How to Bring Your Favorite Bar’s Vibes Home & Support Them With Your Next Virtual Happy Hour

Photo: Grace Sager Photo

April 03, 2020

As much of the country issues stay-at-home orders, people are getting creative with ways to support their neighborhood bars by donating to GoFundMe efforts and launching digital tip jars. We’re donating a portion of subscription sales to the Restaurant Worker’s Community Foundation, but we’re also really missing our favorite bars right now, so we thought: Why not take the virtual happy hour idea a step further and give it a soundtrack? We might not be able to visit these places at the moment, but we can throw on their house playlists, mix up a round of their signature drinks and donate to their fundraising efforts. Here are some playlists from our ongoing Spotify series, with links to donate to each bar’s fundraising efforts. For more great playlists, head to our Spotify account!

Cure, New Orleans

Playlist: Escape to a different side of New Orleans with the bar’s genre-bending playlist.
Recipe: St. Regis Julep
Fundraiser: The bar is auctioning special bottles of spirits and you can Venmo tips to CURECO-RELIEF.

The Pastry War, Houston

Playlist: A cocktail-friendly playlist that’ll transport you to Mexico.
Recipe: Age of Discovery
Fundraiser: Bobby Heugel has organized a GoFundMe campaign for the bar.

Rob Roy, Seattle

Playlist: An unexpectedly modern sound defines classic cocktail bar Rob Roy.
Recipe: The Tempest
Fundraiser: Anu Apte-Elford and Chris Elford started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for their Seattle bars and employees.

Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco

Playlist: Music helps define the vibe of San Francisco’s beloved tiki bar.
Recipe: Monk’s Respite
Fundraiser: Buy merchandise, or 100% of tips go directly to staff.

Tokyo Record Bar, NYC

Playlist: Music is the star at vinyl-obsessed Tokyo Record Bar.
Recipe: Saké Mojito
Fundraiser: Ariel Arce has launched a GoFundMe campaign for Tokyo Record Bar, Niche Nice, Air’s Champagne Parlor and Special Club.

Trick Dog, San Francisco

Playlist: An energetic playlist that spans decades and genres.
Recipe: Leather & Lace
Fundraiser: The bar has launched a bottle club membership to raise funds.

Emma Janzen

Emma Janzen is an award-winning book author and journalist who reports on global drinking cultures for outlets including The New York Times, PUNCH, The World’s 50 Best Bars, and more. The recipient of two James Beard Foundation awards and two Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, she co-authored The Way of the Cocktail with Julia Momosé, The Bartender’s Manifesto with Toby Maloney, and The Bartender’s Pantry with Jim Meehan; authored Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit; and has contributed and consulted on other texts including The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails by David Wondrich and Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster. She currently serves as the Midwest Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars and has been included in the Drinks International Bar World 100, an annual list of the industry’s most influential people, since 2023.