Bar Guide 2014: Jimmy Mak's

By KATHRYN PEIFER

Jimmy Mak's

221 NW 10th Ave., 295-6542, jimmymaks.com. 5 pm-midnight Monday-Thursday, 5 pm-1 am Friday-Saturday.

The red velvet curtains and old-Hollywood inspired drinks of this Pearl District jazz lounge inspires romance for a time most of us don't remember. Still, the capacity crowd on a recent night includes mostly those old enough to do so, interspersed with select young'uns; the audience chatter crescendos with the music, and softens as it calms. Between songs by Mak's resident Mel Brown Quartet, the veteran drummer—wearing a yellow zoot suit—suggests we "do the Detroit lean and just listen." So sip slowly on a Lemon Meringue—a crowd favorite with vanilla-bean vodka, triple sec and cream—and sway. Or opt for a stiff drink, like the Real Old Fashioned ($8.50), with Fee Brothers bitters and Bulleit bourbon, and leaning is all you'll be able to do. KATHRYN PEIFER.

What plays: Jazz, man. Jazz.

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