Best Swift Gift: Taylor Swift sent off signed CDs to independent record stores across the country

In support of her surprise album folklore, Taylor Swift sent off signed CDs to independent record stores across the country. News began spreading on social media that various stores, including Shake It Records in Northside, had gotten their hands on this precious Taylor treasure. The folks at Shake It shared a photo of signed copies of her record-breaking eighth studio record — her first Indie Rock-sounding entry, co-produced by frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff and The National’s (and hometown hero) Aaron Dessner. As per Shake It’s tweet, “No holds, locals-only and just one per customer. Thanks, Taylor for your love of indie shops!” The records obviously sold out the same day. (But she sent more right before the holidays.) The super sweet gesture is par for the course for the ever-generous Swift, who, in April, made an undisclosed donation to support every full-time staffer at Nashville’s premier independent record store, Grimey’s, which was forced to close during the pandemic. shakeitrecords.com.

Best Of Cincinnati Music & Nightlife (Reader Picks): Cincinnati's best music and nightlife picks as selected by CityBeat readers

Best Of Cincinnati Music & Nightlife pig

Reader Picks

Best New Bar

Best Overall Bar/Club (Not Brewery/Taproom)

Best Bar/Club (Downtown/OTR)

Best Bar/Club (Northern Kentucky)

Best Bar/Club (Central)

Best Bar/Club (East Side)

Best Bar/Club (West Side)

Best Bar/Club (Burbs)

Best Bar/Club for Live Music (Local Bands)

Best Bar/Club for Live Music (National Acts)

Best Bar/Club Staff

Best Bartender (Female)

Best Bartender (Male)

Best Beer Selection (Bottles & Cans)

Best Beer Selection (Draft)

Best Bloody Mary

Best Bourbon Cocktail

Best Bourbon Selection (Bar)

Best Bourbon Selection (Retail)

Best Bowling Alley

Best Casino

Best Celtic/British Pub

Best Club/Party DJ

Best Cocktail Bar/Lounge

Best College-Crowd Bar

Best Happy Hour (Drinks)

Best Happy Hour (Food)

Best Hard Cider

Best Hard Seltzer/Sparkling Spirit

Best Local Band (Covers)

Best Local Band (Originals)

Best Local Brewery

Best Local Distillery

Best Local Music Promoter

Best Music Festival/Event

Best No-Frills Watering Hole

Best Open Mic Night

Best Place to Drink While You Wait for a Table

Best Place to Play Games

Best Place to Shoot Pool

Best Place to Throw Darts

Best Of Cincinnati Music & Nightlife (Staff Picks): Cincinnati's best music and nightlife picks as selected by CityBeat staff

Staff Picks

Best Place to Party Like It’s Sunday

Best Boozy Hand Sanitizer

Best Inadvertent Patio Movie Sing-Alongs

Best Li’l Sebastian That Isn’t a Mini Horse

Best Book About Cincinnati’s Music History to Come Along in 2020

Best Member of The National to Win a Grammy for His Work on Taylor Swift’s folklore

Best Swift Gift

Best Place for a Casual Gathering If You Don’t Have a Backyard

Best Worst Name for a Pumpkin-Flavored Beer

Best Basic Pumpkin Spice in a Can

Best Holiday Bar Pop-Up to Wear Your Worst Ugly Christmas Sweater

Best Repurposed Gas Station

Best Socially Distant Concert on Wheels

Best Gift to Northern Kentucky’s The Lodge Recording Studio

Best Petite Pendleton Cocktail Escape

Best Very Specific Happy Hour Gimmick

Best Wussy Benefit Concert

Best Makeover for MainStrasse’s Pachinko

Best Jazzy Wine Bar with a Focus on Female and BIPOC Winemakers

Best Botanical Ice Cubes

Best Sold-Out Local Reunion Concert We Hope Happens Eventually

Best New Tiki Bar with a River View

Best Local Brewery Making a Beer Alternative That Isn’t Hard Seltzer

Best Over-the-Top Alcoholic Milkshakes

Best New DORA District

Best Cover Song Performance Organized by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Best Brewery Expansion Across the Ohio River

Best and Only Cincinnati Drinking Destination to Make “Esquire” Magazine’s Best Bars in America 2020 List

Best First Solo Album

Best Local Front Porch Happy Hour Movement To Go National

Best Bar Making Its Own Amaro

Best Online Cocktail Class with its Own DIY Kit

Best Blend of Interpretative Composition and Historic Spaces

Best Beer Collaboration to Foster Inclusion in the Industry and Raise Awareness of Social and Racial Injustice

Best Beer Collaboration to Use Turkish Coffee

Best Brewery That Hosts Its Own Farmers Market

Best Funky Cocktail Kits You Can Make at Home — with a Playlist to Boot

Best Themed Outdoor Patio

Best Groovy Suburban Brewery

Best Over-the-Rhine Craft Beer and Bottle Shop

Best Way to Turn America’s Largest Oktoberfest into a Socially Distant Celebration

Best Use of a Theater Marquee During a Pandemic

Best Surprise Christmas Concert Livestream

Best Bourbon Offering Relief to Restaurant Workers

Best and Only Cincinnati Drinking Destination to Make “Esquire” Magazine’s Best Bars in America 2020 List: Staff Pick

Over-the-Rhine’s Wodka Bar was the only one of the two dozenish bars across the country praised by Esquire in their most recent “Best Bars in America” list to be located in Cincinnati. Food & Drinks editor Jeff Gordinier wrote of the cocktail lounge, “The very existence of a bar devoted to vodka feels like a rebuke to all the bartenders who’ve scoffed at the spirit. But this spot takes the defiance a step further, offering shots of vodka infused with (among other things) mangoes and peanut brittle.” And, of course, plenty of pierogi and other Eastern European eats. wodkabarotr.com.

Best Bar Making Its Own Amaro: Longfellow

This winter, Longfellow crafted and bottled their own amaro, a popular herbal digestif, for purchase and in special themed snack packs. They also began making their own line of cocktail bitters, infused with chamomile and coriander, which fans can get to-go. longfellowbar.com.