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Jefferson Spirits vaccine clinic offers top-shelf shots By Nick Morgan Updated: Oct 06, 2021 11:42 AM A A Jamie Lusch / Mail TribuneJefferson Spirits owner Dennis Clark hopes to reach the bar crowd by teaming up with a licensed pharmacist for a "Shots for Shots“ vaccine clinic Saturday evening at the downtown Medford bar’s basement level ”Medicine Room Speakeasy.” Newly vaccinated will get voucher for food or high-end drinks Downtown Medford bar goers who haven’t had the jab can get caught up in a single dose this weekend, then enjoy a shot of something special. Jefferson Spirits — in partnership with Rogue River Pharmacy and representatives of high-end brands of scotch and spirits — will hold a “Shot for Shot” vaccine clinic from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, inside the bar at 404 E. Main St. in Medford. A licensed pharmacist will administer up to 100 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the bar’s basement level “Medicine Room Speakeasy,” according to Jefferson Spirits owner Dennis Clark. The bar, in turn, will give those who just got vaccinated a coupon to try "just about everything we have,” be it a free drink or a free food item. The voucher could certainly cover a plate of fries or a charcuterie board, Clark believes more people will be interested in one of the bar’s high-end distilled offerings. Representatives from distilleries and liquor distributors will conduct tastings during the event of high-end whiskeys, tequilas and scotches that normally run between $40 and $50 a shot. “It’s a fun incentive to taste something you might normally skip on,” Clark said. The bar clinic won’t administer the vaccine to anyone inebriated, and the coupon can also be redeemed at a later date, Clark said. Clark, a retired pharmacist who worked in the field for 30 years, teamed up with his friend and licensed pharmacist Garvin Hamilton at Rogue River Pharmacy to make the vaccine clinic happen. “I have a real comfort with vaccinations,” Clark said. “I was giving them for the last 20 years.” “This one’s not much different from other vaccinations — it just has a little more political bent to it,” Clark added. Hamilton had been a part of numerous vaccination clinics at workplaces, and Clark thought his bar on a Saturday night would reach a crowd that may not otherwise carve out time to get vaccinated — especially considering the bar’s “Medicine Room Speakeasy” in the basement. “All of my pharmacy paraphernalia went to the speakeasy,” Clark said. “We just thought it was a cool place to have it.” As a bar and restaurant owner, Clark said the coronavirus has been "a problem-causer in the industry,” and that he wanted to do what he could to “get us closer to that safe zone.” “We want to be part of the solution,” Clark said. Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor .