The bar offers twists on everything from Daiquiris to French 75s, but you can also order the classics for an affordable $10.
• Little Jumbo hosts some of Asheville’s best live jazz every Monday and Tuesday night, with no cover charge. The website lists each week’s lineup.
• Specialized menus, including a list of G&T options and specialty absinthe and pastis offerings, are available upon request.
• For date night (or any night), the bar offers special drinks service for two. Choose between Manhattans, Martinis, Japanese highballs, absinthe or hot cocoa and rum, and your selection will be delivered on ornate trays with various fun accoutrements.
NICE TO KNOW
A couple of blocks away, follow the sign with the crying eye and downward arrow to discover the Low Down, a classy yet unclassifiable underground gem. Farther along Haywood, Potential New Boyfriend is a category-defying Hi-Fi listening room with exceptional wine and vermouth, espresso drinks, housemade ice creams and decadent desserts. A short drive in the other direction is Leo’s House of Thirst, an excellent restaurant and wine garden.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
A West Asheville joint venture from Little Jumbo founder Chall Gray and Bagatelle Books, Character Study was made for cocktail enthusiasts and bibliophiles alike. A charming combination of affordable neighborhood cocktail joint and used bookstore, the space’s wood-accented decor and stained-glass lamps add ambiance to the comfy hodgepodge of secluded library-style carrels, upholstered booths and overstuffed chairs. Reading the menu is almost as much fun as perusing the
well-organized, attractively shelved collection of secondhand books, as each drink’s description comes with literary notes. One can sip the Blood Meridian
(Mood: Warding off marauders, Character: Firm backbone, spicy tongue) while searching for the namesake Cormac McCarthy novel amid the stacks, or consider the El Diablo riff, the Devil’s Dictionary (Mood: Windmill jousting prep, Character: El Diablo in evening wear). Unsurprisingly, Character Study is a popular spot for book club and game-night meetups.
Character Study
Website
Instagram
OPEN IN GOOGLE MAPS
Around the corner on Grand Street, Fresh Kills (from Richie Boccato) has been quietly serving some of the best cocktails in Brooklyn for nearly a decade.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
• When outdoor seating is available, the wisteria-draped garden (book ahead on Resy) might fool you into thinking you’re somewhere between Louisiana and Provence.
• While Maison excels at the A-list classics, look closely and you’ll find lovingly executed takes on B-side hits, like the Yellow Parrot and the Obituary, that make the case for revival.
NICE TO KNOW
Staff Favorite Dive Bars
Pete's Candy Store
I moved around the corner from Pete’s in 2008, and have found myself wedged into the bar’s tiny back music venue on countless nights since. The crowds may have changed, but Pete’s still maintains a bygone Williamsburg combo of grit, disaffection and surprise and delight. —Talia Baiocchi, editor-in-chief
Happyfun Hideaway
If you’re looking to make out on a dance floor, this no-frills, tropical-themed queer bar is the spot for you. —Irina Groushevaia, senior social media manager
7B Horseshoe Bar
7B stands out from the hoards of East Village icons not only because it opens at noon (ideal for killing time before, well, anything) but because it has one of the friendliest staffs of any bar, let alone dive, in the city. —Chloe Frechette, deputy editor
Sunny’s
This outer fringe of Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood is not easily accessible, but it’s worth a trip to experience a bar that’s been resurrected from the brink of closure several times. Live music starts most nights at 8 p.m., and there’s plenty of outdoor space for loitering. Don’t forget to bring cash. —Allison Hamlin, director of network development
An essential guide to the bars and retailers that have turned Oakland into an epicenter of progressive wine culture.
New York’s Essential Martinis
READ MORE
An essential guide to the bars and retailers that have turned Oakland into an epicenter of progressive wine culture.
Character Study’s cozy booths make it an excellent gathering place for book clubs or board game groups.
The signature cocktail of the original Rogue Cocktails, the Gunshop Fizz uses a full 2 ounces of Peychaud’s bitters.
The Howitzer, the first original cocktail to be featured on a Cure menu, is a bourbon-based riff on the French 75.
• Most classic cocktails—Martinis, Negronis, French 75s, Daiquiris and the like—are just $10, but ask at the bar for the "Fancies" menu to find zhuzhed-up versions of many of those favorites.
• Character Study keeps a solid collection of card and board games; the bar’s nooks lend themselves nicely to quiet game playing.
• Each day of the week features its
own $9 drink special, from Manhattans on Mondays to Old-Fashioneds
on Sundays.
NICE TO KNOW
Photography: Tim Robison, Sael Photo, Imperial, Wade Asa
Classic cocktails are just $10 at Character Study.