Cardinal in the Wild: Yogi's
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Say hello to our favorite PokeStop in Bloomington: Yogi's.
It's also one of the wonderful establishments that serves Cardinal Spirits.
VITALS >> Yogi's, an indispensable Bloomington sports bar and restaurant with a soft spot for local booze. Full bar, family friendly, game-day favorite.
THE SCENE >> Classic sports bar adorned with jerseys of former Indiana alumni who have turned professional — located just down the street from the Indiana stadiums and arena its patrons so avidly support. A venerable shrine to beer and sports.
CARDINAL SIGHTINGS >> Yogi's makes a cocktail with Cardinal Spirits Vodka, champagne, and grenadine, called the Hoosier 76 — it's a nod to the legendary, undefeated 1976 Indiana University basketball team that won a national championship. "We do a toast an hour before a game, whether that be football or basketball," says Yogi's manager Jessi Olry. "We started that tradition and officially put Hoosier 76 on the menu — it’s a delicious cocktail."
GOING LOCAL >> "Believe it or not, our local products are our top sellers. It’s awesome that we can offer a little bit of Bloomington," Olry says. "We offer Bloomington Brewery Company and many other breweries as well as Cardinal Spirits products."
GAME TIME >> If you can't be at the game, Yogi's is the next best place. “Whenever there’s a big Hoosier game, whether that be basketball, football, even baseball, it’s something really special to see,” says Brian Hettmansperger, a Yogi's bartender and IU alum.
MEEEEEEMORIES >> “I was here for the “Wat Shot," Hettmansperger reminisces. (That was the infamous buzzer-beating 3-pointer by IU's Christian Watford in December 2011 that defeated top-ranked Kentucky and made everyone's head explode.) "I was giving people their checks and this guy was trying to talk to me about his tab. I stopped him and said, ‘Just wait a bit and watch this.' Watford’s shot went down and the whole place went crazy. Something you could never replicate. The guy thanked me and I made it clear that I was doing it for me. I just really wanted to watch the game."
BEST IN CLASS >> On Tuesday nights at 7, school is in session at Yogi's. Well, beer school, that is. Each class focuses on a different brewery, and gives people a chance to learn more about its brews and, of course, sample them along the way. New Holland, New Belgium and Tow Yard out of Indy have been some of the recent beer school subjects.
Hoosier 76
Brian Hettmansperger
The Yogi's team visits Cardinal Spirits