Keys to Success
piano bar cocktail joint offers music and Mules
Tucked away in a discreet location on Golf Road is the Ivory Piano Bar, a new place to spend the evening with just the right atmosphere. With a much different feel than existing bars, you will be greeted with a warm and inviting ambience to unwind at the end of a busy day. The spot boasts deep red walls, a marble bar, twinkling lights streaming down in the front window, and – of course – 88 keys.
Jessica Schoettle and Tim Wysocky opened the bar on New Year’s Eve and have been slinging all-natural cocktails and providing the entertainment of live music ever since. Tim and Jessica have known each other for years and everything seemed to fall into place at just the right time for them to be able to open their own business together. They wanted to create a place that isn’t trying to compete with other businesses but to complement them. After spending the evening dining at one of our city’s finer restaurants, the Ivory Piano Bar, 2526 Golf Road, provides a place with a similar atmosphere where your night out can be extended.
They provide plenty of comfortable couches and live music to give visitors a “breakaway from reality,” as Tim put it. There is live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 7-10pm, and musicians such as Kevin Lombardo, Larry Past, and even Larry Heagle have come to perform. Heagle, who mixes comedy with his music, specifically came out of retirement for the opportunity to perform at the Ivory Piano Bar. Tim and Jessica try to draw in performers who play the piano, acoustic guitar and other instruments, so that there is some variety in the music selection.
The Ivory Piano Bar was voted one of the Great Bourbon Bars of America, joining only one other restaurant in Eau Claire. Liquor has been their number one seller, and their cocktails are made from all-natural ingredients with no simple syrup. They even make their own ginger juice from scratch on location and use agave nectar as sweetener for their Moscow Mules. Because of this, Jessica considers their cocktails to be “healthy drinking.” One of their most popular drinks is the Chilynsey Old Fashioned, which they make with maple syrup.
On top of all the delicious, vintage cocktails they provide, they also have an extensive beer and wine menu, with more than a dozen beers available. They partnered with Chippewa River Distillery for the flavored vodka and with Rump’s Butcher Shoppe in Altoona for the meat and cheese garnishes.
The event schedule for Ivory Piano Bar can be found online on their Facebook page.
