This Midtown “disco dive bar” from local lifestyle brand Golden Gems brings their ethos vividly to life for fun nights out with a cocktail in hand. Spread across two floors, the space is a riot of baby pink furnishings, seemingly endless disco balls, and marquee-style signs displaying slogans that might raise a smile or offer timely reminders like “You are a fucking gem.”
A similar blend of feminist wit and empowerment permeates the names on the cocktail list, but the drinks speak for themselves. The Wicked Woman is a cinnamon-infused twist on an Old-Fashioned, while the Smoke Show balances a mezcal base with orange, lime and pineapple juice, agave and Angostura bitters. Order the Bootscootin Boogie for a beer served in a cowboy boot-shaped glass (an unexpected delight) alongside a shot of Old Crow.
Non-drinkers can sip on a Spicy Rita (lemon and lime juice, Fresca, jalapeno simple syrup and dehydrated orange garnish) or build their own NA drink with a range of housemade fruity and herbal syrups.
3118 Locust St., St. Louis, Instagram: hiddengemstl
This article appears in March 2024.