The Karaoke Bar Is Finally Taking Cocktails Seriously
It’s 9:30 p.m. in New York City. A boisterous bachelorette party of eight waltzes through the West Village to its final destination. When the women arrive, they’re escorted to a sleek, brown leather banquette, greeted with a round of cocktails sporting ultra-premium Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, and handed Sennheiser wireless microphones, ones that would be better suited for an ABBA concert than a private karaoke room.
Stepping into one of the many new-wave karaoke bars, you can feel a shift. Gone are the days when the offerings were limited to bottom-shelf tequila, laminated binders, and harshly lit spaces. Distinct areas for lounging, eating, and conversing, high-end decor details, state-of-the-art sound systems, and, last but not least, a considered, premium beverage program are now the name of the game.
Historically, the entertainment industry has been scrutinized by the bar world for treating drinks as an afterthought rather than a part of the experience. A karaoke bar might be a place you go not because of the beverage package, but despite it. But what if the entertainment and drink experiences went hand in hand?
Credit: King KTV
Distinctly Different But Not So Serious
In the U.S., karaoke is often associated with a public performance where you sign up to sing in front of a full bar; only later did it adopt the traditional, private-room format seen overseas. In cities across East Asia, such as Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei, full-service, intimate rooms with elaborate, elevated food and drink menus come standard, and the venues operate more like clubs. This makes sense considering karaoke’s roots in the hospitality industry; Japanese inventor Shigeichi Negishi wired a microphone into an 8-track car stereo, but the machine, far too expensive for home use, found its audience at hotels, restaurants, and bars, a fact the current wave of cocktail-forward karaoke bars seems to be just rediscovering.
These full-service venues with private rooms and curated food and drink menus provide a premium experience that goes beyond your average sing-along. The menus themselves are intricate without being overly complex — snacks aren’t sticky or saucy and don’t require utensils, drinks have a lower ABV for pacing throughout the night, and, of course, top-shelf liquor and quality ingredients are commonplace.
Female-founded and operated Beatbox opened less than a year ago, surrounded by some of the best cocktail bars in NYC and smack in the middle of the corporate office zone. Sara Goodison and Lannie Rosenfield Rydell saw this opportunity as white space: “Music is a powerful connector, yet the ways you can connect around music are limited to concerts and festivals” or in digital solitude, “via Spotify and TikTok,” says Rydell.
Before the recording sign turns a glowy red, guests are escorted to the BB lounge, an intentionally separate space from the karaoke rooms where they can escape from the world for a little while. Beyond functioning as a waiting area, it doubles as a space to decompress with a housemade cocktail crafted by experienced bar director Lena Maio during happy hour or as a nightcap.
“If we are going to be serving drinks, they are going to be exceptional.”
Mic Drop in Los Angeles has its own version of the setup, moving guests through a lobby that resembles a green room studded with vanity lights and wigs on mannequins. Jue Let in San Antonio brands itself as a craft cocktail bar first, with two VIP karaoke lounges as an amenity, a natural extension of its cocktail party vibe and a great way to “cut loose on the mic,” says beverage director Elisabeth Forsythe. In a hospitality-forward city that’s not L.A., Chicago, or NYC, this is an ambitious bet, and one Jue Let is winning, considering the rooms are always booked.
Just because the venues are premium and sophisticated doesn’t mean these operators are choosing between being serious and having fun. The drinks, aesthetic, and vibe have to be dialed in enough that the room can afford to be playful, creating a true high-low balance where caviar service and a boilermaker combo can live comfortably in the same location. “There is this desire to create a space that would be fun, enjoyable, and experiential,” says Forsythe. “One of our cocktails is interactive with a divination machine. Get a fancy shrimp cocktail or baozone (bao/calzone hot pocket). Even though we have fine offerings, you can still have a lively time and feel welcomed.”
Leo Kremer, owner of Mic Drop and former Third Eye Blind bassist, views karaoke from the performer’s perspective, which makes him obsessed with hospitality and shapes what he thinks a karaoke bar should look like. Being super meticulous about the product and guest experience lets Mic Drop “earn the right to be playful and not come off sloppy,” says Kremer. The Main Stage is a perfect example: After a rowdy two hours of private karaoke practice, you can take your biggest hits and perform them in front of a crowd. To skip the line and bump your name to the top of the KJ’s (karaoke jockey) list, simply order a Froggy 5000, the perfect social lubricant of Clase Azul reposado topped with smoke bubbles.
Credit: Jessica Lee – SunRose Creative
What’s in a Name?
Several of these menus are doing something deliberate without being kitschy: In Chicago, King KTV, which bills itself as the city’s first luxury karaoke bar, debuted the Cruel Summer, an homage to Taylor Swift made with tequila, chili, watermelon, lime, and black lava salt. Mic Drop hints at the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the smoky and balanced “Mezcalifornication” featuring Del Maguey mezcal, grapefruit, lime, and tarragon. In fact, its whole menu alludes to artists and songs, including Kremer’s own band, memorialized in the Paloma-esque Semi-Charmed Life.
“There is this desire to create a space that would be fun, enjoyable, and experiential. … One of our cocktails is interactive with a divination machine.”
Beatbox wants its drinks to stand on their own and offers an extensive list of alcoholic and NA beverages. The Foster’s Old Fashion includes banana-infused bourbon and black walnut bitters, while the NA Aeroglider features Ritual’s aperitif alternative and Lyre’s amaretti. But it also has “if you know, you know” references, with options like Mint Condition, a way to describe untouched records, made with rum and mint.
Jue Let takes a more restaurant-minded approach. Forsythe grounds the beverage program in Asian-influenced ingredients such as jasmine, chrysanthemum tea, and yuzu vermouth, with a curated wine list that features options for any discerning palate. Equally important is the menu’s focus on low- and no-ABV options like the Creature of Habit: Giffard grapefruit NA, pine needle syrup, dealcoholized Riesling, and soda water.
Credit: Cassie Constanzo
Mix It, and They Will Come
If you ask what makes their bar programs work, each of these proprietors will give you a similar answer: Consistency builds trust, and that is what gets the guest to order something they’ve never heard of or tried. This logic is akin to what sommeliers use for meticulous wine lists. The difference is that the drinks need to be good enough to survive the 10-minute, belted-out version of “All Too Well.”
Across the board, the new wave of karaoke bars challenges the assumption that karaoke guests and craft cocktail drinkers are two separate demographics, as Kremer puts it best: “If we are going to be serving drinks, they are going to be exceptional.” You’ll find a diverse array of audiences at all locations: karaoke veterans, the happy-hour and after-hours crowds, and even those who have stumbled in and decide to try their voice at karaoke, spurred on by an unexpectedly delicious cocktail.
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