Welcome to Fabulous Jive Turkey
Adam O'Donnell and Sam Pulliam's late-night bar is fueled by fun, food, and funk.
Bartenders Adam O'Donnell and Sam Pulliam' of Jive Turkey. |. Photos: Will Blunt
Owners Adam O'Donnell and Sam Pulliam met during a job interview. Not for their current Las Vegas bar, Jive Turkey, but at Circa Resort, where Pulliam interviewed O'Donnell for a bartender position on Legacy Club's opening team.
"In our interview, I asked him, 'Would you ever want to open a bar one day?'" says Pulliam. "He said it was one of his goals, and it was mine also. We were game planning this whole thing probably six months into him starting at Circa with me. He and I just kept it under wraps and did everything behind the scenes."
The bar they were theorizing turned out to be exactly what Jive Turkey is: a combination of O'Donnell and Pulliam's favorite bars that they've worked at and visited. "Specifically, it's a place where if you want something to eat, we can feed you," explains O'Donnell. "If you want to hear music that we didn't feel was really represented in a lot of bars, we covered that. We're open late. As soon as you walk in the door, someone acknowledges you exist as a person and makes you want to hang out longer than just a quick beer and a shot."
Jive Turkey is open every day from 3pm to 3am, and serves food just as long as it serves drinks. And there are no frozen bites here—the food program is run by Chef Bruce Flowers, who makes bar food with care. Homemade chicken nuggets are brined overnight in buttermilk and spices, and hand breaded and fried; the short rib sandwich is slow braised for 5 hours.
Take It In The Can: Blended Scotch Whisky, Silver Tequila, Coconut Cream, Raspberry Purée, Lime Juice, Cherry, Parasol
Mayhem, Please: Gin, Italicus, Earl Grey Syrup, Fino Sherry, Lemon Juice, Oat Milk
And while there's a drink option for everybody, O'Donnell and Pulliam shine in making their own cocktails. One of the most popular drinks is their "Mayhem, Please," an English breakfast tea-style cocktail made with gin, Italicus, housemade earl grey syrup, fino Sherry, lemon, and oat milk. The oat milk, instead of cream, keeps the drink light with the added bonus of being vegan, and provides body without adding too much additional flavor. And with a heavy lemon profile, the Sherry adds depth so the drink doesn't turn into citrus overload.
The drink is then served in a styrofoam cup with a special, handwritten message from the bartender. "Every single cup we write something on," says O'Donnell. "Sometimes it's snarky, sometimes it's sweet, sometimes we'll make fun of you." The lighthearted delivery along with a thoughtfully built cocktail is what Jive Turkey is all about: it is fun and serious in just the right ways.
Though the two don't claim it to be an industry bar, they're hitting all the points: housemade food and great drinks all night. But they also appeal to a larger crowd of locals and tourists alike with trivia nights, bring your own vinyl nights, and early hours too: "3pm is the sweet spot for when you're trying to find your afternoon bar to go to," says Pulliam. School teachers, European tourists, chefs: there is a place at Jive Turkey for everyone.
"We've never proclaimed to be anything, we just open our doors," says O'Donnell. "Maybe it's the hours, maybe it's that we have food late at night, who fucking knows how any of this stuff works. People have just gravitated toward what Jive Turkey is becoming."
