Dancing Queens

At 37, George Clendenning is too young to remember the gay-bar debauchery of pre-AIDS New York. But that doesn't stop the Cleveland Cocktails bartender from mixing up the era's fave cocktails for his weekly '70s Happy Hour. As disco by Chic, Donna Summer, and the Village People blares from internet radio, Clendenning gives the liquor bottles a five-hour workout, with requests for tequila-laced Freddy Fudpuckers, minty Grasshoppers, and fruity Tom Collinses. His seasoned regulars also ask for bourbon-drenched Old Fashioneds, scotch-heavy Rusty Nails, and, natch, Manhattans, with whiskey and vermouth, as they reminisce about gay decadence back in the day. "People rave about no HIV and how everybody was having sex on the bar," says Clendenning. "What a great way to do Studio 54." Get happy between 4 and 9 tonight at Cocktails Cleveland, 9208 Detroit Avenue. Admission is free. Call 216-961-3115.
Tuesdays, 4-9 p.m., 2008