Rebel Rebel has a drink for cocktail enjoyers and bar flies alike with an emphasis on a community atmosphere.
Owner Jacob Pfund has been in the bartending business for 15 years. After trying university for five years, he succumbed to what he really wanted.
“I realized I would be in class thinking about my bartending shift,” Pfund says.
Pfund has always wanted a bar; it was just a matter of timing. He says that after losing his last bartending job when the bar attached to Eleven18 closed, he was offered a chance to take over the space. Wanting to seize the opportunity, but not having the finances, he called up friend Sally Wood, for a loan. Wood is affectionately known as Bar Mom to the local bartending community.
After getting the loan from Wood, Pfund got the bar, but he anticipated humble beginnings. Instead, the community rallied behind Rebel Rebel and its community focus.
“We want people to want to be here,” Pfund says.
Having a background in mixology, Pfund made sure to keep a couple creative cocktails on the menu despite the more dive experience that Rebel Rebel offers. He’s most proud of the Army/Navy, a cocktail with gin, orgeat and house citrus.
Despite it, Pfund said the best sellers have been Miller Lites, hot dogs and good vibes. And it’s a decidedly approachable, nostalgic, blue collar vibe he’s aiming for overall.
“I have the community behind me that wanted it. It was one of those meant to be type of stories,” Pfund says. “The support that this bar has gotten is what really brings me to tears.”
Pfund felt things were almost going too good, and his suspicions were confirmed when Wood, the one who made the bar possible, suddenly passed away in late November shortly after the bar’s opening.
“It went from a huge celebration to a punch in the gut,” Pfund says. He sees it as her bar too.
The bar was a shared dream between Wood and Pfund, one that Pfund would have to continue on his own. According to Pfund, Wood was last in the bar in mid November. Pfund walked up to her and asked her what she thought of Rebel Rebel.
“This is perfect,” she said.
Editor’s Note: Side Dish with Schniper’s award-winning profile A Night Out With Bar Mom is a beautiful story worth a read.
334 East Colorado Ave.
