Opening a portal to the netherworld usually requires a combination of candles, incense, and an interpretive dance based on Goodnight Moon. Skip the complex rituals with today’s Groupon to Shaker’s Cigar Bar and Penthouse. Choose between the following options:
• For $7, you get one admission to a ghost tour (a $15 value).
• For $175, you get a one-night stay for two, including two Pernod absinthe cocktails (a $350 value).
Housed in a former cooperage and speakeasy dating back to 1894, Shaker’s Cigar Bar adds a hauntingly historical element to an otherwise-typical night out. Paranormal researchers and the proprietor himself maintain that Shaker’s bustles with otherworldly regulars. At 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, groups of 13 tour-takers explore the old building—from the basement below to the former brothel—in search of spine-tingling apparitions and the friendly phantasms of former accountants. Confronting the supernatural may be hard on the nerves of some erstwhile specter seekers; fortunately, the bar-based tour allows patrons to bring a drink (not included) along for liquid courage. Guests may opt to extend their haunt with an overnight stay for two in Shaker's Penthouse, including two Pernod Absinthe flaming cocktails. Located six blocks from Milwaukee's warehouse district, the Penthouse perches atop Shaker's Cigar Bar below and boasts a private balcony, where lodgers may glimpse local spirits practicing boos in their bunny slippers.
Intricate 19th-century woodwork greets guests upon arrival, and a brass-topped front bar beckons un-whetted whistles and parched kazoos to belly up for a libation, such as a snifter of 132-year-old cognac paired with a natural Dominican cigar from the basement humidor. Lady bartenders, called “Shakerettes”, also serve up period-style absinthe cocktails at the carved-oak back bar. The drinkery’s tin ceilings and tin-relief walls sigh with age as they long for new hearts, while antique stained glass and hardwood maple floors round out the time-displaced decor, transporting patrons into a bygone era.
Participants must be 18 or older. Walk-ins are accepted for the tour based on availability, but it’s best to reserve your spot online beforehand.
Groupon Says
Groupon Guide to: Carrying the Olympic Torch
Every few years, the world’s greatest athletes are shipped to a city so they can watch the running of the Olympic torch together. If your application essay is good enough to get you on the torch team, make sure the run goes smoothly with this troubleshooting guide:
Problem: The flame goes out.
Solution: Don't panic—verify that the flame is actually out by kissing it. If it is, simply relight the ceremonial flame by throwing the torch toward the sun.
Problem: Vultures are hovering around the flame, mistaking it for a wounded fox.
Solution: Keep running. As long as the flame moves violently in the wind, the vultures will think the fox is still alive and eventually return to overlooking the local newspaper printing press.
Problem: You constantly feel numb after the torch relay.
Solution: Try your best to get by. Like making a half-court shot or victoriously commanding the animal kingdom in a battle, the experience of carrying the torch makes normal life seem futile. The feeling never goes away, so it's best to distract yourself with mindless hobbies such as exercising or raising children.
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