A tropical escape in Memphis? Here's a sneak peek of new Midtown bar Mary's B.O.T.E.

A new bar from the owners of Cameo is set to open soon in Midtown.

Bartenders and co-owners Mary Oglesby and Paul Gilliam have created Mary’s B.O.T.E., or “Bar of Tropical Escapism,” which will officially open April 13. It's a tropical-themed bar like no other in the city.

Oglesby said before she moved to Memphis, the time she spent working at a tiki bar in Milwaukee convinced her to bring something similar to the Bluff City, which she said has lacked a place of this style until now.

“We always had the intention of opening a tropical bar… but without being strictly a tiki bar,” she said. “Tiki is a very specific kind of thing, and it excludes a lot of stuff. And so to be able to [do] wonderful things that are tropical, we decided to go that route instead of being strict about the theme.”

A tropical paradise at Mary's B.O.T.E.

Located in Cooper-Young at 588 Cooper St., Mary’s B.O.T.E. is certainly tropical. Fishing nets hang from the ceiling, bamboo-threaded chairs sit at the bar, and glowing fish lamps light up the moody-lit space. On the back patio, flamingos hang on the fence next to a beautiful coral reef mural. To step into the B.O.T.E. is to step into a bar on an island beach, far away.

Despite the bar being ready to get up and running, it will remain closed for a few more weeks. Oglesby and Gilliam waited more than a month for their liquor license to be approved — the duo only received approval March 21. Though not being able to get started was frustrating, it at least gave them time to perfect the layout and décor of the space, much of which was handmade.

“All the ropes and the bamboo and wood routing and stuff was all built by us,” Gilliam said. “Every day you get a new idea and get to work, you know.”

The elaborate wood routing behind the bar was hand crafted by Gilliam. Additionally, each wooden table in the bar was acquired from Hotel Pontotoc.

Drinks, drinks and more drinks

Of course, it wouldn’t be a bar without drinks, and Mary's has a plethora of tropical-themed options.

“We're doing traditional Mai Tais and Zombies, we're doing a drink called a Saturn which is one of my favorites: it’s a citrusy passion fruit drink served in a fun cup,” Oglesby said. “We're doing a couple of shared drinks, one that comes in a volcano bowl and one that comes in a treasure chest. It's called Vacation Booty. And we're going to have a frozen Piña Colada, a frozen Banana Daiquiri made with a whole frozen banana. And everything in between.”

Oglesby said they like to be inclusive with their drink offerings: non-alcoholic Mai Tais, Jungle Birds, and many other drinks with spirit replacements are also available.

Both owners have their own personal favorites.

“I would probably say… Painters Punch I really like, it’s got a spice element to it,” Gilliam said.

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Oglesby’s favorite is a mojito recipe she discovered in Miami, which she managed to recreate through trial and error. That, or a drink called Shark’s Tooth. “It's made with rum, lemon and Luxardo Maraschino,” she said. “It’s a little short drink — really flavorful.”

Mary's will also have a small food menu consisting of bar classics like personal pan pizzas, egg rolls and a variety of hot dog styles.

Owning a bar isn't a walk in the park

While they had always planned to open a second bar with this theme, hosting what they called “Tropical Tuesday” at Cameo was the perfect trial run to see if Memphians were ready for a tropical kind of bar experience. Gilliam said there was a learning curve at first — many customers had no idea what a tropical drink actually should be, or were burned by a bad experience at a tiki bar. But eventually, Tuesday became Cameo’s most popular day.

“People that were naysayers or at least skeptical in the beginning eventually came every single Tuesday, and that was their day to come in,” Gilliam said. “So we know that the market is here in Memphis… and we actually know this is going to work because we were able to kind of test it out which is really fun. Not a lot of people get that opportunity to test out their [idea] first.”

The two co-owners said they’d learned quite a bit about what it takes to own a bar, and the compromises that have to be made.

“This is like having your second kid,” Gilliam said. “We're a lot more flexible when it when it comes to what is absolutely necessary, versus just things that maybe you're holding on to, that don't necessarily matter as much. It's not about us as individuals, it's about the success of the businesses. Because at the end of the day… all of your little ideas don't mean anything if your bar isn’t open.”

Oglesby said her prior experience has helped them find a balance between their vision of the bar versus what customers want.

“I think a lot of times people will lean too far toward one or the other,” she said. "They lean too far into their own vision, and then they're not giving the people what they want. Or they'll just say, ‘Let's just give the people what they want’, and then they just become every other place.”

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And the duo has found that balance. Mary's B.O.T.E. is certainly not every other place.

“We're just so, so excited and super pumped to be able to get behind the bar and make some really cool fun drinks for people,” Gilliam said.

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.

Mary's B.O.T.E.

Address: 588 Cooper St.

Hours: The bar is set to open April 13; hours are still TBD

Social: www.instagram.com/marysbotememphis/

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mary's BOTE brings a tropical escape to Memphis: Here's what to expect