A Fort Thomas bar is hoping to thank the community that rallied behind it after a disastrous plumbing situation.
This winter, Lindsay and Michael Keogh, owners of The Post—Taps & Bottle Shop, discovered an over 100-year-old abandoned manhole under the bar’s parking lot, which was causing the building’s drains to back up and other issues.
When Sanitation District 1 came to examine the issue, they were perplexed. “Anytime a public company comes to you and says, ‘Hey, we haven’t necessarily seen this before.’ You know, it’s not going to be great news,” Michael Keogh said.
While the district worked with the owners, the fix ended up being very costly.
This revelation came on the heels of an expensive renovation to a historic building, having just opened in 2022, “we put a lot of investment coming into this place to bring it to life. And getting hit with something like that is like getting punched in the gut,” Michael Keogh said.
The Post prides itself on being a gathering place for the community, and after they shared their plight on social media, the community asked what they could do to help. Michael Keogh said that people came together and supported them, and they wanted to thank them.
“People rallied and we wanted to put out an event where we could celebrate our place, celebrate with the people that are supporting us,” Michael Keogh said.
To do that, the two decided to host an 80s-themed night that served as both a fundraiser and a celebration. Part of that night included a raffle, where the winner would get to create and name a cocktail that would permanently make it on the menu at The Post.
“It was really a beauty from ashes moment, and instead of being negative about it, we thought we would carry the shoulder with the community a little bit, and people rallied behind us, and that was really special,” said Lindsay Keogh.
Enter Jeanie Greenwell, a 19-year nurse, 15-year resident of Fort Thomas and a regular at The Post. Greenwell won the raffle and was excited to create something that showed off her love for her work.
“I love the vitality of this community, and supporting local businesses has always been my passion,” said Greenwell. “And so I heard so many wonderful things about the place, and we went there and it’s it’s just so wonderful, so positive and eclectic.
Greenwell, a nursing and Alzheimer’s advocate, has her Master of Science in Nursing and is board certified in Gerontological Nursing, which is the study of aging processes and individuals throughout life. Most of her career has been dedicated to geriatric sites. Before coming to Carmel Manor in June 2022, she worked at Good Samaritan Hospital and Highlandspring of Fort Thomas.
When helping her create the drink, Lindsay Keogh said, “She just wanted something fun and most of all, but she also really wanted to honor the nurses and first responders.”
Even with her minor in chemistry, Greenwell said she was surprised at how hard it was to be a mixologist: “ I realized this is not as easy as just ‘Oh, let’s just try these ingredients and see.’”
Eventually, the two created the Jeanie Wishtini.
Each ingredient has an important meaning to Greenwell. Every year, the Kentucky Nurses Association holds an “apricot ribbon campaign” where Kentuckians are invited to tie apricot-colored ribbons and bows around trees, lamp posts and any other landmarks to thank nurses for what they do. She wanted to incorporate that somehow; however, Greenwell said she liked the taste of peach more, and it had a similar color, so they went with that.
Starting with the idea of using peach, they ended up deciding on a combination of peach vodka, ginger beer and a squeeze of lemon. Greenwell said ginger helps with inflammation, lemon promotes heart health and is a good source of vitamin C. The cocktail is topped with three cherries, which Greenwell said represents the “three wishes,” a reference to the Jeanie name, and offers a good source of vitamin B.
While they were creating the cocktail, Greenwell said she was telling Lindsay Keogh all about who she was hoping when Keogh suggested the drink be discounted for nurses and first responders.
“That meant a great deal to me. You know, just the fact that you know, that the fact that they are are so willing to support their community,” said Greenwell.