The Story Behind Our Cocktails at Bar 1924

Some bars seek escapism, some spectacle. We chose restraint, precision, and repetition.

The Main Styles of Cocktail Bars

Most cocktail bars fall into a few broad categories. none of which are particularly better than the other

Tiki Bars: Escapism and Fantasy

Tiki bars are built around immersion. They lean heavily into tropical imagery, rum-forward drinks, layered syrups, elaborate garnishes, and theatrical presentation. The goal is transport—to make you feel like you’ve stepped somewhere else entirely.

They’re fun, expressive, and celebratory. But they’re also complex by design. Drinks often involve many components, longer build times, and bold, dominant flavors.

Unlike classic cocktail bars—where gin, whiskey, tequila, and brandy all share the stage—tiki is built almost entirely on rum.

But not just one kind.

Tiki drinks often combine multiple rums in a single cocktail, each chosen for a specific role.

A single tiki cocktail might contain two, three, or even four rums—layered intentionally to create complexity that unfolds sip by sip.

This rum structure is one of the clearest markers of true tiki.

Concept Bars: Experience-First

Concept bars center around a theme—an era, a story, or an idea. The drinks often support the narrative, sometimes at the expense of familiarity. Menus can be playful, experimental, and intentionally surprising.

These spaces thrive on novelty and reinvention. They’re meant to be explored, talked about, and remembered for their uniqueness.

Guests generally enjoy storytelling and discovery. They are not just ordering a drink. They are choosing to participate in an experience.

Classic Cocktail Bars: Balance and Restraint

Classic cocktail bars take a different approach. Instead of asking, “What haven’t we done yet?” they ask, “How do we do this right—every time?”

The foundation is built on enduring drinks: spirit-forward cocktails, balanced sours, simple highballs. The focus is technique, proportion, temperature, dilution, and consistency. All built around the foundation of mixology.

The experience is quieter—but deeper.

Why we chose the Classics

A well-made drink doesn’t need to surprise you once—it needs to satisfy you every time. Classic cocktails reward subtlety, where small refinements improve balance without altering the drink’s identity. They’re familiar enough to feel approachable, yet nuanced enough to remain interesting over time.

That’s why drinks like the Old Fashioned have endured. They showcase consistency, clarity, and restraint—using the natural character of the spirit to shape the experience, not mask it. The goal isn’t to hide the liquor, but to enhance what’s already there.

Classic cocktails also honor the guest. You don’t need a backstory to enjoy them. You don’t need to decipher a menu. You order what you like, and the bar’s job is to execute it properly.

That simplicity is deceptive and it’s harder than it looks.

Consistency Over Spectacle

When you work with the classics - there is no where to hide.

Ice quality matters. Measurements matter. Glassware matters.

A small mistake shows up immediately in the glass.

That’s where consistency comed into play. It's not “That was interesting,” but “That was exactly what I wanted.”

At Bar 1924, our goal is to be the kind of place where your drink today tastes the same the next time you come in—whether that’s next week or months from now.

A Bar built for Regulars

Classic cocktails are neighborhood bars by design. They encourage conversation. They allow the room to breathe. They don’t demand attention—they earn trust.

Different styles for different intentions.