So it’s Christmas Eve, and you’re thirsty for a drink beyond another glass of egg nog.
Maybe you want to show guests from out of town some of the best bars that Sarasota and Manatee counties have to offer. Perhaps you’re alone on the holidays and want to find some company. Maybe you’re trying to avoid a family argument about politics and want to duck into a nearby watering hole.
Fortunately, a number of local bars will be staying open on the holiday. Some will even be hosting special events that day, ranging from bands playing to bottle releases to birthday parties.
Here is a list of seven Sarasota-Manatee bars open and worth visiting on Christmas Eve.
JDub’s Brewing Company and Taproom
If you’re looking for a place to start, why not JDub’s, which will soon celebrate its third anniversary?
Housed in the same building as the brewery is JDub’s taproom, which features a relaxed vibe and a number of weekly activities. On one night, you can run into a yoga session and a food truck at the same time.
But it’s serious when it comes to its beer. Several of the brewery’s offerings are available on tap, including their Up Top! IPA, Bell Cow milk chocolate porter and Good Shuckin’ Stuff oyster stout with sage.
So it’s fitting that JDub’s will celebrate Christmas Eve with the release of their Siesta Key Rum Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. The bottle may even make a good last-minute stocking stuffer for the brew-lover you know.
1215 Mango Ave., Sarasota; 941-955-2739; jdubsbrewing.com
Motorworks Brewing
A nice Manatee County counterpart to JDubs is Bradenton’s Motorworks Brewing, another real-deal craft brewery with a laid-back taproom.
Inside, you can order award-winning Motorworks creations like their Midnight Espresso Porter and V-Twin Vienna Lager, as well as a slew of other beers, wines and craft cocktails.
From there, you can take your drink out to the beer garden, which the brewery boasts is the largest in Florida. It is an impressive sight with an expansive deck, a number of lawn games and a large oak tree as the centerpiece, festooned with Christmas lights during the holiday season.
Motorworks also features a steady supply of food trucks and live music. It’ll have both on Christmas Eve, with Kebob’s Food Truck onsite starting at 11 a.m. and dance band NeXXleveL performing on the beer garden’s outdoor stage at 6 p.m.
1014 9th St. W., Bradenton; 941-567-6218; motorworksbrewing.com
Gator Club
There are a lot of great bars in Sarasota-Manatee to choose from, but how many are actually two bars in one and offer a piece of local history on top of that?
Located in the heart of downtown Sarasota, the Gator Club is a historic two-story brick building that’s been around since 1913.
On the first floor is a bar that’s been the backdrop for many Sarasota residents’ hazy weekend nights. Then there’s a second bar that specializes in spirits on the upstairs floor, which also used to house a bordello.
The venue also regularly features live music, with a marquee outside filled with the names of performers. This Christmas Eve, there will be a free show featuring Sarasota soul group and frequent Gator Club visitors The Hydramatic.
1490 Main St., Sarasota; 941-366-5969; thegatorclub.com
Phillippi Creek Village Restaurant & Oyster Bar
If you’re entertaining out-of-town guests over the holidays and want to show them a slice of the Sunshine State – or just want to experience it yourself – Phillippi Creek Village Restaurant & Oyster Bar is worth checking out.
The building offers a waterfront view of the titular Phillippi Creek and a wooden oyster shack aesthetic. There’s also a menu featuring a plethora of Florida seafood including grouper, snapper and, of course, oysters.
The restaurant also features a full bar with tasty bloody marys and various other cocktails, wine, and your usual suspects of draft and domestic beers.
It will be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas, with a menu that will incorporate Christmas dinner and holiday-inspired specials. Or just ignore traditions entirely and indulge in a seafood supper.
5353 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-925-4444; creekseafood.com
Memories Lounge
Craft beer, child-friendly trappings and extensive menus are nice and all, but sometimes you just need a good cheap, stiff drink. That’s where Memories Lounge comes in.
Memories is the textbook definition of a dive bar, with dim lighting, cigarette smoke that clings to your clothes hours after and thoroughly affordable drinks.
The cheap prices and Friday night karaoke in particular help attract students from nearby New College and Ringling College of Art & Design. But the clientele varies vastly in age and background, with the bar having a real “Cheers”-esque, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” feel to it.
Or where everybody knows your birthday, as the bar celebrates Christmas Eve with a party celebrating the December birthdays of its frequenters. If you aren’t spending Christmas Eve with your family this year, find a surrogate one at Memories Lounge. Or bring your own there, if they don’t mind the smoke.
3428 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-355-9849; facebook.com/memoriesloungesarasota
Growler’s Pub
Right by Memories Lounge on Tamiami Trail is Growler’s Pub, another bar that will keep its doors open on Christmas Eve.
Students make up much of its clientele, which isn’t surprising as it’s a short walk from Ringling College of Art & Design and a quick drive away from New College and University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.
The bar is a nice mix of craft beer, with around 30 of them on tap, and casual atmosphere with concerts and other fun events. On Thursday (Dec. 22), it will host a “lip-sync pajama party” with prizes and drink specials.
Growler’s doesn’t have any events planned on Christmas Eve. But it will be open that day, and if you’re looking for an in-the-know place to grab a craft beer over the holiday, that’s event enough.
2831 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-487-7373; growlersonline.com
Cock & Bull
Cock & Bull is another one of Sarasota’s hipper watering holes.
The wooden interior features a wide variety of beers to choose from, as well as a food menu that includes pizza, pretzels and sandwiches. Outside, there’s a beer garden with a fire pit and performance space for musicians.
Cock & Bull is notable for hosting some of the more under-the-radar acts that come through Sarasota. The night before Christmas Eve, it will have a show featuring Nashville’s Gunther Doug and Chicago’s Vivian K.
The bar doesn’t have any events scheduled for Christmas Eve itself, but it will stay open. And like Growler’s, that’s enough of a special occasion to make it worth the trip out there.
975 Cattlemen Rd., Sarasota; 941-363-1262; facebook.com/cnbpub