Embury - Old Time Cocktails

If you ever wondered what it must have been like to drink in a speakeasy, but aren't real fond of wondering what cholera and black lung were like back in the 20's, then take a trip down to the edge of the Strip District to Embury.

Embury is located on the bottom floor of the Firehouse Lounge (2216 Penn Avenue). They strive to serve a cocktail in the truest sense of the word. Some of the cocktails they serve have been extinct from a bartender's knowledge base for decades.

Embury also uses the freshest ingredients such as lemon peels passed through a flame for zest, clapping a mint leaf between two hands to "wake up" the mint flavors, and making all of their bitters from scratch. As an added bonus, the bartenders (should they be called cocktail artists?) dress the part of looking like they stepped out of the Roaring 20's.

As for the space of Embury, it is very small and dark. There are probably no more than six seats at the bar and another eight tables to sit and converse. It has a library/study feel to it. You sort of feel like Professor Plum is going to pop out with a lead pipe at some point. It's really better suited for the fall or winter, rather than summer, but it works at any time.

Couple points to note. First, each cocktail is handcrafted right in front of you as it is ordered. Expect each cocktail to take 5 minutes to make. Second, you pay for artistry. Each cocktail is $10, so this isn't a place that you go and get your crunk on.

But it's worth checking out at least once. And if you hate it, you can go upstairs to Firehouse and bump and grind and chug Miller Lite.