The interior of BLEND-Indy
Man, former Scene news editor Steve Cavendish is gonna be pissed! No sooner does he leave town for D.C. than I receive an announcement from a new cigar lounge coming to town — a cigar lounge promising to at least occasionally stock some of Steve's elusive great white whale, Pappy Van Winkle. BLEND, a renowned cigar bar in Indianapolis, plans to open its second outpost sometime this fall downtown at 506 Church St., the former location of Pacifica.
As part of the description of their impending arrival, BLEND announced that they would be stocking "Top-of-line offerings includ[ing] premium cigar brands such as Davidoff, Fuente and Diamond Crown, as well as sophisticated spirits including Balvenie, Blanton’s, Pappy Van Winkle and Johnny Walker Odyssey." Wait, what? Pappy? That might get Cavendish on a Southwest flight for a visit.
But more than just for the probably ephemeral appearance of PVW, Blend promises to be a luxury hang for those seeking an upscale lounge experience. BLEND is also equipped with a special ventilation system that they promise will completely change out 100 percent of the air in the lounge six times every hour, so hopefully it won't get too foggy in there. Recently named one of five finalists for Best Cigar Lounge (worldwide) by Cigar Journal, BLEND promises "imported lighting fixtures from Turkey and custom seating made of premium fabrics, leather and exotic wood surfaces. The BLEND concept is built around a complete sensory experience and offers customers an environment featuring a state-of-the-art ventilation system and a proprietary entertainment network, the BLEND Entertainment Network (“BEN”)."
In other words, it's probably a place where they'd never let a schlemiel like me in when the action us really hopping (see: Citizen), but it could be a really nice place for those who enjoy a snifter of fine spirits and a good cigar to enjoy drinks, smokes and upscale bar snacks. And when Cavendish hears about the Van Winkle deal, I imagine he'll look like this:
