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Pop-up speakeasy a dream come true for Billings duo

Posted at 9:55 AM, Mar 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-01 11:55:46-05

BILLINGS-

The Blind Bison is bringing the history of bars, and alcohol into existing restaurants in the Magic City.

"Blind Bison kind of comes from some terms that were used during Prohibition so, you would call a Speak-easy either a blind pig, if it was kind of a dive bar, or a blind tiger if it was an upscale bar," Co-creator Bryan Taylor said.

These terms came about as a way to keep the authorities from knowing what they were actually talking about.

"So we did a little nod to Montana with the Bison Part," Taylor said.

So, the Blind Bison was born.

It is a progressive cocktail bar.

Creators Bryan Taylor and Trevan Sparboe are both long-time bartenders, and they wanted to step outside the box, challenge themselves, and share their passion with the community.

So far, they have hosted their events at The Plaza, and Jakes Downtown.

"We wanted to capitalize on showing the creativity that our friends and people in Billings share, it's a very diverse place, and there's a lot going on and we just want to be a part of getting other people to see that as well," Co-Creator Trevan Sparboe said.

They say one of the first rules of The Blind Bison is that they don’t have to have rules.

"We're trying to get people to step outside of the box, you know, try something that you've never tried," Taylor said, "We're not trying to be like fancy, we want everybody to come,".

The themes so far have aligned with different Prohibition Era cocktails and times. Sparboe and Taylor say that this definitely could change in the future.

"We want to do what the people want, it's not just about us, we like to be creative, but if people are like hey can you do something with this drink we're like, yeah, absolutely," Taylor said.

"It's nice to take the risks and do some kind of goofy things, that we don't know if they would catch on, sometimes they do, it's a lot of fun," Sparboe said.

For the two, it's not just about the drinks.

"The most fun for us is how many people have come to every one, and are bringing friends each time," Taylor said, "And we're meeting new people, it's really about having fun, more than anything else.

You can stay updated on the Blind Bison's next event by visiting their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/841936349610285/ or their website at https://www.blindbisonmt.com/,