"Open for: Evening drinksPrice range: $$$The backbar at Bad Medicine serves as both spirits storage and vinyl library, with two turntables firmly rooted in the middle. The listening bar is outfitted with a vintage hi-fi system that delivers crisp, clear, and immersive sound, while the cocktail pros deliver some of the area’s finest classic and original concoctions. Order the Prizefighter, a lovely expression of the Nicholas Jarrett original, or the Jackrabbit, the bar’s riff on the Old Fashioned starring the French bitter liqueur Amer Picon. When hunger strikes, well-executed gastropub-style fare like pimento cheese, smash burgers, and Italian beef sandwiches give people a reason to stick around.Vibe check: In the wrong hands, a listening bar can come off as pretentious. But here in the Midwest, where musical tastes lean toward classic, indie, and prog rock, things stay relatively chill." - Douglas Trattner
