Huey’s Bar to open downtown in July

A new craft cocktail bar with a cozy atmosphere and a nod to local political history will open in the former M Bar downtown. Huey’s Bar (Map it!) will be open by mid-July, says co-owner Andrew Bayard, and will feature a cocktail menu heavily focused on happy hour specials.

“We want to steer clear of the club scene, but want to be a fun place to hang out,” Bayard says. “The focus is on high energy and handmade cocktails with fresh juices.”

Those cocktails include the Old Fashioned, Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz, a favorite of Huey P. Long. “We want to focus on those old-school cocktails that make people reminisce,” Bayard says. “There’s nothing like that downtown. It’s a niche market, but we want to expose that as best as possible.”

Inside, Huey’s will have an intimate setting with booth seating as well as a 22-seat bar and small stage. Bayard says there might be acoustic and piano acts in the future, but “we don’t want to become the bar that survives on music.”

The bar’s other owners include Christian Walther, a former bar manager who has worked with Bayard in the past, and Metro-Council member and attorney John Delgado. —Matthew Sigur