Restaurateur Lane Harlan and her husband long dreamed of opening a cocktail bar in the city’s premier cultural district.
Harlan worked as a busser at The Brass Elephant in Mount Vernon while her husband, Matthew, worked as a musician and composer and lived for more than a decade nearby on West Monument Street. She would unwind with her favorite bartender, Jane, at The Stable, formerly on Charles Street, where they would knock back “Natty Bohrona’s” (Natty Boh with a lime in it).
“I have fond memories of it,” she said. “After work, we would all go across the street, and we always closed it down.”
But Harlan turned first to the Old Goucher neighborhood, with Clavel, W.C. Harlan and Faddensonnen before turning back to Mount Vernon when they opened their popular basement alley bar at the Hotel Ulysses.
“We told them ‘no’ over and over as we had our hands full with other projects,” she said. “But they were persistent, and eventually things fell into place at the right moment. We are grateful they did.”
Today at The Coral Wig, her “tropical artisan cocktail bar,” Harlan says if you show up right at the 5 p.m. open, and “the golden light is pouring into the room through the stained-glass windows… and Nina [Simone] is playing … how can you not fall in love?”
With more than a half-dozen stellar craft cocktail programs within a five-block radius, Mount Vernon, fortified by its strong arts institutions and LGBTQIA+ community, has also become one of the city’s top locations for high-end bar hopping, despite a few which appear to be fading a bit.
Spirits of Mt. Vernon
- 900 N. Charles St.
Just a few steps across the street from Harlan’s Coral Wig.
Don’t be fooled by the wall-to-wall racks of reds, whites and blush offerings. Spirits of Mt. Vernon, a longtime corner fixture —now under employee ownership — offers a vast array of cocktails.
Need more evidence? Ask the gays — who know where to find a mixed drink. On a given Friday and Sunday evening, this place is packed with them ordering up a bevy of mixed drinks and specialty cocktails.
It doesn’t hurt that Spirits also employs a cadre of former and current bartenders from past and present gay bar hotspots such as The Manor, The Baltimore Eagle and Leon’s.
Arlis Guthrie, a veteran bartender who has worked at Spirits a little more than a year, believes the combination of location, the proximity of several boutique hotels and a “tight-knit community” makes Mount Vernon a prime location for craft cocktail offerings.
“Because we have a strong arts community, we support craft cocktails,” she said. “There’s a huge underlying wealth in Mount Vernon that nobody talks about.”
The cocktail menu changes almost every two months. The wine menu changes every two weeks. So there’s always a reason to come back for something new.
Current cocktail musts include the “Frenchest 75,” a rift on the French 75 with a shot of Cognac to amp it up. The Alma Rosa is a mezcal and triple sec creation that will surely sneak up on you. And the Thai basil old fashioned is an herbal spin on this classic cocktail.
Sugarvale
- 4 W. Madison St.
A few blocks away from Spirits and in the basement of an unsuspecting structure is Sugarvale, a cozy neighborhood bar with high seats at the bar and a handful of lower tables and high tops.
The ceiling of this cave is usually decorated with some seasonal accent — autumnal leaves during my recent visit, offset with lights.
The bartenders are friendly, knowledgeable and eager to pour perfectly concocted creations from menus swathed in a dark pebbled leather.
It’s not unusual to see one whip out an egg and start cracking it to separate the white to create a foam-based cocktail like the Rodeo Clown (think egg white margarita with a little extra froth).
With fun cocktail names like “Jackie-O,” “Newton’s Law” and “Wings of Desire,” it’s worth checking them all out.
Topside at Hotel Revival
- 101 W. Monument St.
Take a two-minute stroll a few blocks away for easily one of the best views in the city at the top of Hotel Revival. The fishbowl-style restaurant, named Topside, is a go-to destination.
Its bar has always attracted a talented crop of bartenders.
I know this is a craft cocktail piece, so don’t @ me about their old-fashioned cocktails on draft. It’s actually solid.
The cocktail menu had just changed on my recent visit, but there was a good mix of old and new.
I was glad to see still on the menu the oldie Vampire Blues — a unique combination of a Monkey Shoulder Scotch, Salerno blood orange, cherry herring, ox sherry, lemon, cardamom bitters and Laphroaig.
Among the newer offerings, check out these classics-in-the-making: “Like a G6” with La Gritana reposado, Averna, Aperol, lemon and Angostura; and “Amor Prohibo,” a smoky Mezcal forward cocktail with lime and allspice notes.
B-Side
- Hotel Revival, 101 W. Monument St.
Take the elevator all the way down to Hotel Revival’s ground floor speakeasy where reservations are essential. You’ll also need to pop a coin into the shiny metallic silver jukebox to get through the door.
Once inside the sexy, dimly lit lounge, the mood feels as chilled as a perfect martini and just as exclusive. You’ll melt into the plush seating, sipping cocktails for hours on end.
Speaking of those drinks, I loved the nods to the musical artists inside B-Side, named after the flipside song of a single printed on a 45 RPM record.
“Ready or Not” (Fugees) is a concoction of Monkey Shoulder Scotch whisky, Grand Marnier, Amaro Nonino, angostura and toasted orange. “Diggin On You” (TLC) is Appleton Estate signature rum, pineapple, Giffard banane du bresil, honey, dehydrated banana and coconut flakes.
And don’t skip “Dancing Queen” (ABBA), made of Espolòn Blanco tequila, Ilegal mezcal reposado, lime, chinola passion fruit, agave and fever-tree tonic.
The Prime Rib
- 1101 N. Calvert St.
This 1940s style steakhouse is quintessential Baltimore. One co-worker remembers when customers would line up around the block to get into the hotspot in the ’80s.
While those days are long gone for restaurants in general, it can still be a bit of a fight to get a seat at The Prime Rib’s U-shaped bar, which features a leopard print carpet and sleek onyx top. It’s the perfect perch to enjoy Prime Rib’s classy perk: a live piano player.
I recommend the “Aviation” cocktail, especially if Austin is behind the bar. The cocktail is a perfect shade of lilac with hints of fresh lemon juice and crème de violette topped by a Luxardo cherry.
Bloom’s
- Hotel Ulysses, 2 E. Read St.
Bloom’s used to be one of my favorite bars in Baltimore. Heck, I threw our company’s holiday after-party there.
And for good reason. The silver metal palm trees, mirrors on the ceilings and tufted red velvet couches have always given me an alternative universe “Scarface” feel.
Those Midori sours were once fluorescent and magical. The Jungle Bird transported me to a tropical getaway. The mini daiquiris, or “snaquiries” — done as a shot among friends — were an automatic.
But turnover among bar staff and management plus a lack of upkeep has clearly taken a toll.
The new paper menus are less elegant than the previous leather-bound books. There were mixed-matched bar chairs.
As for the cocktails, most are new with some still worth ordering. Get “Sateen Daydream,” which features Woodford Reserve, Cointreau, Lemon Grand Marnier, Creme de Mure and a frothy egg white. “The Matchmaker” features Awayuki strawberry gin, matcha syrup lemon and vanilla.
Ash Bar
- Hotel Ulysses, 2 E. Read St.
Ash Bar was always going to be Skipper, aka the lesser sister, to Bloom’s Barbie.
It didn’t do itself any favors when it recently got rid of the handsome buttery leather furniture in the center of the restaurant near the sleek marble bar. It was the equivalent of giving a main character in an ’80s teen movie acne, braces and Coke bottle glasses.
Ditching the furniture to “open up the flow” has killed its once-bespoke character.
As for the cocktails, all the usual suspects are on the simple paper menus. (Those leather booklets are also missing.)
The Manhattan, classic martini, rum daiquiri, old fashioned, Negroni, whiskey sour, French 75 and margarita all check the box for a perfectly serviceable craft cocktail. There are no bells or whistles. No fancy names. No inventive mixology trends. Just the basics.
But don’t fret. There are plenty more options throughout Mount Vernon to satisfy your more sophisticated cocktail cravings.
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