We may not always realize how lucky we are in St. Louis. We live in a top-notch culinary city with award-winning chefs, along with one of the best bar scenes around. Talented bartenders are crafting some of the most innovative cocktails anywhere, and sometimes you’ll even find both under the same roof. Here are six standout bars that have opened in the past year.
Bemiston Cocktail Club
Bemiston Cocktail Club originally opened in 2019 but closed during the pandemic. It reopened less than a year ago, earning its place among the city’s newest bars. Located in Clayton just steps from sister bar Louie’s Wine Dive, guests enter through a large wooden door marked with a “B,” walk a long hallway and turn the corner into a stylish, tucked-away cocktail bar.
Bar manager and mixologist Trisha Wilson brings passion and creativity to her drinks. House specialties include Rosemary’s Garden – gin, lemon juice, rosemary simple and rosewater liqueur – and the Jalisco Stinger with blanco tequila, orange liqueur, habanero bitters and citrus. Classics get a twist too, like the bacon-washed Old-Fashioned. Bemiston shares its kitchen with Louie’s, so many menu favorites are available alongside the cocktails.
14 S. Bemiston Ave., Clayton, bemistoncocktailbar.com
Keep Quiet
After launching Little Lager in South City, a beer bar specializing in lagers, Manny Negron shifted his focus to creating a speakeasy-style cocktail bar called Keep Quiet. Tucked behind the patio of Urban Chestnut’s Midtown location, it offers the rare chance to visit a bar within a bar. Although the two concepts collaborate, they operate as distinct entities.
Keep Quiet serves a rotating cocktail menu that changes monthly, alongside a short list of beers, ciders and NA options. Classics like the Manhattan, gimlet, martini and margarita are always available. For something whimsical, try the Boozy Bears – house-made gummy bear cocktails based on actual drink recipes.
The bar is only open on Friday and Saturday nights with seating for about 30 guests. If you see the red light glowing at the entrance, step inside for an intimate evening of inventive cocktails.
3229 Washington Ave., St. Louis, keepquietstl.com
Off Elm
Webster Groves has quickly become one of St. Louis’ most exciting dining neighborhoods, and among its standouts is Off Elm, a cocktail and bourbon bar with a neighborhood feel.
From the team behind STL Barkeep and The Vandy, Off Elm offers creative drinks such as Rind Beneath My Wings – cantaloupe-infused bourbon with toasted simple and tiki bitters – and the Ibiza Sunset with a blend of gins, pineapple, pineapple amaro, orgeat and citrus. The menu lists about 30 cocktails including several NA options, plus beer and wine.
Off Elm also boasts an extensive bourbon and whiskey selection, from local distilleries like Still 630 and Switchgrass Spirits to Japanese and Scotch varieties, as well as a limited stock of single-barrel bourbons available for purchase by the bottle.
The small food menu includes Union Loafers bagel pizzas, jalapeño popper dip, Red Hot Riplet pimento dip and meat and cheese boards. For parties, the Off Elm at Home program provides cocktails and bartenders for events – or pre-batched drinks for DIY gatherings.
8709 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, offelmstl.com
No Ordinary Rabbit
When Ben Poremba moved his restaurants out of Botanical Heights, it left a noticeable gap in the neighborhood’s bar scene. No Ordinary Rabbit quickly stepped in to fill it, taking over the former Nixta space with inventive cocktails and an equally imaginative food menu.
Most drinks change with the seasons, but standbys like Lillian’s Revenge – made with Plantation pineapple rum, yuzu gin, lemon, orgeat and bitters – and the Jungle Bird – Hamilton Estate black rum, Campari, pineapple, simple syrup and lime – have been on since day one.
Bright, citrusy cocktails pair seamlessly with the Eastern Mediterranean–inspired food, which includes spreads, dips, snacks, shareable plates and desserts. Like the drinks, the menu rotates seasonally, though favorites such as za’atar onion rings with caramelized onion labneh and Aleppo pepper and honey roasted cashews remain constants.
1621 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, noordinaryrabbitstl.com
Silk Road Lounge
Located in the heart of the Central West End, Silk Road Lounge offers expertly crafted cocktails and excellent service. As the sister bar to Pagan Wine Bar, it shares a similarly dark and welcoming atmosphere, and with its dim lighting and deliberately unmarked entrance, it has the feel of a classic speakeasy.
The ambiance is one thing, but the cocktails are the real draw. The menu lists more than 20 drinks covering nearly every base spirit. The Quiet Man is made with rye whiskey, bourbon, Drambuie and maraschino cherry liqueur – spirit-forward with notes of anise, a hint of smoke from the Drambuie and a slightly sweet finish from the cherry. For something softer, the Pink Squirrel, made with crème de noyaux, white crème de cacao and cream, tastes like a chocolate-covered cherry. Silk Road Lounge is an ideal spot for a special occasion, a first date or an evening out with close friends.
243 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, Instagram: @silkroadloungestl
The Moniker
On the ground floor of the Six Cord apartment building, The Moniker is Washington Avenue’s newest restaurant and lounge. The space is open and elegant with bare brick walls, emerald green accents and large windows overlooking the bustle of downtown.
The cocktail menu ranges from a classic daiquiri – white rum, lime, simple syrup and a splash of pineapple – to riffs like the Jalisco Manhattan, which swaps reposado tequila for rye whiskey and uses house vermouth with plum bitters. Ask about off-menu drinks too, like a blood orange–habanero margarita, served with a side of sriracha roasted chickpeas for a spicy nightcap.
The food menu features snacks, shareable dishes and entrees such as hummus, southern shrimp and grits and salmon cakes with fresh dill aioli. The Moniker is more than just great cocktails and food – its goal is to bring people together and help spark the revitalization of downtown.
1000 Washington Ave., Suite B, St. Louis, themonikerstl.com
Bill Moran is the creator of Instagram account @st.louis_taverns, where Moran anonymously reviews bars throughout the St. Louis area. He created the account in March 2021 after seeing many of his favorite bars struggling through pandemic restrictions. It has since evolved into a fun pastime of exploring the many neighborhoods in and around St. Louis.