Sipping SippingHistory History Durkin’s Liquor Bar evokes the spirit of Spokane’s most famous booze vendor
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BY AMY MILLER-KREZELAK Bartender Ben Fife (above, right) mixes up an Aviation cocktail. Megan and Sam Thilo (bottom right) share a drink at the bar downstairs of the historic building (top right) on W. Main Ave.
YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS
38 INLANDER DECEMBER 4, 2014
egendarily classy James “Jimmie” Durkin wasn’t the only booze-slinger in pre-Prohibition Spokane, but he definitely was the most successful. Though Prohibition marked the end of an era for Durkin, his legend lives on at Durkin’s Liquor Bar, launched last week by Deb Green, Ben Poffenroth and Megan VanStone, the restaurateurs — and family — known for Madeleine’s and Casper Fry. Durkin’s Liquor Bar opened to little fanfare, but has gained an immediate following. Nestled into the building that long ago housed one of Jimmie Durkin’s three establishments, Durkin’s is exactly where you want to hide out in style. The restaurant makes clever use of two floors — the narrow space upstairs features a spacious bar and cozy booths, while the downstairs bar manages to be both intimate and open. Green drew inspiration for Durkin’s from her dining experiences in other cities and a little arm-bending from the building’s owners. “We love to go out to eat. We love to go to different cities and eat in different restaurants. We wanted to bring the dining experiences here. Spokane is as cool as other cities. We’ve been playing with this idea for a year. The folks that own the building approached us. They would park themselves up at Casper Fry every week until we caved,” says Green.