Another one bites the dust?

The Franklin Bar is permanently closed. Yet another COVID-19 casualty? Almost certainly. However, rumors say the building has been sold for some sort of development. Isn’t that always the story in this city? Sigh.

While this is extremely sad news for cocktail enthusiasts, it hardly comes as a surprise. Pandemic aside, Philadelphia’s cocktail scene has improved dramatically since The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company opened in 2009. With its subterranean, Prohibition-era speakeasy-like ambiance, The Franklin helped kick off a new thirst for classy cocktails and sophisticated mixology in Philadelphia. This is the end of a twelve-year run for the beloved bar in the Rittenhouse area.

While a formal announcement was not made by the owners until a few days after this original article was written, I have spoken with a source I find pretty reliable plus chatter online signaled the closure. Apparently, they will bring it back, but somewhere else. I sure hope so!

Either way, I was honored to judge a cocktail competition there a few years back. So many fond & fuzzy memories!

Share your memories with me here in the comments or on the Instagram post below. Me? I miss those tiki cocktails by Brian Maxwell and Raul Martin.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marilyn (@phillygrub)

Share your favorite cocktails in the city here.