Once again McCrady’s raises Charleston’s bar, this time at, well, the bar. The pre-prohibition menu brings the latest in old-fashioned cocktails. Items from the era when “stiff” was a happy adjective and not a surly verb: Sazerac, Blood & Sand, Sidecar, French 75, and McCrady’s special Manhattan. Equally exciting is the menu of inexpensive snacks to complement the drinks. Six selections of inspired bar food are offered daily. Try the fried bologna with house-made beer mustard, chicken liver-foie gras pate or pimento cheese with benne wafers and pickled okra. (all items $4–$10) Still not enticed by the pre-digital world? McCrady’s has a secret that may put you in the “spirit”: an elusive 25-cent, speak-easy-style drink special. You must say the magic word, but we have a hint: the origin of the drink points to the password. Too much work modern person? okay here’s one we think you’ll get: remember…in 2010, nothing’s a secret on tw_ _ter & f_ceb_ok. –Seth Amos

2 Unity Alley. 577-0025.