Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders.
Over the past four months, this Girl has walked into seventeen bars in and around St. Louis. Given that we're big fans of infographics here at Gut Check International HQ, we have some nifty ways of taking stock.
More than anything else, bartenders pride themselves on their ability to get your drink delivered quickly. Fast and efficient are the names of the game here. They also manage to be both classic and creative, imbuing, as it were, the traditional cocktail with a nice splash of the artistic.
St. Louis loves whiskey. Your Girl happens to have some bad college whiskey memories that have been hard to shake, but we try. Bring us the bartender who adores gin and we'll talk. (Like Matt Seiter, f'rinstance.)
A Girl has been talking to some recent St. Louis transplants who've marveled at the kindness on display around these parts. The bartenders are no exception: accommodating to the max. Many don't mind making your most ridiculous requests; at the very least they'll refrain from rolling their eyes at you. Try to avoid the wacky layered stuff, though.
Every bar in St. Louis is a special snowflake. Or maybe we just have a diverse drinking culture. While bars might remain dark, it's possible that they'll become less smoky in 2011, when bans go into effect in both the city and the county.
Finally, let's have a gander at where our alcoholic journeys have led us:
A broad swath to be sure, but we'd like to push it further. Do you have any favorite bartenders on the north side? We've been to some great neighborhood lounges, but we'd like to know more. Perhaps you can point us in the right direction in the metro east, too.
To read all GWIAB entries to date, use your non-cocktail-stirring hand to click here.
