This Year's Roaring Twenties Prohibition Party was the Bee's Knees!
It was a dark and stormy night in the small, unsuspecting river town of Newport, Kentucky. Street lamps illuminated the glistening concrete like lighthouses, beckoning all who passed towards the inviting glow of a corner cafe. The clinks of glasses and the sounds of soft jazz floated intermittently through the opening and closing door on East 9th as folks dressed in their sharpest settled in for a night on the town.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic…but it was, in fact, pouring rain on Saturday, January 27, 2024 the night of our second ever Roaring Twenties Prohibition Party. Here in Newport, it’s hard to think of that era without thinking of this town’s history—NKY, once the home of gangsters, gambling, and bootlegging. Prohibition was in effect nationwide and full-on being defied in this city! But for Dry January, we give a nod to both elements of the 1920s by transforming our cafe into a non-alcoholic speakeasy for a night and transporting our guests to another time through a moody ambiance, music, and classy mocktails.
The Prohibition Party is Emily Carabello’s brainchild and personal favorite out of all the Analog events we do throughout the year. She loves the music of the 1920s as it’s classy and welcoming at the same time. The idea for the event came about when Analog started creating more mocktails for its regular rotating menu. Non-alcoholic spirits have so improved in quality—and more bars and restaurants have come around to the idea that mocktails don’t have to be boring or super sugary to taste good—that Emily, and Cheyne Schuchardt our Analog Lead Barista, wanted to create an event to feature creative beverages. With no caffeine and no alcohol, this is truly an event that anyone of any age can attend and enjoy!
This year, every table had its own lamp, which added to the dimly lit, jazz club vibe. 1920s attire was encouraged and about half of those in attendance came in their best Gatsby-inspired outfits, matching the mood set by the talented jazz quartet. The tasting menu featured two mocktails: a peach nectar non-alcoholic champagne with blueberries and a gin raspberry fizz with a basil simple syrup. Guests were also served two different flavors of cannolis including Lemon Zest Raspberry and Tiramisu.
Two more mocktails from the current Analog menu were available for purchase—the Jack Frost, a fruity, wintry gin cocktail served in a frozen glass and the Finn McCool, a bourbon mule with ginger beer, lime, and cold brew ice cubes. So many mules were ordered that mid-event Justin Carabello had to go to the store to get more ginger beer and limes! All mocktails were expertly crafted by Cheyne and Cassidy, one of our Analog Baristas.
All in all, this event was incredibly fun and we’re excited to get creative with next year’s menu! If you missed the party this year, don’t snooze on getting your tickets next January! It’s just the kind of pick-me-up called for during the dark, cold days of winter.
