11/8 UPDATE: While we haven't had a chance to visit Neotropolis—formerly Nexus 2019—yet, numerous visitor reviews have expressed extreme disappointment at the now-open bar, and from the images and accounts we have seen and read, it might be worth taking these into account before purchasing the $62 ticket.
The year is 2019 in a futuristic Los Angeles, and Harrison Ford is hunched over a bowl of noodles. Apparently he’s under arrest, but he isn’t bothered: “Tell him I’m eating” might be the best and most dismissive response ever written into a movie, and this November—the exact time period in which the film is set—it’s never been more apt. There’s a Blade Runner-themed bar headed to DTLA, where you can deliver that sentence mid-noodle bowl just like the 1982 film’s misanthropic mercenary.
Of course, whether you’re a blade runner—tracking down androids (“replicants”) à la Ford’s character, Rick Deckard—or you’re a robot on the run, you’ll be welcome at Nexus 2019. After all, it’s hard enough to tell the difference between humans and androids in Ridley Scott’s dystopic, hyper-stylized reimagining of our city. Who’s to say that person sipping a margarita (you know, the drink with a replicant’s eyeball embedded in a cube of ice) is a person at all? And furthermore, what makes any of us human, really? Maybe it’s best to order another eyeball margarita and not think about it too much.
The pop-up bar is set to open at an as-of-yet undisclosed location in Downtown—fittingly, the neighborhood where a number of Blade Runner’s scenes were filmed. Per We Like L.A., Nexus 2019 will include actors, food and entertainment in a cyberpunk setting, all by way of event director Jared Butler—he of the Mad Max-inspired Wasteland Weekend festival fame.
Photograph: Courtesy Nexus 2019
“The current future we live in may not be exactly what we were promised (or warned about) in the ’80s, but we are looking to change that,” the bar’s site declares, continuing, “This is a passion project from a group of entertainment and hospitality industry veterans, all of whom were heavily influenced by the iconic 1982 film and are intent on delivering the ultimate fan experience.”
That ultimate fan experience will set you back a few Chin-Yen: Tickets run $82 per guest, but every entry includes one cocktail, plus a package of commemorative merch such as a T-shirt, a souvenir glass, a themed ID card, a patch and a light-up umbrella (just like in the movie).
And, of course, there will be themed drinks and food available for purchase, with the bar helmed by Sassafras Saloon and the Edison vet BC Hoffman. The official site promises cocktails such as a Long Island iced tea–inspired clarified milk punch made with tequila, vodka, rum, gin, triple sec, lemon and cola, and it’s even got a hibiscus infusion that “bleeds”; that eyeball margarita, which sports tequila blanco, yuzu, lime, agave, amaro and a pour of activated-charcoal Grand Marnier; and a cold Thai-tea–inspired concoction, poured from a teapot that contains vodka, amaro, Thai tea, spices and condensed milk.
There’s a Johnnie Walker Black old-fashioned with chrysanthemum and chamomile tea, not to mention house-made Guinness syrup, black lemon bitters and mesquite smoke; plus a rummy, noodle-themed drink with pineapple, lime, turmeric, Sriracha tincture, rice noodles cooked in rum, and red coconut jellies. The anticipation is almost painful enough to make us feel, well, human.
Take a peek at some of Nexus 2019’s cocktails, below:
Poster: Courtesy Nexus 2019/Ryan Barry and Jay Lender
The Blade Runner-themed Nexus 2019 pop-up bar opens on November 1 in Downtown L.A., and runs at least through the month. Tickets cost $82 per guest, and are now on sale.
This piece originally stated that outlet We Like L.A. broke the news, when in fact it was Aggressive Comix; our post has been amended and we regret the error.