Smoke and Liquors

Taking a break from reality, I went out for drinks yesterday with a friend I made on some of the hiking adventures I've been going on. He's not from the city and the bar scene is one i’m unfamiliar with. I ended up browsing some locations on Google maps prior to selecting a spot to meet. I saw a few joints before selecting the destination. I chose Le Mardi Gras. This bar is located at 731 Copeland St. near the Walnut St. shopping area of Shadyside. I arrived via Uber about ten minutes before my drinking partner arrived. When I walked into the bar, the first thing on the door I noticed was a warning sign that stated "This is a smoking bar, those under 21 should not enter". I took the warning as "well how bad could it be" and "I am in need of a new experience". Walking into the bar, there's about seven steps to walk up and then I found myself in this dimly lit room with about six plasma screen televisions all showing the Steeler playoff game. There was definitely the smell of cigar smoke. There was also an old school feel to this bar. There is a juke box, old paintings and murals, cozy booths, and about 10 bar chairs wrapped around a bar with varying liquors. The bartender is a 35 year old male named Zan (pronounced Zen). Initially he handed us two drink menus and let us know that the bar is cash only, but there is an atm located in the back hallway of the bar. A little different but I was okay with it. Sitting at the bar with us until the end of the game was two sets of duos on either side of us. After the game conclusion, those watching the game, left broken hearted that the Steelers didn't advance in the postseason. All in all, the friend of mine and I stayed for about 3 hours. We ended up talking to the bartender in more depth at certain points and learned about him as well as the bar.

The bar offers a long cocktail list with various options. They also offer IPAs, bottles, a few beers on tap, and white claws. The liquor is all in gallon handles which to Zan's point of view when discussing whiskeys, he shared "It doesn't allow for someone to come in and really drink something unique because everything we get for the bar has to be in a gallon handle". Point taken. As a whiskey enthusiast, I love going to a bar and trying something new that I can't get anywhere else. My favorite beverage I have had is Angel's Envy. The local favorite is usually something from Wigle Whiskey. The bar first opened in 1954. Zan informed us that the paintings around the bar are of the very first people who frequented the bar. The mood in this establishment is old school. The lights are dimmed. There is an old red and white flowered carpet going throughout the sitting area and the seats are comfortable. The bar does not offer food which doesn't bode well for the rules we developed with Zan during our conversation. The rules are as follows:

1. Don't drink and drive: Uber/Lyft/Rideshare to and from the establishment. Your life and others lives on the road are far more important than driving while impaired.

2. Always drink a glass of water or two per alcoholic beverage: Not only does this dilute the alcohol in your system, but it prevents serious hangovers from flushing your system with water in between drinks. The negative part of this rule is the frequent amount of trips to the bathroom one takes.

3. Never drink on an empty stomach: this is a very important rule, having food in your body prior to drinking can have a lot of rewards, but most importantly, it is unlikely to be seriously sick after indulging in alcoholic beverages before having a nastier hangover.

The drinks:

When we initially browsed the menu, there were a few drinks that stood out initially to us that would serve as an order for what we would be trying. My friend's two drinks he planned to have were: Creamsicle (Captain Morgan, Rumchata, fresh orange; "fresh from the ice cream truck") and 007 (Fresh orange juice, orange vodka, and 7 up; "Orange soda for adults"). My two drinks initially were Creamsicle as well and an Espresso Martini (Tito's Vodka, Kailua, cold brew; "Rich coffee flavor with a smooth buzz"). I opted for a third drink when my friend ended up drinking two creamsicles and I opted for a 007 so we could both try the drink. Everything we had was reasonably priced, we actually were there for happy hour and Zan was kind enough to at least sell our second drinks to us before happy hour ended just to give us the discount. By the time I think I got to my espresso martini, it was unlikely to still be happy hour. The normal prices for the Creamsicle and Espresso Martinis are 8 dollars each, but the happy hour price was only 6 dollars. The drinks were strong, but done right in my opinion. I was telling Zan (bartender) about an espresso martini I had from another establishment that was bitter in taste and how watching him craft the beverage and dusting the top with cinnamon sugar, it made all the difference. In the 007 beverage, the fresh orange juice is out of a freshly squeezed orange that Zan squeezed in front of us using all of his might. He really worked for the perfection of the beverages. The creamsicle tasted like I just got something out of the neighborhood ice cream truck. It was creamy, the right amount of sweet, and alcohol as well. In total, I probably had five glasses of water with my 2.5 drinks. For bartending, service, atmosphere, and persona, Zan and Le Mardi Gras get a five star rating from myself.

Personal Reflection:

We covered a long range of subjects in our conversation, but we started out with a simple "how are you doing". Basic enough, but looking back at the previous eight weeks of my life I have had to adapt to two major life changes in my family and friend group that I couldn't have done without the support of my friends and family as whole. My dad passed away on November 20, 2023. My dad's best friend and near blood relative to me my whole life passed away on January 1, 2024. Two unimaginable losses in such a short amount of time really created a hole in my life. I lost my best friend, my baseball game partner, and my father in the six days prior to him passing. I lost a second father on the day that his friend passed away. I have overall been handling both of these losses fairly well and as much as it hurts to lose two people so close to me, it has opened doorways with old friends, family members who I hadn't spoken to in a long time, and as my cousin put it "made us all closer". Speaking to my friend in this bar, just the two of us, him experiencing similar loss at about the same age as I am now, it was just nice to take a break from reality and engage in conversation. With my dad, I think the leading cause of my dealings with his passing is that I knew he wasn't going to recover. I knew there was no chance for a recovery for him. I had closure with him. I knew he was never in any pain and that made me feel really good for him. I knew the ins and outs of what life would have looked like had we not made the decision to let go. I knew he wouldn't have wanted that outcome. We have held onto the memories and the times we spent together. I have learned stories I never knew about him since he passed, like the time he claimed he met Baker Mayfield in a bar or the time he tried tequila when he rushed a fraternity in college. With his friend, I learned he once had a press pass to a college basketball tournament and sat next to Magic Johnson and had the opportunity to interview him. It is these encounters with people who knew these two men outside of the lives that they lived with their closest loved ones.

For me, getting out and escaping reality while having good conversation with a good friend is exactly what I needed in that moment. I realize I can approach the response to the events in my life in two ways.

1. I can sit on my couch, develop poor coping mechanisms, and never leave my apartment missing out on life and all that remains that is good in it. Or..

2. I can get out every day and engage with others, I can talk to my loved ones, I can grieve in a healthy way where every day I live my life to the fullest and be a better person because of it.

At the end of the day, yes my dad is no longer with us and my dad's friend is no longer with us either, but we have each other and every day we should be telling those still around us that we appreciate them and the impact they've had in our lives. I have grown to adapt to this "never knowing when your last breath is" and just going out and living life to the fullest every day since experiencing these two devastating losses but still managing to get by.