A new vinyl listening room and bar concept is coming to Kennett Square and Fishtown this fall, seeking to help people connect in person around music and over cocktails.
Top Dog Cocktails, a ready-to-drink 12.5% ABV cocktail brand with a distillery based in Kennett Square, will open its first two brick-and-mortar locations in the coming months, embracing the Japanese jazz kissa model — a music cafe or bar that’s focused on listening to vinyl records.
“It’s all to drive this analog feel in a digital world,” said founder Ken Smukler, a longtime political strategist who dipped his toe into the alcohol space roughly a decade ago. “It’s all about the community, listening and respecting music, and enjoying the cocktails at the same time.”
Philly has had its history with listening rooms, with a flurry of openings starting in 2022 that then fell into a downtrend in more recent years. But the concept may now be making a comeback.
With his distillery location in Kennett Square already tied to music, and a teeny space in Fishtown in a former ATM calling for some creative reimagining, Smukler saw an opportunity.
The locations will look a little different from each other, but the heart of both will be similar. There will be a small retail component, a bar that will double as recipe development for the brand, and, of course, an expansive catalog of music on rotation.
Top Dog Cocktails is “designed for a more sophisticated consumer” who “recognizes what a craft cocktail is in a can,” he said.
That vibe applies to these locations; Smukler envisions their demographic as cocktail appreciators, who want to unplug from their phones or TVs.
“This is a quieter, safer, more sophisticated space to consume alcohol and listen to really good music,” he said.
Smukler, a former political operative for then-U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, was first drawn to ready-to-drink cocktails in 2015, and began raising capital to launch his own brand. That early effort dissolved in 2019, when he went to federal prison for campaign finance law infractions.
But while in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantined without much to do other than chat, he learned his cellmate’s brother worked in the alcohol industry. On his way out of prison, Smukler called his friends and family — and his former cellmate’s brother.
“There’s literally a straight line from there into launching Top Dog,” he said.
He reconstituted the investor group, and the brand launched in 2022. They’ve sold nearly 1.5 million cans so far, Smukler said, with distribution in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida.
Options include a few variations of the margarita, an espresso martini, a vodka and grapefruit Greyhound, and a whiskey lemonade.
The brand’s distillery operation is in Kennett Square, near Kennett Flash, a live entertainment venue. He first picked the spot, at 110 E. State St., because he felt there could be “synergy” between Top Dog’s tasting room and live music. The roughly 750-square-foot space will be the bigger of the two listening rooms.
Smukler plans to work with the Kennett Flash in a joint venture; the nonprofit will be able to use the venue as a green room for performers, a space for music classes, or however they see fit. They’ll also get a cut from the retail sales.
He’s looking to do something similar with the Fishtown location, but is still finding a partner, he said. The location, at 2012 Frankford Ave., may be the smallest bar in Fishtown, at 350 square feet. It’ll have a 15-seat bar, a two-turntable DJ station, and a retail component.
Fishtown feels like “ground zero” for the demographic they’re trying to reach, Smukler said. As for Kennett Square, he just happens to love it.
“I just think it’s a gem, and I think if we can do something with the Kennet Flash … and for the community, that’ll pay back in spades for us,” he said.
They’ll be able to test new drinks for their cans through the outposts, Smukler said. They’ve never had a gin or a rum product, for instance, and this will give them a chance for some R&D.
As for music, they’ve amassed more than 500 albums ready to spin. Smukler’s creative director is planning themed nights to let them shine. Though the Japanese kissa model is usually jazz-forward, there will be a cross section of what gets played, he said.
Moving the business into physical locations has been a creative challenge, but an exciting one, he added.
“If you ask me, what is the most fun part of my job? It’s not trying to figure out how to sell more cases in Florida. I guarantee you, it is designing a kissa concept in Fishtown or working with a nonprofit in Kennett,” he said. “That’s the fun part.”
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