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If The Paddock, which opened in 2004, is for University of Kentucky students (of legal drinking age, of course), then The Alibi “is the alumni bar,” Ostrander said.
The Paddock Bar, a classic University of Kentucky college bar at 319 S. Limestone, will be gaining an upscale upstairs neighbor. The Alibi Social Club will be a bourbon-forward club for a slightly older crowd. Matthew Mueller/mmueller@herald-leader.com
A little bit more mature, he said, for people who don’t want to be around all the college kids but aren’t quite ready for his Paddock Bourbon Club private lounge.
“It will be bourbon-forward of course, because we’re in Kentucky, with cocktails, glassware, leather couches, a bit more elevated,” with exposed brick and fireplaces, he said.
He hopes to have the new concept open before the end of football season, possibly by Halloween.
The 5,500-square-foot bar is going into an existing second-floor space that had been apartments in a 100-plus-year-old building.
It will have space for about 190 patrons with a bar, a lounge area and a stage for music. Eventually, Ostrander said, he’d love to add a rooftop bar onto the building as well.
The project will increase the foot traffic on South Limestone, already busy on UK game days. Ostrander said last year, on the day UK played Alabama in football, the bar served about 5,500 people.
“The Paddock is already one of the busiest bars on Limestone,” he said. “Us and Tin Roof are probably the two staples on the ‘college kids’ scene. There’s always more college kids, it’s a blessing.”
The Paddock Bar is one of the busiest bars in Lexington, catering mainly to college students. Matthew Mueller/mmueller@herald-leader.com
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