Banksy and Bourbon Steak

There was something wonderfully curious about Bourbon Steak––the new restaurant on the 34th floor of the J.W. Marriott. Perhaps it was the fact that we watched it go up and up for months and months and dreamed of the roof top view to come? Maybe it was the fact that once it went up and up, rumor had it there was no “roof top” bar. Though, then again, it could be that a man who sat next to me on a flight to New York swore the place had the best view in all of Nashville––still not a rooftop. It could be the floor-to-ceiling windows that seem to encase the skyline like the whale exhibit at the aquarium. And yet, I believe my obsession with getting to that glassed-in 34th floor really stems from Instagram. 

I was scrolling through my feed about 5 weeks ago when the most perplexing image of a cocktail appeared. It was Bourbon Steak’s Clover Club, garnished with an image similar to latte art but more detailed, fine-tuned, and in color. It was art. And it was strangely familiar, though I couldn’t tell why. It wasn’t until my visit there last night that the bar tender explained. . . 

I had seen this image before––Banksy’s “Girl With Balloon.” The painting that sold at auction on October 5th for $1.35 million and then promptly self-destructed. Gasps filled the room, shocks of horror swept across attendee’s faces as the painting’s frame shredded the artwork. Fortune notes, “Banksy, an elusive street artist known for creating unique, anti-establishment works, apparently built a shredder into the frame of ‘Girl With Balloon,’ just ‘in case it was ever put up for auction’ according to the artist’s own Instagram post.”

Coincidentally, Bourbon Steak opened atop the 34th floor of the J.W. Marriott just less than a month prior, with the Banksy girl printed on their Clover Club. When the painting graced international headlines, Bourbon Steak Instagramed the cocktail with the cheeky caption, “Start the weekend off the right way with our Traditional Clover Club. ( hurry in before it disappears [red ballon emoji]).” 

The cocktail captures the image remarkably––printed on rice paper (yes it is edible, and I swallowed mine with a little Banksy disappearing act of my own), made 3-D with the replacement of a raspberry for a balloon. The cocktail is as rebellious as artist Banksy. While Bourbon Steak offers the traditional cocktail, I’d recommend their Rebellious version of the Clover Club, made with Toki Japanese Whisky, Lillet Blanc, and Lemon Matcha rather than the classic Beefeater Gin, Dolin Dry, and Lemon Raspberry. Shaken to an airy-lightness, it has a consistency that matches Bourbon Steak’s decor; velvet. Pair it with their Mudpie dessert and an eye-level view of the Batman Building, and I swear you’ll never want to leave.

So, what are you waiting for? Go purchase your own Banksy girl (for far less than $1.35 million) and take a look at the best view in Nashville that isn’t a rooftop bar––it’s better.