Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
“Like love affairs, bars depend on a delicate mix of timing, chemistry, lighting, luck—and maybe above all—generosity.” When J.R. Moehringer penned that line for his poignant ’06 memoir, The Tender Bar, he was referring to Dickens, a public house in Manhasset, N.Y., where he learned to be a man, where “closing time would be negotiable, no matter what the law said” and “bartenders would give an extra—extra—long pour.”
Here in St. Louis, you can find something akin to this in corner taverns from Carondelet to St. Peters, places where an unlikely cast of characters gathers to celebrate life’s highs and weather its lows. Some establishments boast little more than draft beer, dust-covered cigarette machines, and neon signs in the windows. Others sparkle with ambient lighting and ergonomically designed bar stools. At some places, the emphasis is on the drink—the perfect presentation, the ideal mix of ingredients. At others, the focus is music and mingling.
For this month’s cover story (p. 63), dining editor George Mahe and his team set out to find those places doing it right, establishments you’ve meant to check out or might have missed, an impressive menu of cocktails and coffee houses, wine bars and breweries. You might conclude the resulting feature is all about the beverages, but that’s just half the story. It also touches on a burgeoning culture of master mixologists and craft brewmasters, those who are elevating the drink to an art form.
In some ways, post–Great Recession St. Louis resembles the era of Prohibition. Case in point: Taste, the popular bar that’s been reinvented to resemble a speak-easy, where Ted Kilgore expertly mixes cocktails according to taste profile. It follows in the footsteps of downtown’s Thaxton Speakeasy, which opened in late 2008 with an alleyway entrance and ever-vigilant bouncer. As during Prohibition, there’s also been a rise in small-scale brewing. Local historians might one day dub 2011 the Year of Beer, with at least four new microbreweries slated to open at press time. Some brewers come from established operations like Anheuser-Busch and Chicago’s Half Acre Beer Company, while others are trying the trade for the first time. These brewmasters continue a rich heritage, as synonymous with St. Louis as red brick and toasted ravioli. And for the caffeinated crowd, independent coffee shops like Foam and Picasso’s Coffee House hearken back to another time, when coffeehouses served far more than Wi-Fi and a cup of joe.
But don’t take our word for it—venture out and explore the flourishing drink scene for yourself (responsibly, of course). Like Moehringer, you’re likely to find that place with just the right mix.
