Every summer, Style Weekly’s food-and-drink team is tasked with examining Richmond’s drinking scene for the Bar Guide. Themes for this special issue have run the gamut, like the election-inspired compilation of 2016, the 2015 A-to-Z rundown and the assortment of how-to stories in 2013.
This year we take a look at the intersection of old and new. Bartenders who have seen it all reflect on drunken tales as old as time. With a mutual understanding of silence, book lovers gather in spaces usually bustling with social engagement. Two women re-imagine and re-purpose the classic mixers found behind every bar. A pop-up concept promises an entirely different experience every few months. A Richmond beer institution makes a comeback after a years-long hiatus and another brewery is the new kid on the block with old-school brews.
Richmond is a quirky, complex entanglement of old and new, so it’s only fitting that its drinks — and those who produce and serve them — are as well. — Laura Ingles
Quiet Hours
Silent Reading Party offers bookworms and cocktail lovers a shared experience.
Flipped Out
Switch is the new downtown pop-up bar that’s always changing.
Drink Pink
Frosty, refreshing and undeniably beautiful, these are some of our favorite frosés.
Sonic Mix
How the makers of Navy Hill, a light soda and tonic mixer, got it into Richmond’s bars, markets and beyond
The Happiest of Hours
So far customers are the undisputed winners from the newly relaxed happy hour advertisement laws.
Let Drinking Dogs Lie
In addition to a rooftop bar, game room and extensive tap list, Dogtown Brewing Co brings Salvadoran and German cuisine.
What’s in a Name?
Reviving an institution, Richbrau Brewing Co. brings classic and creative beers to Shockoe Bottom.