Apparition Spookeasy Returns to NKC

And this year, the party’s going to be intents! (yes, we spelled that correctly…)

apparition speakeasy spookeasy spook

Guest blog by Helen Demith, Northlandia News

Last year, Apparition, the world’s first “spook-easy”, a Halloween themed craft cocktail bar, designed as a bar ‘by the dead, for the dead’ popped up above Screenland Armour Theater and was a runaway success. Ghoulish delights awaited all who passed through the veil between life and death to have a creepy cocktail with the ghosts. But, as swiftly as it emerged, the bar disappeared after the harvest and denizens of North KC wondered if it might ever return….

Lo and behold, a lone crow flew into the windows of the Northlandia Manor office and informed this reporter, as she lounged, drinking a boring glass of straight river water and crying, that the Apparition was returning to Kansas City and The Northland – in a new – equally eerie form. 

Overjoyed, I at once leapt to my feet and ran down the street, toward Big Rip Brewery, where I was surprised to see a large tent had been erected outside it. As I looked at the tent, I saw strange lights and heard strange sounds. As such, I nervously approached– where I encountered, a tall gentleman, wearing both a face covering and a masquerade mask. He greeted me and bid me to enter the tent which held Apparition: Masquerade.

What Lies Beneath…

By the gods in heaven and the fiendish beasts that walk this earth, what I beheld was astonishing, incredible, and while I was forced to swear an oath of secrecy about much of what awaits inside, I can share a few key elements: 

The ambiance inside the tent was unlike anything I had ever experienced in a bar. It felt like a cross between The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Eyes Wide Shut and Phantom of the Opera. It felt as though the spirits were drinking and dancing around me, as though I had again pierced the veil and was drinking with the dead. 

The drinks were absolutely delicious- and incredibly strange. Seven of the original cocktails, crafted by KC cocktail legend Sam Cable, have returned. Six new drinks designed by Apparition veteran mixologist, Scott HELLing, showcasing local liquors and novel sensations have joined the menu. I was personally allowed to sample the “NECRONOMICON”, a delightful concoction of Vodka and eldritch horror. The drink was garnished with what I believe were skinned cucumbers – but – may have actually been tentacles. I left feeling as though I may have awakened untold horrors. So I plan on returning again soon to enjoy the “BOOMSTICK”, a drink I was told involved smoke. 

The Unholy Trilogy

As I was leaving the phantasmagoria that was Apparition: Masquerade, I asked the ghoulish attendant what was going on. He informed me of some incredible news. The dead had been particularly eager to connect with us this year, and there were actually multiple breaches of the veil. A haunted mansion awaited in Lawrence, above Restaurant Pub and Games, a local board game cafe, and a creepy forest grove was hidden in Wichita at Headshots Bar and Grill. 

Eager to return to this terrifying and delightful wonderland, I made a note. And I now relay this to you, dear reader, the days which they will be open:

Apparition: Masquerade, located at Big Rip Brewery, will be open Thursday – Saturday October 1 – 31st, from 6 PM – 1:30 AM.

…Be sure to look for this and more stories about Northtown innovators, icons and our small business lifeblood in “Northlandia News”, dropping next month!

apparition speakeasy spookeasy spook