Gilmore Girls has brought us hundreds of classic TV scenes: moms exclaiming “Oy, with the poodles already,” twentysomething Ivy League rich kids jumping off buildings in ugly steampunk attire for a secret society, the shoplifting of corn starch. But one of the best scenes in the show is when Rory attends a Quentin Tarantino-themed party (in the episode “Pulp Friction,” naturally). Rory goes as Gogo from Kill Bill (keep in mind this episode aired in 2005) and almost leaves the party with Butch Coolidge. The party drips with Tarantino charm, from girls in golden dresses playing electric guitars on tables to people lazily twisting, wearing only socks. It’s a party that anyone who has seen Gilmore Girls has wanted to attend, and with the Gilmore Girls revival fresh on Netflix, here’s a secret — something that will make you incredibly popular among the Gilmore Girls crowd (aka everyone important) — the Tarantino party exists, and it’s happening every night in Walnut Hills.
The Video Archive opened in October and has since garnered more than 1,000 likes and 53 reviews on Facebook, all 5 stars. This is quite the feat, even more so considering that the bar resembles a VHS store and is only marked on the exterior by a twin rabbit logo (called Honeybunnys, of course) painted on the windows. Unless you’re a collector of videotapes or if it’s a particularly chilly day, you probably wouldn’t step into the storefront, a small room with bookcases filled with tapes ranging from Disney’s Fantasia to Heathers.
The first hint that things are not as they seem is the man who checks your ID at the door — and then recommends checking out a particular title on the wall. I’m not going to tell you which videotape opens the secret door in the wall that opens into the Tarantino-themed speakeasy; you need to go to The Video Archive and figure it out yourself.
It takes a certain genius to even think of combining a speakeasy with cult film. “Speakeasies and Prohibition-era cocktails seem very stuffy nowadays, so we wanted to create this awesome space that celebrated independent film and music,” says Jacob Trevino, owner and creator of The Video Archive. “I think we tried to buy into the speakeasy vibe as much as we could without taking ourselves too seriously.”
And really, the bar doesn’t. But the effect of this lighthearted attitude mixed with excellent liquor, dark rooms, movies projected behind the bartenders, shattered mirrors and framed photos of Mia Wallace impersonators on the wall creates something that, while not serious, is delightfully magical.
“For us, this isn’t about a speakeasy being exclusive — we want the magic to be inclusive,” Trevino says. “I think that’s why a video store and why Walnut Hills works for us. People of all races, genders and backgrounds have this common language of film, and we get to celebrate that with the neighborhood.”
During my time at The Video Archive, I sampled four drinks, all the while partying with a scruffy man in a hoodie sipping on Budweiser and a handful of diehard Ohio State fans in red face paint slamming shots named Mr. Pink. This is an inclusive bar, in an inclusive neighborhood, with a drink and a price point for every type of person. There’s cheap beer and then there’s the $12 Royale With Cheese, made with yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice, simple syrup and Rhinegeist Truth. It’s as good as it sounds, served in a wide-brimmed champagne glass.
I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Before that, I sampled the Black Mamba ($9), the Texas to Tokyo ($9) and the Five Dollar Shake (surprisingly, just $5). The Texas to Tokyo was the most popular drink at the bar and delivered a mighty bitter jolt with a smooth finish thanks to the combination of lemon-grass-infused Sochu, El Jimador Reposado, blood-orange serrano syrup and lime. The aftertaste of the Texas to Tokyo was peppery, as in an actual serrano pepper. I’ve never had a cocktail like it and probably won’t until the next time I go back.
The Black Mamba stole my heart, though. The drink is creamy, with “Bourbon-Kissed Gin” from Watershed Distillery and coconut-milk lemon-peel cordial. The glass was decorated with sweet poppy seeds down the side, which begged you to lick your cocktail glass.
Finally, the Five Dollar Milkshake. I’d have to agree with Vincent Vega: In the 1990s, that might have been a pretty penny to pay for a shake. But in 2016 Cincinnati, getting a cocktail topped with whipped cream and sprinkles for $5 is a godsend.
“You can barely get a well gin and tonic in this city under $5, so figuring out a cost-effective way to make this milkshake took some astronaut math,” Trevino says.
He explains that they didn’t want to “skimp on the spirit, either.” They succeeded at paying homage to the quintessential Pulp Fiction beverage by creating bourbon cream in-house, flavored with your choice of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. I went with the strawberry, which was still built on a vanilla base, an intelligent flavor profile that conjured up every great milkshake of my childhood while still nodding firmly to the bourbon beneath.
The Video Archive is another success for Trevino, who is also part of Gorilla Cinema Presents, a company dedicated to concept bars and pop-up experiences. This is the same team that brought us Overlook Lodge, the Shining-themed bar in Pleasant Ridge. As for what’s next, Trevino hasn’t gone into detail, noting only that Gorilla Cinema Presents will be announcing its first big pop-up event for the new year in January. For now, I’ll be back to The Video Archive before you can say “blueberry pie.”
The Video Archive
GO: 965 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills; CALL: 513-559-9500; INTERNET: facebook.com/videoarchivecincinnati; HOURS: 4 p.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday; 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday; 2-10 p.m. Sunday.
This article appears in Dec 7-14, 2016.