Drinks

It seems the key to the heart of Indianapolis’s most notables bars will always be red.

“For a long time craft beer was a subculture, and still is to a degree. And I think subcultures historically rise to the surface of popular culture a lot of the time.”

Being one of the “it” guys does have its downside. Haters, says Robinson, want to hate. “I’ve stood next to people—who didn’t know who I was—while they talked shit about my beer,” he says.

Reading Michael Rubino’s Sun King feature in the October issue made us thirsty—so we took our growlers to the brewery and got fill-ups of all the current offerings. And we asked Dave Colt, Sun King’s head brewer, to lead the tasting.

If not for the chance discovery of a dusty notebook two decades ago, “Indiana’s most beloved beer of all time”—as beer geeks, historians, and CV cultists call it—might have been lost forever.

The annual suds-and-fundraising event benefits the Phoenix Theatre and featured more than 25 breweries taking part in four hours of beer-swilling fun.

1. Connor’s Pub
6331 Ferguson St., 317-255-5039
The clientele at this Irish dive bar in Broad Ripple ranges from hippies to post-match hurling teams. (Hurling is the national sport of Ireland, you kn

As every lounge in town rolls out its pre-Prohibition cocktail list—muddling herbs and berries until their wrists go limp—you get the feeling that it’s no shtick here.

Ordering a cocktail here means sitting back and watching while a dapper bartender in a proper vest and wide-knotted tie tinkers with ice cubes and orange peels. The carefully composed drinks are nothing short of cosmic.

“We restored an icon for the city,” says owner Dan McMichael. “And the city has responded.”

You’ll still find young hipster couples mingling with octogenarians, and councilmen brokering deals over a beer.

The stairway to the 1933 (named for the year Prohibition ended) leads back in time. At the top, waitresses in scandalously small red dresses cater to the suits in a lounge that’s as elegant as it is quiet.

With no windows in sight, hours can disappear at this Monument Circle man cave, one of the last bastions for cigar-smokers in the city.

The cocktail menu changes seasonally, so don’t go looking for “the usual.” And the bar offers high-concept snacks ranging from charcuterie to pickles.

Years before the speakeasy trend made its way to Indy full force, this establishment featured Jazz Age photos on the wall and classic cocktails like the Sazerac.