We've always had party bars. But now we have a lot of them. The continued success of such spots as Bootleggers, Drink, the Loop, and now Sneaky Pete's has solidified the genre's prominent position in the downtown Minneapolis scene.

"You go to some nightclubs and you have to pay $15 to get in, and then it's all snotty people and high drink prices," said Jeremy Rabe, a very young 35-year-old who was at Sneaky Pete's last Friday.

Opened in March 2007, Sneaky Pete's has become one of the busiest nightspots in downtown. In the meantime, it's gotten a reputation for being wild, crazy, even crude. Oh, and one more thing -- fun.

It's not as if Sneaky Pete's hides its crassness. The place does have "sneaky" in its title, and its owners also run two strip clubs, Dream Girls (next door) and Deja Vu, which might explain the stripper poles in the middle of the dance floor.

The stuff that people only do on spring break, they now do at Sneaky Pete's. How about a little thing we'll call "crotch shots"? At Sneaky Pete's, female bartenders jump on top of the bar, kneel down to cradle some lucky sap's head between their legs and then pour a shot of liquor straight down his throat.

One of the "shot girls," 22-year-old Rikka Fitzer, who looked a lot like a blond Christina Aguilera, described the view from above: "They're like little birds with their mouths open." Aw, cute.

Putting stripper poles in the middle of the dance floor might seem crude, but once you see the reception they get, the idea is nothing short of genius. The two poles become life rafts in the dance floor's sea of people, with dozens of men and women vying for space on the elevated platforms.

Rabe said he's been up there. "I have an upside-down move where my legs go --," he said, pointing to the ceiling. "The girls are like, 'Teach me that!'"

The bar is named for owner Peter Hafiz, the man behind Deja Vu and Dream Girls and who recently acquired the Gay 90s. His family members help him operate the businesses. Most nights you'll find Hafiz at the bar, shaking hands with customers.

"You've got the best job in the house," some drunk guy yelled at him last Friday.

"I should; I paid for it," Hafiz joked.

Drunk guy simply responded: "I love you!"

The bar recently opened a surprisingly beautiful downstairs lounge that is getting raves from regulars. The club's new backside patio, which includes a full-sized sand volleyball court, also has become a party haven. A two-story stone deck is finally finished, too.

It's at this outdoor bar where you'll meet Sneaky Pete's most popular personality, Jake Stone, a buff bartender whose long, brown hair and cowboy hat make him look like a grittier Fabio. I asked him if the craziness ever gets too crazy.

"It's a party bar," Stone said. "That's what it's for."