Hartford Loses Its Unique Cocktail Parlour

Happy Last Weekend of September!

So, the Big E is here.

I went there a couple years ago and I happened to be there the same night they had over 1 million people there. It was terrible and I vowed never go to back.

I still think it’s worth going, but take a day off and go on a random Tuesday afternoon and thank me later.

In today’s edition of The Hartford Pour, we’ll get into:

— Chris M.
Local Whiskey Nerd, Husband, Dad, Entrepreneur (Fun Tip: I own about 70 bottles of whiskey, don’t judge me, just send help!)

Does your closet still look like it's stuck in July? Don’t worry, Rayne can fix that in about five minutes.

She's the "Rayne" behind Rayne Can Do That, a local Hartford county mom who started selling cute clothes online to help her stay home with her newborn son.

But what began as a side hustle has turned into a business and Facebook group of almost 400 beautiful women who spend more time laughing and joking together than actually shopping sometimes.

Fall colors are officially in full swing in her store, and with over 1,000 pieces in stock, there's a real chance you will find five things you didn't know you needed.

Here's how easy it is:

If this is your first time shopping with Rayne, claim at least two pieces and she'll send you a pair of buttery-soft leggings on the house, those are usually $25, just let her know your size.

Here's what you'll find:

The leaves are already changing. Might as well let your wardrobe catch up too.

In an effort to make The Hartford Pour your #1 place to go for drinks in and around Hartford County, what kind of things are you looking forward to when you open our emails?

Nobody on Pratt Street saw this one coming, and neither did Instagram.

Scroll through Hartford Flavor Cocktail Parlour's IG feed and the last post is from September 10, a Vinyl Night flyer, DJs spinning soul and funk, drink specials, the whole bit.

Three days later they poured their last drink and quietly closed the doors.

Fourteen months is all it got. Tom and Lelaneia Dubay opened the Parlour in July 2024 as an extension of Hartford Flavor Company, the organic distillery they've run on Arbor Street since 2014, and for a minute it felt like Pratt Street's best-kept secret.

They had the Bridgerton balls with the Hartford Symphony, singles nights, afternoon tea, brunch that had people posting like they'd found Paris in the West End.

The big events killed it. It was the Tuesday afternoons that didn't.

Unfortunately, twenty-five people lost their jobs. The Dubays say they're shopping the space to a new operator, "the right fit and the right offer," and honestly, Pratt Street could use one.

From what I can tell, Hartford Flavor Cocktail Parlour joins Waypoint Spirits, who closed their taproom back in July, so the economy is kicking businesses in the butt, that is for sure…

In my Bridgerton-voice, “I bid you adieu, HFCP”

Every Raising Cane's conversation in Connecticut turns into an argument, and I get it.

Half the internet swears the chicken alone is a soft 5 or 6 out of 10, saved entirely by the Cane's sauce. I'm not going to pretend I don't have a horse in this race though. I grew up in Louisiana, where Raising Cane's actually started, so I've got a soft spot for the brand most people around here don't.

And honestly, that makes me more qualified to judge this than the guy who just discovered it exists.

Here's my honest read on the Raising Cane's in Simsbury (546 Bushy Hill Rd). The chicken here isn't the 7.5 or 8 out of 10 I remember from back home, more than 13 years ago now.

That tracks.

Once a place franchises out to hundreds of locations, something in the fryer inevitably gets lost.

But there's a catch nobody tells you. Eat it the second it's handed to you, right there in the restaurant, and it's genuinely good. But if you box it up, drive it home, wait 20 or 30 minutes, and you've basically ruined it yourself.

Reheated chicken from anywhere tastes like a mistake. This is no exception. Plus the bread will get hard and the fries will get soft and lose flavor. So don't wait, eat it ASAP.

I know this is a chain, and I know a drinks newsletter covering fast food chicken is a little off-brand.

But it's in our backyard now, and my Louisiana card says I get to weigh in.

Eat it hot. Thank me later.

Nobody needs a reason to eat five different burgers in one sitting, but Blue Back Square is handing you one anyway, and it's free.

The 4th Annual Blue Back Burger Bash takes over Blue Back Square in West Hartford on TODAY, September 24, 5 to 8 PM.

Local restaurants fire up the grills, plate their best sliders, and you taste your way down the lineup and vote for the winner. There are celebrity judges involved too, so apparently my vote isn't the only one that will count.

It's judged, it's family-friendly with music and entertainment for the kids, and it benefits CT Foodshare, so you can feel slightly less guilty about burger number four. (just hit the treadmill on tomorrow)

Once you've voted, don't just wander back to the car. Boqueria is steps away inside Blue Back Square, and they pour four different house-made sangrias off an all-Spanish wine list.

Friday’s got three good excuses, so let’s use all of them.

Start on the mountain lawn at Talcott Mountain Collective (140 Nod Rd, Simsbury), where the evening opens with acoustic jam-rock and rotating taps that regularly pour Back East and Thomas Hooker, both from just down the road in Bloomfield.

But if you are closer to the city? Parkville Market runs its Classic & Frozen cocktail special all day, which is really just permission to order whichever one sounds better in that moment.

Finally, close the night at The Deep End, Sea Tea Comedy Theater’s Friday improv show, 15 Asylum Street in Hartford, 7 PM, and it’s only $10.

They do serve beer at the venue, but I'm not sure what they have available, so be prepared for sub-par beer.

Saturday’s the kind of day where you need a plan, or at least snacks for the car.

Start early at Lost Acres Vineyard (80 Lost Acres Road, North Granby) for their Harvest Party, 10 AM to 5 PM, live music and a full wine list including the Firehouse Red, which tastes like fall decided to become a beverage.

By 1 PM, swing into Elicit Brewing in Manchester for The Wurst Games, their Oktoberfest kickoff with Bavarian games, German food, and Elicit’s own Oktoberfest Marzen on tap.

Then there is a 3rd thing to do!

The 13th Annual WeHa Whiskey & Spirits Festival takes over Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield, 6:30 to 9:30 PM, with over 250 bourbons and scotches plus a cigar bar and restaurant tastings.

If Saturday wore you out, Sunday’s got the antidote: a lawn, a blanket, and absolutely nowhere to be.

Talcott Mountain Collective in Simsbury (140 Nod Rd) closes out the weekend with an afternoon of classic rock and Grateful Dead jam covers on the mountain lawn.

Twenty taps rotate through the beer garden, and Berlin’s own Coles Road Brewing is a regular pour worth flagging down.

Kick your shoes off, let the sun do most of the work, and let the band handle the rest.

Do you know of an AWESOME restaurant or bar? Or something not included in this email you’d like to see?

REPLY to this email and let me know!