Cocktails

Nine Prohibition-Era Cocktails in Honor of The Great Gatsby (And Because We Like to Drink)

"There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars...In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so lon ... More >>

Maryland House's Gin Rickey: Hump-Day Cocktail Suggestion

As evidenced by the multitude of cocktails consumed throughout the course of Baz Luhrmann's new spectacle, The Great Gatsby, Prohibition didn't exactly halt the consumption of alcoholic beverages. In fact, the alcohol ban inspired drinkers to get creative. One such creative drinker was Col. Joseph ... More >>

8 Great St. Louis Brunch Spots For Mother's Day This Weekend

Of all the greeting-card company holidays manufactured over the years, Mother's Day remains one we're perennially endeared toward...cause let's face it, moms deserves their own holiday. Make Mom's day with a meal at any of these eight St. Louis restaurants, which offer outstanding brunch selections ... More >>

Milagro Modern Mexican's Craig Bielke: Featured Bartender of the Week

The agave has been juiced, the limes have been purchased and the tequila has been stocked. Milagro Modern Mexican (20 Allen Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-962-4300) is ready to make hundreds of margaritas in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Milagro isn't hosting a garish Cinco party, but as the winner of ... More >>

Sanctuaria's Mint Julep: Gut Check's Hump-Day Cocktail Suggestion

Wednesday. Hump Day. Congrats, you've made it halfway through the work week! Unfortunately, you still have two days to go. Dunno about you, but in order to survive the midweek blues, we're going to need a drink. Which brings us to our Wednesday Gut Check feature: "Gut Check's Hump-Day Cocktail S ... More >>

Chipotle Adds Patrón Margaritas to Menus Today [RECIPE]

Gut Check's inbox runneth over with press releases: local restaurant news, bizarre and enticing fast-food and junk-food, area food events...just to name a few. Last week we received a press release announcing a chain restaurant would be introducing a new Patrón margarita to St. Louis locations. T ... More >>

Salt's Tim Rabior: Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks Into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week, Kaitlin Steinberg profiles Tim Rabior of Salt. Below is a Q&A with Rabior, followed by the recipe for a "Green Goddess." Tim Rabior has blond highlights and sunglasses that never lea ... More >>

Taste's Kyle Mathis: Winner of Iron Fork's Mixology Competition and Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks Into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week, Kaitlin Steinberg profiles Kyle Mathis of Taste. Below is a Q&A with Mathis, followed by the recipe for Another Hop Pun. We know, we know. We just interviewed a bartender from Taste (4 ... More >>

Mixologist Matt Seiter Serves Drinks From Sanctuaria Cocktail Book Tonight at Taste

Mohawked mixologist and Sanctuaria (4198 Manchester Avenue; 314-535-9700) bar manager Matt Seiter will be mixing drinks from his recently released book Sanctuaria: The Dive Bar of Cocktails: How We Rewrote the Rules and Recipes One Cocktail at a Time at Taste tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. Seiter has alr ... More >>

The Ritz-Carlton's Monica Schepis Couldn't Stand Her "Big Girl" Job -- Bartending Is Her True Calling

Welcome to Girl Walks Into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week, Kaitlin Steinberg profiles Monica Schepis of the the Lobby Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton. Below is a Q&A with Schepis, followed by her own recipe for a Gooey Butter Cake Martini. The Lo ... More >>

A Roundup of the Best Bloody Marys in St. Louis

People keep telling Gut Check that bloody marys are to be consumed during the morning and early afternoon hours only. They are not an evening drink. Well Gut Check says whatevs. We drink bloody marys any and all times of day or night. And in our quest to provide you, our dear readers, with the best ... More >>

Livery Company Debuts its Inaugural Cocktail Menu

In July, Livery Company (3211 Cherokee Street) opened in the Cherokee Arts District, combining the charms of a dimly lit dive with a speakeasy-style vibe. The casual atmosphere accompanies a similarly paced development - the bar rolled out its first seasonal cocktail menu this fall.

The Jellinator: A Test of the Ultimate Jell-O Shot Maker

So. You need to make some Jell-O shots. A lot of Jell-O shots. First, you'll need to boil some water, add about a cup of vodka, and a packet of Jell-O mix. Cut to a black-and-white film reel of a woman spilling piping hot, alcohol-infused Jell-O juice from the pot everywhere! What a disaster! Is th ... More >>

Trying and Failing to Conquer the Beer Margarita at El Maguey

There isn't much Gut Check is willing to thank the Jersey Shore for popularizing, but hey, we do love crazy, bizarre, unholy food and drink combinations. Not-so-recently (like two years ago), Jersey Shore cast-members were photographed drinking frozen margaritas with upturned Corona bottles garnishi ... More >>

Holiday Cocktail Countdown #4: Milagro's Spicy Chocolate Martini

Like any red-blooded American, Gut Check uses liquid medication to cope with holiday stress. Not only does a good winter cocktail make it possible to tolerate family members, say, inquiring about your procreation plans, it helps keep you warm, too. From now until Christmas, we're calling upon local ... More >>

Holiday Cocktail Countdown #14: Blood & Sand's Blitzentrapper

Like any red-blooded American, Gut Check uses liquid medication to cope with holiday stress. Not only does a good winter cocktail make it possible to tolerate family members, say, inquiring about your procreation plans, it helps keep you warm, too. From now until Christmas, we're calling upon local ... More >>

Holiday Cocktail Countdown #15: Katie's Pizzeria's Blood Orange Martini

Like any red-blooded American, Gut Check uses liquid medication to cope with holiday stress. Not only does a good winter cocktail make it possible to tolerate family members, say, inquiring about your procreation plans, it helps keep you warm, too. From now until Christmas, we're calling upon local ... More >>

Vodka: Mixologists Just Say Nyet

Whip cream vodka? No thanks, says Taste's Ted Kilgore.​There's a war going on among modern mixologists -- a war over a spirit. Vodka has recently been outed as the unwanted stepson in many restaurants and bars that specialize in house and hand-crafted cocktails. After all, even the priciest vo ... More >>

DeMun Oyster Bar's TJ Vytlacil: Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week Katie Moulton profiles DeMun Oyster Bar's TJ Vytlacil. Below is a Q&A with Vytlacil followed by the recipe for the award-winning Love Burns. Katie MoultonTJ Vytlacil pours an award-winn ... More >>

Water Street Cafe and Cocktail Bar's Gabe Kveton: Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week Katie Moulton profiles Water Street Cafe & Cocktail Bar's co-owner Gabe Kveton. Below is a Q&A with Kveton, followed by the recipe for the Rye Half-Flip. Katie Moulton​This is Gab ... More >>

The Lou's Best and Booziest Compete for a Spot in the Manhattan Cocktail Classic

Kristen KlempertChad George of Demun Broadway Oyster bar gives his drinks a good shake during the signature ingredient round. ​Sunday April 17, St. Louis' best bartenders competed at Taste's new home in the Central West End in the St. Louis' Top Mixology Competition sponsored by DonQ Rum. Mixo ... More >>

Mojitos on Tap? Maybe If All the Mixologists Are Hurt

Image viaMojitos: Coming soon to a bar tap near you?​Two stories from opposite ends of the booze spectrum caught my eye:First, on the high end, we have a New York Times article on the injury risk confronting the new generation of bartenders or, if you like (they do!), mixologists:Bartending has ne ... More >>

St. Louis Happy Hours: Central West End

McGurk's Public House's Charlie Myers: Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week Alissa Nelson profiles Charlie Myers of McGurk's Public House in O'Fallon. Below is a Q&A with Walters, followed by a video of him and special guest Ronnie Walters of McGurk's Soulard mi ... More >>

Taste By Niche's Ted Kilgore: Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week Alissa Nelson profiles Taste by Niche bartender Ted Kilgore. Below is a Q&A with Kilgore, followed by a video of him mixing an El Maestro No. 1 cocktail. Alissa Nelson​The "10,000 ... More >>

Bon Appétit Names Taste by Niche One of the Top 10 Best New Cocktail Bars

Stew SmithTaste by Niche mixologist Ted Kilgore​Bon Appétit has named Taste by Niche (1831 Sidney Street; 314-773-7755) one of the "Top 10 Best New Cocktail Bars" in its August issue. The blurb mentions mixologist Ted Kilgore's "Grey Fizz," a combination of gin, vermouth infused with Earl Grey te ... More >>

List of Hot Cocktail Trends Is a Good Excuse to Post This Video

So Bombay Sapphire has surveyed "1,000 bartenders from 40 states" (according to the press release it sent out) to determine the top ten "hottest trends in mixology."The list includes both the expected (variations on classic cocktails) and, well, the unexpected -- such as hot trend #4. What is hot tr ... More >>

Innovations in Sneaking: The Solid-State Cocktail

Fernando de Sousa, Wikimedia Commons While I'm constantly amazed at the number of movie theaters in St. Louis that offer beer, wine and decent coffee, there still aren't many places you can enjoy a good cocktail during the show. What's a sneak to do?1. Pre-mix the cocktail and bring it in a bottle ... More >>

Sot in the City: It's time to hit the bottle — not the beach!

The Gold Standard Cosmopolitan

Mandarin, 44 Maryland Plaza, 314-367-4447.

Monarch Martini

Monarch, 7401 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-644-7175.

Ting Tang

Duff's, 392 N. Euclid Avenue, 314-361-0522

Red Lantern

Mélange, 512 North Euclid Avenue, 314-361-8883

Hendrick's Gin and Tonic

Harvest, 1059 South Big Bend Boulevard; 314-645-3522.

Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Booze

Chill out at these St. Louis watering holes

Singapore Sling

Savor, 4356 Lindell Boulevard; 314-531-0220

Ouzo Martini

Momos, 630 North and South Boulevard, University City; 314-863-3511

Drinks of the Year

Mirasol, 6144 Delmar Boulevard, 314-721-6909; Arthur Clay's, 7266 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314-645-0300; Meshuggah, 6269 Delmar Boulevard, University City, 314-726-5662

Lemongrass Mojito

Mirasol, 6144 Delmar Boulevard, 314-721-6909

Best Martini

Pin-Up Bowl

Best Margarita

Pueblo Solis

Mojito Limón

Tavern 43, 7927 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton, 314-725-4334

Anytime Martini

SqWires, 1415 South 18th Street, 314-865-3522

Golden Margarita

Maya Café, 2726 Sutton Avenue, 314-781-4774

The Caipirinha

Yemanja Brasil, 2900 Missouri (at Pestalozzi), 314-771-7457

Best Martini

Nik's Wine Bar & Hookah Lounge

Martinis

Tangerine

Best Martini

Kirk's American Bistro & Bar

Side Dish

How to make an apple martini that's fit for dessert

Best Peach Daiquiri

Kinder's Restaurant