We can’t drink at work, but we can listen to Cincinnati beer being made! Play Audio Agency spent a day capturing the sounds of Rhinegeist Brewery, making a score out of a Cincinnati hotspot “from the clinking of glasses to the hum of the brewing machinery, the bubbling of fermenters and the tapping of kegs,” as the team put it. This is one necessary stop on the playlist that is Cincy. It’s all part of Play It, a series launched by Play Audio Agency in November 2024 that aims to create music tracks based on iconic spots around Cincinnati. Since its launch, the Play It team has captured the natural “songs” created by places like the Roebling Bridge, as well as Corsi Tree Farm and Doscher’s Candies around the holidays. It’s also really cool to see these musicians showing love to beloved Cincinnati spots on their popular social media pages. Maybe ditch Spotify and Apple Music today — you’ll find Play It is beautifully immersive, somewhat therapeutic and makes you feel right at home. playaudioagency.com.
Music & Nightlife
Here are the 2025 Best Of Cincinnati® Reader and Staff Pick winners for Music & Nightlife.
- The Belle & The Bear
- MVP Sports Bar & Grille
- The Monkey Bar & Grille
- Ludlow Garage
- Northside Yacht Club
- The Comet
- Ghost Baby
- Somerset
- Queen City Exchange
- Little Miami Brewing
- Oakley Pub
- Mount Lookout Tavern
- Southgate House Revival
- Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar
- Mansion Hill Tavern
- Juniper’s
- Second Story
- Jerry's Jug House
- Rosie’s Tavern
- The B-List
- Covington Yard
- Smoke Justis
- Knotty Pine Rock Club & Tiki Bar
- West Side Brewing
- Blue Note Harrison
- The Belle & The Bear
- Southgate House Revival
- MOTR Pub
- Ghost Baby
- Juniper’s
- Northside Tavern
- Arnold's Bar & Grill
- Dead Low Brewing
- Urban Artifact
- Northside Yacht Club
- Bogart's
- Ludlow Garage
- Southgate House Revival
- Cat Middendorf (Queen City Exchange)
- Ceris Christopher (The Belle & the Bear)
- Adrienne Curry-Zeigler (Revel OTR)
- Queen City Exchange
- The Belle and The Bear
- Higher Gravity
- Queen City Exchange
- The Belle & The Bear
- Yardhouse
- Crafts & Vines
- Higher Gravity
- Hoppin' Vines
- Rhinehaus
- Dead Low Brewing
- Sons of Toil Brewing
- Somerset
- Northside Yacht Club
- The Eagle
- The Belle and The Bear
- Juniper’s
- Nation Kitchen & Bar
- Dead Low Brewing TIE HangOverEasy
- Crazy Fox Saloon
- Taste of Belgium
- Maplewood Kitchen and Bar
- Coppin’s at Hotel Covington
- Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar
- Queen City Exchange
- Wiseguy Lounge
- The Party Source
- Jungle Jim's International Market
- Revival Vintage Spirits
Sway (Madtree)
RGBevs (Rhinegeist)
Blackberry Breeze (FigLeaf Brewing)
RGBevs (Rhinegeist)
Blackberry Breeze (FigLeaf Brewing)
Holiday Liquor Bar offers drinks like Malört and food like hot dogs. In a separate area next to the bar is the fun center, featuring pool tables and Skee-Ball. But in the bar area lies possibly Cincinnati’s only Zoltar machine. If you recall, in the movie Big, Tom Hanks wishes on a Zoltar machine to be a 30-year-old man, and his wish comes true. Instead of making wishes come true, the machine spouts out a horoscope-like card predicting your future. Take the master’s wisdom to heart. holidayliquorbar.com.