoction of peanut butter-washed tequila, Rhinegeist Press Tart, lemon, Blackstrap Bitters and cherry-bark-vanilla bitters. Or, if you’d rather have a say in your spirits, try the Your Mojito, My Mojito, which allows you to choose between peppermint, cucumber, raspberry, mango or cantaloupe to muddle at the bottom of your libation. If you’re feeling stuffy, escape to the patio for a breather and you’ll be swept away into a sun-dappled, brick-paved paradise. Hotel Covington offers much more than a clean bed and a view of the Ohio River; from cocktails to coffee drinks and charcuterie to balance it out, they won’t leave you wanting. 638 Madison Ave., Covington, hotelcovington.com.

Metropole/Cocktail Terrace

Housed in the 21c Museum Hotel, the Metropole is a restaurant and lounge with craft beers on tap, clever cocktails and a smart selection of old- and new-world wines. Or take a secret elevator up 11 floors to the roof for the hotel’s cocktail terrace, open seasonally and weather permitting. The hip 75-seat oasis has cushy patio furniture, tableside service and glass partitions for full views of downtown’s glowing nighttime cityscape. The terrace is known for its boozy slushies — try the Ed Sheeran with your choice of alcohol and ginger beer — and pop-tails, aka cocktails with a submerged flavored ice pop. 609 Walnut St., Downtown, metropoleonwalnut.com.

The Phelps/Top of the Park

Both located in the Residence Inn Marriott, The Phelps is a hidden oasis in the city — a tapas bar featuring small bites, wine and hand-crafted cocktails. On the roof, Top of the Park has 360-degree views of downtown, Mount Adams and the river from its vantage point at the base of Lytle Park. Amenities include tabletop fire features, TVs and live music, plus a tapas menu with snack options like sliders, charcuterie and chocolate churros. Try the Re-Fashioned, with Bulleit, blood orange, crème de cassis, rhubarb bitters and bourbon cherry. 506 E. Fourth St., Downtown, topoftheparkcincinnati.com.

Southerby’s at the Mariemont Inn

If you feel like escaping to the suburbs, the historic Mariemont Inn’s Southerby’s bar is a lobby-level drinking destination worth exploring. With the same hunting-lodge-meets-English-manor ambiance as the hotel, this small pub features a food menu of shareable snacks and chef-crafted cuisine from the in-house National Exemplar restaurant, plus craft beer, seasonal cocktails and wines by the glass or bottle. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday with  $5 martinis, $3 craft beer specials, half off bottled wine, $2 off select glass pours, $2 off shareables and $2 oysters. Claim a spot in an overstuffed chair next to the fireplace, and don’t be surprised to see a stuffed stag’s head or suit of armor masquerading as decor. 6880 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, nationalexemplar.com.

The Symphony Hotel

This hotel is a quiet spot for a cocktail or glass of wine near Music Hall, Memorial Hall and Washington Park. The historic bed-and-breakfast — housed in a restored 1871 mansion — offers nine rooms named after famous composers, a five-course pre-concert dinner in the onsite restaurant and a tasting room bar with a nice selection of bourbon. Only open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, this hidden gem also features live Jazz. 210 W. 14th St., Over-the-Rhine, symphonyhotel.com.

LIVE MUSIC BARS

When you want a side of sound with your booze

Bromwell’s HАRTH Lounge

If you follow the music press, Jazz music (particularly in a live setting) has died a million times over. Even if that was true, it must mean Jazz cats have nine million lives. The great American artform has proven its endurance over and over again. Every time Cincinnati’s Jazz club scene takes a shot, someone seems to step up. Joining the downtown live Jazz scene recently has been the Bromwell’s Härth Lounge, with its classy and romantic but laid-back and welcoming atmosphere and a rotation of local Jazz piano greats, including Steve Schmidt and Phil DeGreg, among others. 125 W. Fourth St., Downtown, bromwellsharthlounge.com.

The Comet

This vintage-styled neon-lit Northside Garage Rock bar has Mexican food (served until 1 a.m.), booze, live music and coffee, so you never have to leave. Or you could just come back for their weekly house salsa creations and housemade ginger ale (pairs perfectly with whiskey). Upon entering, you’ll probably think you’re in a ‘50s-era diner based on the jukebox and checkered tile floors, but this is a space for good, loud music (everything from Rock and Reggae to Hip Hop and Indie); cheap, strong drinks; and an inspirational amount of craft beer in bottles and cans housed in an old-fashioned cooler. For scooter and motorcycle enthusiasts, every Tuesday is bike night. And for Bluegrass fans, the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars bring down the house every Sunday. Look for the Northside postcard mural on the Otte Avenue side of the building to find your way. 4579 Hamilton Ave., Northside, cometbar.com.

The Greenwich

Walnut Hills’ answer to Greenwich Village features a combination of Jazz, Spoken Word and Hip Hop. This long-standing nightlife destination has been presenting live music and art for more than four decades. Happy hour runs 6-8 p.m. weekdays with deals on already affordable drinks (a martini here will set you back less than $6) and is a perfect segue into the weekend during “Fridays at the Greenwich,” featuring a regular lineup of weekly acts including the Rollins Davis Band playing R&B on first Fridays and Sonny Moorman closing out the month on final Fridays with live Blues. 2442 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills, the-greenwich.com.

MOTR Pub

MOTR Pub does two things really well: rocks your face off with loud music and sweaty crowds and serves up one hell of a burger. The bar hosts some of the best live shows in the city, highlighting local and touring Indie, Rock and Folk acts — all without a cover. Find larger acts across the street at sister establishment and venue the Woodward Theater, also helmed by the same team of longtime area music promoters. Along with excellent live music, MOTR is home to a lively sketch comedy and stand-up scene, late-night eats (including veggie and vegan options) and weekend brunch. 1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, motrpub.com.

Schwartz’s Point

Pianist Ed Moss is a Cincinnati Jazz legend for his musical achievements, but he was also beloved for his low-key venue, which was written about as one of the area’s “Best Kept Secrets” so often, it wasn’t really a secret anymore, particularly among the city’s Jazz players. When Moss passed away in 2016, his daughter, Zarleen Watts, decided to honor her father by keeping his passion project going. The club — fittingly located at a “pointed” building arrowed into the five-way intersection at Vine Street and McMicken Avenue — reopened in 2017, retaining the eccentric character and regular Jazz performances (by a who’s who of the Cincinnati scene) that were a part of Moss’ vision, but modernizing it a bit and adding a new drink menu. 1901 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, thepoint.club.

WINE BARS

For tastings, flights  and feeling fancy

1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab

Amid the crazy fun on Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine, 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab manages to offer a relatively civilized oasis where you can hang out with friends — or your laptop — and enjoy excellent coffee or, more to the point, sample lovingly curated three-pour flights of sparkling, white or red wines from all over the world. Three different wines are served in numbered glasses; use the tasting notes from the menu and blindly identify which is which. See if you’re correct on a provided card. You also can buy bottles of your favorites to take home. 1215 Vine St., OTR, 1215vine.com.

Oakley Wines

Oakley Wines started as a boutique bottle shop just off the main drag in Oakley. And then it became more than a neighborhood hang when upward of 100 people started stopping in for Friday-night wine tastings. So, expanding with demand, owner Zach Eidson revamped the basement and turned it into The Cellar bar. The subterranean bar features a full drink list, with wine and beer on tap, and upscale snacks. 4011 Allston St., Oakley, oakleywines.com.

Revel OTR Urban Winery

This unpretentious boutique winery and event space specializes in promoting local, regional and family-owned wineries. Revel makes its own small-batch house wine, 44 barrels at a time, and serves it in juice glasses. Grab a flight of three 6-ounce or 9-ounce pours, served in carafes so you can drink and discover on your own time. They also carry fun wine cocktails, like a fizzy mojito made with prosecco and a Manhattan featuring malbec and brandy. 111 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, revelotr.com.

The Rhined

The Rhined is a little slice of cheese heaven located across from Findlay Market. The artisan shop stocks a collection of the best hand-selected domestic cheeses, plus wine, beer, nuts, olives and jams to accompany the dairy of your dreams. Grab the cheese to go by weight or eat inside on a curated cheese board, like a Midwest Flight, Soft Flight or Stinky Flight. From 6-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, you can enjoy pairings of cheese and wine flights crafted by the friendly staff with Italian Pét-Nats, New Zealand sauvignon blancs, Côtes de Provence rosé and more. 1737 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, therhined.com.

The Skeleton Root

This working winery and event space in OTR pays homage to Cincinnati’s wine history by producing heritage and French and European style wines, crushed and aged on site. Wines are produced in-house with minimal intervention, showcasing the terroir of the fruit in bottles of red, white and even rosé. The tasting room, with its beautiful illustration of grape harvesters on a Cincinnati hillside, is a perfect backdrop for happy hour and rotating live music, food and yoga events. 38 W. McMicken Ave., Over-the-Rhine, skeletonroot.com.

Somm Wine Bar

This worthy wine destination is in the Incline District in Price Hill. Somm Wine Bar offers a large patio with tables and lounge chairs, live music on Fridays and weekday specials. You’ll find a lot of food choices — from the light fare you expect at a wine bar to several more substantial entrées. 3105 Price Ave., East Price Hill, sommwinebarcincinnati.com.

SOCCER BARS

These bars have many TVs and access to futbol channels/packages

Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom

An official pub partner of FC Cincinnati (and creator of FC Cincinnati Blood Orange IPA), the Moerlein Malt House screens every match of the FCC soccer season. A slice of Cincinnati history, the subterranean brewery is home to Moerlein bottling operations and also sits above historic lagering tunnels used by Cincinnati beer barons of the past. Come for can releases, fresh taps, happy hour, trivia nights, restaurant pop-ups, tours and more. The taproom is also home to Wienerwurst Mike’s Frankfurtary, serving brats, metts and assorted other meats. 1621 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/christianmoerlein.

Rhinehaus

OTR’s original sports bar, Rhinehaus features more than 14 4k TVs, a projector, 16 occasionally rotating taps and channels/packages like NFL Sunday Ticket and FOX Soccer Channel. It’s the official bar for Die Innenstadt, LFC Cincinnati, Ohio Blues, Cincy Gooners, Cincy Hammers and Packers Everywhere. And weekend opening hours are based on European soccer schedules. 119 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, rhinehausbar.com. 

Second Place 

Catch the game and enjoy a selection of booze on tap, bottled, canned and a few (kind of) fancy cocktails. This bar boasts a pool table, courtyard, board games darts, a carry-in menu from The Littlefield and early morning soccer. What else? Free popcorn. 3936 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, secondplacebar.com. 

Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Like a good Irish pub, this place can get rowdy; and like a good community gathering space, it hosts trivia nights, live Irish music and karaoke. For all you soccer fans, enjoy the best Guinness in town while you watch live English Premier League games (they even have a fantasy EPL league). It’s a local headquarters to see all FIFA World Cup games through July 15. As an official FCC partner, watch all games here or take a bar-provided shuttle to home matches. 112 E. Fourth St., Covington, covington.mollymalonesirishpub.com.

NEIGHBORHOOD BARS & PUBS

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name

Animations

If you’re looking for a friendly neighborhood dive bar to play pool and drink beer, this is your place. Animations has everything you’re looking for in a bar and nothing more — beer, pool, bathrooms. Simplicity is what makes this Oakley’s neighborhood bar. It’s sleepy during the week, poppin’ on the weekends and the same faces can be found there without fail. You’ll feel like you’re part of a ’70s dive bar sitcom — you know which one I’m talking about. 3059 Madison Ave., Oakley, searchable on Facbook. 

Arlin’s 

The is Clifton’s Gaslight District neighborhood pub for the thinking man or woman. Have a beer on the big back patio and beer garden or enjoy live music and bar food. The no-frills atmosphere includes a pool room, plus 20 taps, sports on TV and a jukebox. 307 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, 513-751-6566.

Bay Horse Cafe

The historic Bay Horse Café, with roots dating back to 1817, reopened last summer after co-owners and partners Fred Berger and Lori Meeker spent two and half years restoring the building (and its vintage neon sign featuring a trotting horse). The $4, 25-ounce Hudepohl schooners, $6 cocktails and draft beer mark it as an affordable, laid-back hangout. Browse historic news clippings that act as décor, play a classic card game or lounge on the 13-foot couch in the back — all while sipping on reasonably priced booze or snacking on Derby-themed panini. 625 Main St., Downtown, facebook.com/bayhorsecafe. 

Brew House

A Walnut Hills institution since 1978, theBrew House offers funky décor, friendly people, good burgers and cheap drinks. It’s a gathering place that is essential to the fabric of Walnut Hills, and has been offering a very tasty Brew House Chili Cook-Off — a favorite of kitchen-savvy regulars —  for more than two decades. 1047 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, brewhouse.com.

The Crazy Fox Saloon

From their insane bloody marys, stacked high assorted meats and cheese, to their fresh mint juleps, The Crazy Fox Saloon brings a fun twist to every drink. This cozy bar provides not only a close-knit atmosphere, but also killer cocktails and a great selection of local craft brews. They pride themselves on bringing their Newport community together for over 15 years and will be hosting many NKY Pride events all June, which will feature tons a swag like custom whiskey glasses. 901 Washington Ave., Newport, searchable on Facbeook.

Gypsy’s 

With a welcoming, dog-friendly atmosphere, Gypsy’s is perhaps most well known for their fully stocked bar and large craft beer selection on draft or in bottles and cans — you can find a drink special for under $4 any day of the week (including $2 Jameson and $3 drafts). Watch your favorite game on one of several TVs or enjoy their back patio equipped with fire pits and giant Jenga. 641 Main St., Covington, facebook.com/pub641.

Knockback Nat’s

Part neighborhood hangout, part sports bar, part destination for hungry individuals looking for delicious smoked wings (featured on the Travel Channel), Knockback Nat’s has a little something for everyone. And there are always sports on TV. 10 W. Seventh St., Downtown, 513-621-1000, searchable on Facebook. 

Madonna’s Bar and Grill

This is one of the closest things to a townie bar in downtown. The cozy dive boasts a pool table, jukebox, some of the friendliest bartenders in the city and a great BLT. 11 E. Seventh St., Downtown, madonnabarandgrill.com.

Milton’s Prospect Hill Tavern

Prospect Hill’s neighborhood joint is chatty, diverse and full of character. A great place to have beer, relax and mix it up with the regulars. 301 Milton St., Liberty Hill, facebook.com/miltonstheprospecthilltavern.

Millions CafО/ Mount Lookout Tavern

It’s Friday night: Everyone’s looking for love — or lust — in Mount Lookout. Try sister and brother bars Million’s Café and Mount Lookout Tavern — or MLTs, as the locals call it. They are basically mirror-image sports bars that specialize in easy bar food (like smoked wings), craft beer and Jell-O shots of the glow-in-the-dark variety. 3210 Linwood Ave., millions-cafe.com; 3209 Linwood Ave., mtlookouttavern.com.

O’Bryon’s Bar & Grill

This is a neighborhood bar and grill with two floors and an outdoor patio. Enjoy peanuts — in the shell — while watching one of 14 TVs and explore the regularly rotating draft beer selection. Famous for their Shark Tank novelty cocktail: vodka, sprite, sour mix and a rubber shark filled with grenadine you pour in yourself; you get to take the shark home. 1998 Madison Road, O’Bryonville, obryonsirishpub.com.

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