Metromix Orlando Bars & Clubs

Not to get all down on Sanford or anything, but it’s just not the kind of place where you’d expect to find a happening martini bar. You know – it’s Sanford, man. Yet even the shining example of an old-fashioned small town has thirsty people who like a classy martini, and they now have a spot to wet their whistles at the surprisingly elegant Jason’s Martini Club at 300 Sanford Ave. I hate to say it, but with Jason’s good pricing and unpretentious attitude, downtown Orlando could learn a thing or two about nightclubs from Sanford. That sounds like a dirty thing to say, doesn’t it?

Décor: If you can find the place on your first try you must be from the Prohibition days. Jason’s isn’t really marked from the outside, so just look for the dark building with the 300 address on it and you’re on your way to some fancy Sanford drinking. It seems no expense was spared inside, with graceful tiled floors, fiber optic-spun lighting, and even tubes of whirling fire in some booths. And it’s classy without being classist as there are only a couple of spots reserved for groups, with everything else being for the non-VIPs. The bathrooms are also impressive with their fancy fixtures and colors – it nearly makes you want to get your drinks served in there if only it weren’t for all the urination.

The Bar: The bar is a large station with tons of stools circling it and a wide variety of liquors and flavorings taking up the racks. Beers on tap aren’t all that impressive – Bud, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Amstel Light, but the prices are just fine, ringing in at $3. Basic red and white wines are also in a good price range, from $4 to $7. A regular well drink is $3.50, but is poured like it costs much, much more. As the name suggests Jason’s has a selection of martinis, but the menu only has about nine or so variants listed. The bartenders will be happy to make you anything, but it’s always nice to rattle off a name they know rather than a barrage of ingredients. The martinis are $8.50 and include colorful styles like Sex in the City, with pomegranate vodka, Grand Marnier, cranberry juice, and a splash of lime juice, and the Infamous Minty Mess, a mint-heavy concoction made famous by Metromix’s Kelly Fitzpatrick.

Happy hour is every weekday from 4-7 p.m. and knocks a dollar off every drink.

Sounds: Different DJ’s pop in on various nights to spin a variety of house, electronic, and other highly-danceable music, though there’s no real schedule online yet to help figure out who will be doing what when.

Crowd: Almost every night Jason’s gets packed with young martini lovers (and young plain-old alcohol lovers) from the Sanford area (including Debary, Deland, and Lake Mary). With the young patrons flooding Jason’s it may be time to stop picking on Sanford and find a new town to dig on (we’re looking at you, Ocoee!).