Arrrrr.... Damenti's Ice Bar

I'm always on the lookout for cool bars, so me and the S.A.M. intrepid sailed into ice-locked Damenti's Ice Bar on Friday night after work to check out the bar and some icy beverages. Seeing how this bar is only three minutes from home, how could I resist?






Sliding inside we discovered that this bar sports two (not one!) serving bars to the left and right of the one and only door. Each bar-top is a very slick six inches of clear ice and about 12 inches wide. No stools. A nice touch.

I wonder how thick an ice bar has to be before it's safe to walk on?

Artificial turf on the ground keeps the `ol tootsies warm--or as warm as can be expected inside an igloo when it's 8 degrees outside and 20 inside. Grog was being served as were a selection of beers and other refreshments.

The elongated igloo is maybe 30 feet long and 10 feet wide formed entirely from ice blocks perhaps 8" x 8" x 16". Those are air conditioners on the ceiling--you know, for when it gets to be warm inside. And that's a grog guitar on the bar if you're wondering. And what's a grog guitar? Well, I'm told that when you're out building grand edifices or sailing around the world pirating, grog is what keeps the crew in line. The guitar is of a special ice-design where the crew's ration of grog is poured into one end and drank from the other. It works--I saw it in action.


The ice sculptures adorning the walls inside were sculpted, okay ground out, using electric grinders by Kevin McDonald (Captain) and his crew. He places a pattern on the surface of the ice and removes ice outside the pattern's form. One end of the structure has a scary skull sculpted into it.

After about 30 minutes inside, we began to move at a glacial pace and knew it was time to raise a grog salute to Kevin and his masterpiece. (Now I know where groggy comes from.) We dropped a couple bucks at the door as a donation to the American Cancer Society--1/2 the drink proceeds go to the American Cancer Society too.

Dead Men Sculpt No Ice! Now that's something to live by.

The Ice Bar opens every night at 5:00 pm. Damenti's is at 870 N Hunter Hwy, in Mountain Top PA. Put another way, it's on route 309 about one mile north of the 309/I-80 junction, at the top of the hill, on the left. You can't miss it.