I attended opening night of Cocktails & Screams in Orlando and was amazed at the attention put into the atmosphere, the drinks, and the entertainment. Despite that I left early feeling a little disappointed.

Cocktails & Screams opened to the public on October 5th, 2019. The night before was a soft-opening which allowed select people to attend who’d found keys hidden around the city in a massive scavenger hunt spanning eight months.

I arrived about 9:30pm by Uber. The bar didn’t have a sign, but there were about a dozen people waiting outside to get in. After confirming I had the right bar, I jumped into line and was inside in about 10 minutes.

Atmosphere

The owners put am amazing amount of attention to every detail, from Frankenstein-inspired gadgetry behind the bar to Harry Potter-esque moving pictures on the wall to the skull-shaped sinks in the bathroom. This is a bar that looks like it was designed by engineers at Disney or Universal Studios, complete with special effects and costumed cast members.

Drinks

The drink menu was tantalizing. I only tried the Witches Brew, which was a bubbly apple-cinnamon concoction that left my head spinning. It was honestly one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. Wait in line at the bar when you order: the presentation is worth the wait.

They do offer some food items on the back of the menu ranging from appetizers to desserts, but most sounded very sweet which didn’t appeal to me after the cinnamony-sweetness of the Witches Brew.

Entertainment

The bar featured a sultry singer with a seductive yet powerful range. She sang somewhat dark covers of everything from Michael Jackson to Billie Eilish. The bar also uniquely presented an organist, who played the obligatory theme from Phantom of the Opera and then moved into other pieces. While the organ enhanced the spooky ambiance and gave the singer a break, it was overpowered by the bass from the club next-door which made it a little underwhelming.

So why did I leave so early?

It wasn’t the bar’s fault, this just wasn’t what I was hoping for. First, I had brought my ninja-jammies fully planning on dressing up. Given the Halloween theme and October opening, I assumed the cosplayers would be out in force. Instead, my mask and bracers stayed in a bag because there was only one patron in the entire club in costume.

Second, this bar is an amazing place to hang out, socialize, relax and enjoy the music in a totally unique environment. Unfortunately, that isn’t me. I generally have trouble sitting still for more than 10 minutes, so I prefer dance clubs… which this isn’t. After I’d sampled the drink menu, taken photos, and listened to the singer and the organist there wasn’t much left for me to do.

All-in-all it was a pleasant evening and I strongly recommend Cocktails & Screams if you’re looking for a unique location to relax with friends, drink a little, and listen to music. My recommendations: bring some friends, eat dinner before you come, order your drinks at the bar to see the presentation, and have someone hold seats near the stage so you don’t miss the show.

Have you been to Cocktails & Screams… and did you wear a costume?