It doesn’t take much of an airtight excuse to get us in to Alibi. It’s the ideal trifecta of amazing cocktails, engaging design, and primo location that are a solid bet in our books. Lots of natural light if you want it, or cozy corners for snuggling equally abound. Clean lines mellowed and enhanced by the stellar mural by Dan Christofferson (a COLLECTIVE fav), who along with finish carpenter Oliver Lewis was given free reign with the bar design and aesthetic. The finished product reads as layered, urban, comfortable, and funky.

Any place that needs a dedicated plant wrangler to handle all of the fabulous, live foliage is worth visiting on the regular.

While we’re all about the design, let us be clear that this is, first and foremost, a cocktail bar of the Nth degree of deliciousness. There’s creativity and a whip-smart sense of humor here, too, and we embrace it whole-heartedly. Case in point: “The Strut,” a bold rye and Cynar cocktail special named after the late Main Street nightclub legends Vasilios Priskos and Dimitri Golesis ran in the ‘80s (in the basement of the Felt Building next door). It’s a space where apocryphal stories of daring-do and debauchery linger. The club closed after a couple of years, some say because of a shooting that took place after a breakdancing competition got aggro. Ah, the ‘80s. Good times.

It was a perfect storm of circumstances that brought Alibi into fruition decades later. Along with Worthen, familiar faces of our salty city’s bar scene Jacob Hall, Fernando Lazalde, and Mike Askerland consolidated their substantial bartending and party management talents to form the cocktail catering company Nice & Easy. As their business grew, they started looking for a dedicated downtown space from which they could run the operation. When the Main Street location became available, they snapped up the property, and decided the joint deserved a full-time bar.

Located across the street from the old courthouse, the name Alibi was a natural fit.

“We take a big stance on inclusivity,” says Worthen of their mission. “We care about creating a safe and inviting space for everyone. Like a neighborhood bar where everyone knows everybody, but bringing that to Main Street.” And it’s more than just talk: the team does regular theme nights with proceeds going to over a dozen different charities, and their Valentine’s Day LGBTQ Night party is legend-level. We suggest you put it on your calendar for next year as an airtight Alibi for your next crime of passion.

Alibi Bar & Place | 369 Main St. | 801.532.2707 | Instagram