If patience is a virtue, there may be none more virtuous than Ken Lewis, former proprietor of The Party Source and current owner of New Riff Distilling. In what some might consider an ill-advised business decision, Lewis launched a brand-new venture knowing that his first name-brand product would take four years to hit the shelves; he opened the New Riff distillery and event space in the parking lot of The Party Source in 2014 but had to wait until 2018 to start seeing a return on investment on his own bourbon. From the get-go, it was decided that New Riff bourbon would be “bottled in bond” — a distinction set by an act passed in 1897 that means a spirit is produced in one distillation season, by one distiller at one distillery and aged for at least four years. “It was a baseline of quality,” Lewis says. Along with that distinction, the high-rye, full-bodied, slightly spicy whiskey is also non-GMO and made with water from the Ohio River Alluvial Aquifer — serendipitously located 100 feet below New Riff’s parking lot. With a four-year build-up, New Riff bourbon’s introduction to the masses came with some fanfare via “The World’s Biggest Bourbon Toast” on the Purple People Bridge in July 2018. To say people were excited might be an understatement: A first round of bottles went on sale at the distillery on Aug. 1 and the entire allocation of 2,100 sold out the first day. Today, New Riff bourbon is available at over 500 distribution points. Or you can head to the distillery — which is the northern-most stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour — to take a tour, sample the spirit and learn about the passion behind this worth-the-wait project. As Lewis says, “Our mission statement is to be one of the great small distilleries of the world.” New Riff Distilling, 24 Distillery Way, Newport, newriffdistilling.com.

2. The Blind Lemon

3. The Overlook Lodge

2. Sundry and Vice

3. MOTR Pub

2. Dutch’s

3. Oakley Pub and Grill

2. Fox & Hound

3. Back Porch Saloon

2. Coppin’s Restaurant & Bar

3. Bobby Mackey’s

2. The Crow’s Nest

3. Knotty Pine Rock Club & Tiki Bar

2. MOTR Pub

3. The Southgate House Revival

2. The Southgate House Revival

3. Madison Theater

2. Sundry and Vice

3. Queen City Exchange

2. Molly Wellmann (Japp’s)

3. Sara Hutslar (MadTree Brewing)

2. Giacomo Ciminello (Night Drop)

3. Nick Squeri (Queen City Exchange)

2. Higher Gravity

3. Queen City Exchange

If there’s one thing Cincinnatians love more than a local brewery, it’s a local brewery with an outdoor drinking area — especially if that drinking area happens to be elevated (cough Rhinegeist cough). So when Braxton Brewing Co. announced a $5 million expansion plan in January, which includes a 5,000-square-foot rooftop deck, it just gave us one more reason to love the Cov and Braxton. The plan permits the brewery to ramp up annual production to 30,000 barrels to allow them to better serve beer drinkers locally and throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Renderings show astroturf, lawn games (aka cornhole), outdoor seating, string lights and fire pits plus a view of the city. The upstairs bar will pour Braxton brews and serve cocktails and the brewery’s new Vive hard seltzer. The rooftop is currently under construction and is expected to open in summer 2019. Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, braxtonbrewing.com.

2. Arnold’s Bar & Grill

3. Hang Over Easy

4. The Eagle OTR

5. Northside Yacht Club

6. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar

7. Higher Gravity

8. Taste of Belgium

9. Redwine & Co.

10. S.W. Clyborne Co.

At the end of February 2019, The Anchor-OTR announced it was closing its doors after seven years of slinging super-fresh seafood to Cincinnatians at the corner of 14th and Race streets. It’s always sad to lose a favorite neighborhood haunt, and the loss of the Anchor will be felt quite deeply by fish fans … and bloody mary stans. The restaurant conjured up what might be the city’s most decadent drink via its Longshorman’s Bloody Mary. Named in homage of 1934’s “Bloody Thursday,” when longshoremen went on strike along the Pacific Coast, this drink balanced spice, acidity, sweetness and several sea creatures. The housemade base consisted of tomato juice, horseradish, pickle and olive juice, four different hot sauces, sugar, cayenne, garlic and a touch of umami with Old Bay seasoning. But it went big with the garnish, showcasing the Anchor’s fresh seafood with the option to add a lobster claw, shrimp or an oyster for an upcharge. It was big, bold and beautiful. And its loss is enough to shed a salty tear over.

2. Sundry and Vice

3. Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar

2. Newberry Bros. Coffee & Prohibition Bourbon Bar

3. Wiseguy Lounge

2. Jungle Jim’s International Market

3. DEP’s Fine Wine and Spirits