At the beginning of December,
Obscura cocktail lounge opened the Jim Thompson Room, a membership and VIP room in the lower level of the building. The room offers exclusivity to members and special guests with wine tastings twice a month, spirit tastings and a private events.
The room is named after Jim Thompson, an American businessman who revolutionized the silk trade in Thailand. On Easter Sunday 1967, he took a hike through the jungle and never returned. Co-owner Scott Sheridan learned about Thompson during a tour of his house in Thailand.
“Although Jim Thompson doesn’t have a connection to Cincinnati, the room is a way to say that he is alive and well and in Cincinnati—we’re making that connection,” says Will Chambers, wine director and head of VIP relations at Obscura.
The décor for the Jim Thompson Room is very different from that of Obscura, which is more of a pastel palette with a European parlor-esque theme. In contrast, the downstairs features deep, sensual colors and a Thai-inspired theme, complete with a stuffed life-size Bengal tiger that died of natural causes.
There are different price tiers for membership packages to the Jim Thompson Room. Membership includes access to Obscura’s wine lockers and bourbon and tequila barrel programs, preferred reservations and room rental. The room also offers exclusive cocktails, including the Good Morning, Mr. Thompson; Mai Tai; Rum Punch; and Frozen Pineapple.
Obscura is a high-volume, high-end cocktail lounge that is focused on providing intimate conversation and a place to network. The main level of the lounge is divided into three sections—a conversation space, bar area and mezzanine. The lower level includes the Jim Thompson Room, a kitchen for light bites and sweets, and liquor lockers and a service bar.
Be looking for Obscura’s bistro-seated patio on Seventh Street later this year.
Read more about Obscura in Soapbox.
By Caitlin Koenig
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