For over 25 years, Johnson County nightclub offers Manhattans, Bee Gees and community
Sam Zicarelli focuses intently on an important task. Dressed in a formal black shirt and slacks, he is pouring, then shaking, then pouring again. Citrus vodka, fresh lemon juice and lime juice conjoined in a chilled cocktail glass with ice chips.
A freshly cut lemon twist is about to join the party. Twisting it slightly to release the oils and a touch of citrus aroma, he then places it carefully on the rim. And there, defying laws of gravity, it stays.
His creation is officially known as a Lemon Drop. Unofficially, it’s pure heaven. Standing across from the black granite bar on this recent Friday night, Sam nods to his longtime colleague Maria DiCapo, who delicately takes the handoff. Maria conveys it to a thirsty customer at a reserved table near the dance floor.
At that moment, Glenn Frey’s “You Belong to the City” comes over the speakers. Several couples walk to the dance floor. On this night, like most nights, Touche will be hopping.
Yes, this nightclub, near Metcalf Avenue and 103rd Street in Overland Park, caters to an older clientele, people who appreciate the oldies. But it also defies labels.
For over a quarter century, Touche has survived and thrived with a community of loyal patrons who appreciate the curated playlist and a drink well made — sophistication without snobbery.
Owner Danny Accurso is busy at the front entrance, dressed in a sport coat and slacks, greeting customers as they walk in. Some he knows by name. Others he will shortly. Patrons arrive in cocktail attire, familiar with Touche’s standards.
Over at the bar, Sam is the center of this universe. He is less a bartender than a mixologist. Everything he prepares teases the five senses. If you order one of the 11 bourbons on the rocks, the “rocks” come as an Ice Sphere, which lessens the dilution.
Manhattans are another of his specialties. On a night like this, over four hours, he might prepare 20. While he works the front bar, another bartender manages the bar on the far end of the dance floor. There you might choose from one of 14 American whiskeys, two Canadian and four Irish. Care for a scotch? They offer four blended, and six single malt options.
How Touche came to be
Accurso has been in the entertainment business his entire adult life. His introduction began with a club known as Brothers III at 103rd Street and Wornall Road. His co-owners were brothers Frank and Joe. They aimed to offer dancing, fine cocktails, a place to be pampered.
But his craft was still being refined. As he traveled around the country, he continued to explore prominent clubs. He found a club named Touche in Southern California that has long since closed. He liked everything about it, especially the name.
When he and his brothers received an appealing offer for the real estate at B3, they sold and Danny went out on his own. Johnson County offered him what he wanted: more space, more parking and proximity to hotels. His loyal customer base followed him there in November 1997.
With time, Danny added a personal touch. To the left of the main bar, for example, along the south wall is a black and white photograph of Anthony and Cena Angelo Accurso on their wedding day in 1949. His team of Sam, Maria and Kent Freeman, his DJ, have been together for over 23 years.
On this night, there is a diversity to the clientele – young, old, Black, white. They lack diversity in one respect — they share zero tolerance for cheap, quick or loud.
To some, this is an old-person gathering, and I suppose they may be right. To an untrained eye, the patrons are more numerous in their 50s, 60s and maybe older. But no one is fumbling with a checkbook or hiking their pants to their chests. If Joe Namath comes on the TV about Medicare supplements, no one looks up from their Old Fashioned.
Get busy living or get busy dying, Andy Dufresne told Red in “The Shawshank Redemption.” Here they’ve all made their choice.
“I enjoy the people” Danny told me. And they enjoy him.
The playlist
Freeman is another essential part of Danny’s team, working away from the dance floor, efficiently in a corner of the south wall. He is playing a carefully crafted song track that, on this night, included Hall and Oats, the Bee Gees, Robin Thicke, Roy Orbison and the Jackson 5, “I’ll be there.”
The sound allows for conversation without overwhelming it.
“If we need someone to dance, I play Bruno Mars,” he said.
Diane McCoy might be a typical patron of the Touche brand. She and her husband, Phil, were regulars at Brothers III and followed Danny to Johnson County. When she and Phil married in 2000, Touche is where they came for their after party. Her drink is Citron and soda. His? Beefeater and tonic.
When Phil succumbed to cancer in 2018, Danny opened Touche for Diane to have her reception following the funeral.
So, yeah, it’s family. When Diane’s daughter Rachelle celebrated her 50th birthday party, the venue was obvious. Likewise, when her granddaughter turned 21, the playlist went from Jackson 5 to Maroon 5. From Aretha to Adele. From Doobie Brothers to Jonas Brothers.
On a recent Saturday night, Diane is back with her daughter. Maria is bringing her a Citron and soda.
“Coming out of the COVID restrictions, there was a lot of pent-up customer demand,” said Bill Teel, executive director of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association. “It’s been interesting to see this demand sustain, particularly in Kansas City, with new breweries, local distilleries and wine bars opening everywhere in the city. We have a strong and diverse bar crowd in Kansas City.”
My viewpoint of recent history, perhaps like yours, is separated into two worlds — pre- and post-COVID, with my desire to rarely revisit what happened in the middle. I will always gravitate to people and places that are authentic, where familiar songs and musicians who wrote harmonies even 50 years ago still bring me joy. Played in a place where no one cares about Wi-Fi passwords, hashtags or selfie sticks.
In some places, old and old school still go together very well.
Reach freelance writer Matt Keenan atmattkeenan51@gmail.com.
