Back in the day, going to the video store was such a great time, and although that experience has almost entirely been replaced by scrolling through streaming services, a pop-up in Las Vegas is aiming to capture that same movie-browsing experience… with booze. Back 2 The Video Store: A 90s Speakeasy Bar is a limited-time pop-up bar from Bucket Listers in which customers in Las Vegas can grab a movie case off the shelf and receive a cocktail inspired by the film.

Back 2 The Video Store: A 90s Speakeasy Bar

The experience is designed to look like a retro video rental shop, with familiar genre sections like Romance, Action, and Horror, but each movie case lists the ingredients of the corresponding cocktail. For example, Mean Girls is made with vodka, lemon juice, watermelon syrup, and cotton candy; Happy Gilmore is made with vodka, sweet tea, lemon juice, and simple syrup; and The Big Lebowski is made with vodka, vanilla extract, coffee liqueur, and shaved nutmeg. Just take the case to the bartender, and they’ll whip it up.

There are also several food options, such as the Mighty Ducks Quesadilla (made with beef brisket or chicken instead of duck) and the Mystic Pizza.

When, Where, and How Much

The pop-up is slated to be open Wednesdays through Sundays, March 25 through May 17, at the PKWY Tavern, 4930 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. General admission starts at $17.80 per person, which includes 90 minutes of open seating and one cocktail or mocktail, with additional drinks available for purchase.

There will be additional entertainment, such as trivia from 7 to 10 p.m. on Sundays, bingo from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays, karaoke from 8 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays, and DJs every Friday and Saturday starting at 7 p.m.

The Death of Movie Rentals

With very few exceptions, video rental stores are a thing of the past. But I still remember going every weekend and spending as much time as possible wandering the aisles, staring at the shelves until my mom finally insisted I pick something so she could get out of there. Half the time, the choice came down to whatever box art looked the coolest, sometimes you discovered a classic, other times… well, let’s just say the cover was the best part. And then there was the mad dash to get there early for a hot new release, only to arrive and find the shelf completely wiped out. Sure, there were late fees and rewinding tapes in the VHS days, but honestly? It was all part of the experience, and one I definitely miss.