Inside OTR's Holiday Spirits and Forty Thieves, a 'Dive' Bar with Middle Eastern Street Food

Helmed by Dan Wright and his wife Lana (of Senate, Abigail Street and Pontiac Bourbon & BBQ), with director of operations Mike Georgiton, Holiday Spirits and its in-house eatery Forty Thieves is meant to evoke the vibe of a dive bar and offers a menu of Arab and Israeli street food — falafel, beef shawarma and grilled chicken in a pita or on hummus, with other items like roasted beets and soup. “We don’t open Abigail Street for lunch, but if we were ever doing Abigail Street for lunch, it’s the exact kind of food we’d be doing — a little bit more laid-back,” Wright says. Patrons can order food from a counter inside or visit the walk-up window on the patio; the patio seats about 50 and there's space for 100 to 120 inside. The bar features 15 beers on tap and a menu of about 10 different cocktails ranging from a tequila old fashioned and a Hurricane to a Cinnabon-inspired drink and their take on a Harvey Wallbanger. They also brought their popular Senate Blue Ash “frose” (frozen rosé) to Holiday and have a couple of machines in house to spin cocktails. Holiday Spirits and Forty Thieves, 1538 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/holidayspiritsbar.