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"What is Putin's favourite female name?" roars the quizmaster at the opening of the Russian president-themed Putin Pub in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital, this week.

"Alina!" the crowd chants back in unison, referring to the former Olympic gymnast, Alina Kabaeva, long rumoured to be the Russian president's lover. "Not Lyudmila?"

the announcer goads, name-checking Putin's ex-wife. "No way!" comes the decisive reply. As well as the quiz, the bar is covered in Putin paraphernalia, and offers alcoholic

drinks named after both Kabaeva and Putin's late political patron-turned-rival Boris Berezovsky. In a nod to those who led the stealth military operation that laid the foundations for

Russia's annexation of Crimea, staff wear the word "#вежливыелюди" (Polite People) stencilled on the back of their uniforms. Thankfully these waiters are far more

communicative than the army types who mysteriously surfaced in the Crimean Peninsula in February before calls for a referendum to join Russia. But bringing the onion rings while they're

still warm seems to be a challenge, as it is in almost every Bishkek gastropub. As opening night progressed with games of beer pong, live music and Putin trivia, a man referring to himself

as the pub's owner, Ernest Japarov, declared he is no Putinist. "I just wanted to create a warm place where people could enjoy a lively atmosphere and not take themselves too

seriously," he told EurasiaNet.org. However, Russia's Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Andrei Krutko, is reported to take the pub very seriously. According to the newspaper Vecherny

Bishkek, Krutko said on Wednesday that naming "a dubious drinking site" after "our president" is "unethical" and he vowed to do everything possible "either

to shut down the place or to make it change its name." > Across town, Putin Pub's slightly more refined competitor, Obama > Bar, may face rebranding Last month, Bishkek

authorities removed all billboards and banners in the city advertising the Putin Pub. Between downing vodka shots with his friends and posing for photos with women, Japarov expressed

satisfaction with the Andy Warhol-like depictions of Putin wearing a Kyrgyz felt kalpak hat. "You can like him or not like him, but Putin is a person of scale," Japarov said.

Across town, Putin Pub's slightly more refined competitor, Obama Bar, may face rebranding as Barack Obama's time in the White House enters its twilight years. Putin's

presidency could last much longer than Obama's, but Japarov and company might want to consider just how long the "Crimea is Ours" absinthe-and-peach cocktail will continue to

taste sweet. For the moment though, Putin and his bar are riding a wave of popularity.