What are the top bars in the city, and who determines that? Is it CityBeat? Your next-door neighbor? How about those who work at the very bars and restaurants that we love to go to? After long shifts of slinging cocktails for others, bartenders need that drink more than we do. However, when they’re getting off past midnight or 1 a.m., dancing isn’t the first thing on their mind — it’s the friends they want to see. So, where are their favorite places to drink?
Longfellow’s bartender, Ferris Silva, loves the Cincinnati bar scene because it’s a small enough city that after bartending since 2021, they feel as if wherever they go, they can walk into a bar and know someone. It’s what makes Longfellow so special to them. “[It’s] people gathering as a community, post-shifts and just relaxing together,” Silva states while taking a quick break on the side of the building. “It’s people who all understand the day that you just had. It’s nice to relax and be like, ‘I don’t have to perform here.’”
Longfellow (1233 Clay St. in Over-the-Rhine) opened in February of 2017, and despite only being a block from Pins Mechanical Co., it feels like its own hidden pocket of Downtown Cincinnati. Nestled in the shadow of Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church, this apothecary-style bar meets all of your sake and pierogi needs until 2 a.m. It’s home to many classic cocktails, such as a Manhattan, Painkiller or even a Spruce Goose. If you don’t know what that is, the recipe is inside their matchbooks. However, if you want to drink with the local service industry workers just getting off work, you’d best stick to a Miller High Life and a shot of fernet.
Joelle Portelinha, who has been in the industry for well over a decade and has worked at places like Pepp & Dolores, Colette and, most recently, Wildweed, says that a Miller High Life and a shot of whiskey is her go-to drink when coming to Longfellow, often after long shifts.
“It’s just a vibe,” she says with a big smile. “You can say ‘what’s up’ to your homies. And there’s really fucking good cocktails. It’s a community. People show up. We drink, and we walk home.”
When not at Longfellow, Portelinha finds her way to Liberty’s Bar and Bottle Shop (1427 Main St. in Over-the-Rhine). Ever since their opening in September of 2014, Liberty’s can be spotted easily due to their pig statues running wild outside. They’re known for wine by the glass, homemade ginger beer for Moscow Mules and their espresso martini, which uses a nitro cold brew from Deeper Roots. With timeless movies playing on the TV, throwback music and a wooden barback, this bar feels as full-bodied and classic as the wine they pour. What makes Liberty’s even more special is the cooler in the back that allows you to take bottles of wine and the classic industry go-to of Miller High Life home with you.
Ray Alsip, who has worked all over the city, from Lytle Park to Nada to Righteous Room and now Liberty’s, has always loved what he has done. “I love the human interaction,” he says. “Just getting to meet all different kinds of people that I typically wouldn’t meet day to day. I love crafting a drink and giving it to a guest, and them enjoying it and coming back for more.”
When comparing regular bars to an industry bar like Liberty’s, Alsip has this to say, “I’d say at a regular bar, you get people of all jobs, all walks of life. You have some regulars, you’ve got some first-timers, things like that. But I’d say our regulars, nine times out of 10, are service industry workers. And I see them nearly every single day.”
He says that he can typically spot a service industry worker by their appearance, “just because it’s the typical OTR server/bartender: they’re tatted, they’re wearing black. It’s almost easy to spot them. By the order, the order is typically like beer and a shot. The shot’s usually fernet.”
Another key industry bar to note is Uncle Leo’s (1709 Race St. in Over-the-Rhine). While it doesn’t cater to the fine dining employees of OTR’s heart, it is mixing up a myriad of Spaghetti cocktails with Miller High Life for the Findlay crowd. These cocktails come in all liquors and juices, such as combining High Life with pineapple juice, Malort and more. This zany bar has dollar bills haphazardly hanging at odd angles, tap names spelled wrong (2 Farted), Jesus Christ over the toilet and feels perpetually like Christmas with ornaments dangling from the ceiling and a tree at the front of the bar. They also leave the National Park Service on TV for all patrons to enjoy watching bears while enjoying their High Life mixtures. It is oddly alluring while exciting.
Uncle Leo’s bartender, Cole DeRose, pulls double duty while working both at Leo’s and Sotto simultaneously — but he’s a pro, having been in the industry since he was 15. Having helped open the bar in October of 2022, he has loved working there, claiming the staff has grown to be tight-knit over the years.
While his favorite industry bar is Longfellow after a long night at Sotto, he says, “[Industry bars] are where people go after their shifts to wind down, referring to both Longfellow and Uncle Leo’s. “That means it’s a later-night crowd. Probably not as centered around dancing, but more so just being able to relax, get a good drink, ideally a cheaper drink. But it comes in many shapes and sizes. When I get off work and want to hang out with friends, bars are pretty much the only gathering place available.”
The next time you’re looking to cram four hours’ worth of drinking into 45 minutes while meeting interesting people, check out an industry bar. Usually tucked away from all the action, their chill vibes are full of community and friends ready to have a conversation with whoever walks through the door and orders a High Life and a shot of fernet.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s July 23 print edition.
This article appears in Jul 9-22, 2025.