Guide to Drinking 2016

the importance of being contrary and other vermouth cocktails, p. 28

GUIDE TO

DRINKING LOUIS’2016 INDEPENDENT CULINARY AUTHORITY GuideST. to Drinking

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publisher’s perspective

CHEERS TO NEW CRAFT COCKTAILS WITH OLDSCHOOL EMPHASIS.

Our craft cocktail scene also reflects that sensibility.

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Masterful bartenders execute and reinterpret classic concoctions with originality and flair, showing a new interest in vintage liqueurs and amari (read more about bitter bottles on p. 32), vermouth-centric cocktails and my personal favorite, aperitifs.

I’ve been smitten with the European drink-before-dinner tradition since I was introduced to Lillet Blanc while working at Fio’s la Forchette 17 years ago.

Fortified wines and cocktails intended to stimulate digestion and prime the palate before dinner are being reinvented with Midwestern panache by accomplished bartenders like

Planter’s House’s Ted Kilgore and Randolfi’s Jeffery Moll.

The dedicated aperitif menu at Planter’s House and long list of bottles at Randolif’s are a sure sign that vermouth is no longer a mere additive in cocktails reserved for the elite at stodgy establishments. Learn more about how the tradition has matured, like so many cocktails, in masterful, modern hands, while maintaining a classic allure in “Hold the Gin: Vermouth Makes a Comeback” on p. 28.

Our ninth annual Guide to Drinking highlights the thoughtful and creative professionals who value old-school underdogs like

vermouth, Czech Pilsners (p.

8) and Portuguese wine (p. 10) as much as we do. They help ensure that our city is a place where culture and good taste meet inclusion and accessibility.

But what is an artist without an audience? Here’s to the readers who meticulously mull over each ingredient on the drink menu, who sip wisely and patronize the special group of talented artisans continuing to distinguish our city and culinary community.

Cheers,

PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

While pedaling my Schwinn Stingray recently, I realized I never quite outgrew a fondness for old school. I am in good company – balancing the design appeal, vibe and rituals of past eras with contemporary style is something St. Louis does particularly well. From historic home renovations to the refined, vintage ambiance in familiar haunts like Demun Oyster Bar, Small Batch and the four restaurants featured in “The Coolest Places to Eat” (flip to p. 42 in the main issue): Bar Les Frères, The BHIVE at Brennan’s, Olio and Vista Ramen.

Allyson Mace Founder and publisher

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GUIDE TO DRINKING EDITION

BY HEATHER HUGHES, CATHERINE KLENE, TIFFANY LEONG AND KRISTIN SCHULTZ

concept menus Themed drink menus may seem like a marketing gimmick, but one sip of these exclusive cocktails will sell you. Pouring Ribbons in New York has been traveling with a themed menu series, hitting Route 66 and the Silk Road. Closer to home, Olive & Oak’s Gilligan’s Island-themed menu is a boozy voyage that includes a Three-Hour Tour, while sophisticated takes on college drinks were the star on Planter’s House’s spring break menu earlier this year. Recent menus at Blood & Sand have been based off everything from ninth-century Viking trade routes to popular music, and dedicated tiki menus have been found on bar menus from The Libertine to Taste to Retreat Gastropub.

go green

vista ramen’s matcha cocktail

Teatime and happy hour combine in green tea cocktails. Matcha is found in Retreat Gastropub’s Brainfreeze Culprit, which combines the vibrant green tea powder with rum, sherry, pineapple juice, cacao and coconut. We also spied it at Hiro Asian Kitchen, in a matcha mint julep. Green tea-infused vodka gets fresh at Rooster with apple, lime, pineapple and cucumber in the Green With Envy, while Water Street uses it in its Sweet Pea along with snap peas, dandelion liqueur, mint and lemon. Meanwhile, the drink team at Vista Ramen doubles down, using matcha and cold-brewed green tea stems in the gin-based Matcha Gonna Do For Me?

COCKTAIL PHOTO BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

east-coast vibes

If intensely hopped IPAs blow your palate, head east.

The East Coast IPA is a gentler, juicier IPA best identified by its murky, unfiltered appearance.

Eastern breweries like Alchemist, Trillium and Tree House are known for these less bitter, slightly resinous beers, and up-and-coming hometown brewers are taking notice. Narrow Gauge Brewing, which recently opened inside Cugino’s in Florissant, is making waves with its cloudy, dry-hopped IPAs like Fallen Flag, and forthcoming Rockwell Beer Co. shared a taste of what’s to come at Heritage Festival with Major Key, an 8.5-percent East Coast-West Coast hybrid double IPA.

Guide to Drinking 2016

basque wine

Txakoli, a super dry, acidic white from Spain’s Basque region, has popped up on menus and in shops all summer.

Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery offered the crisp 2014 Xarmant Txakolina with barelythere bubbles on its summer wine list, while Reeds American Table still has two Txakolis to try. 33 Wine Bar has three of these Basque beauties on its September wine list, including Gorrondona Txakolina.

Pick up a bottle of our favorite at The Wine Merchant before picnic season is over. Flip the magazine over to p. 12 to find out why.

taste the rainbow

Brewers are getting experimental, fermenting some of their classic base beers with fresh fruit. Side Project Brewing Co. has released raspberry, peach, blueberry and, most recently, apricot versions of its flagship Saison du Fermier. Over at Perennial Artisan Ales, Funky Wit has seen raspberry-rhubarb, raspberry, apricot and melon varieties, while fans of 2nd Shift Brewing’s Katy can try a veritable fruit salad of blackberry, peach, cherry and raspberry varieties. Looking for an insider taste? Rumor has it that 4 Hands Brewing Co. has quietly released infrequently available strawberry- and blueberryinflected kegs of City Wide at its tasting room. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 7

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red wine float trip Bartenders are layering on the flavor with red wine floats atop new cocktails. Try it at The Libertine, where a mineral red tops a mixture of rye, lemon juice and lemon verbena-sweet tea in She’s Standing Right Behind You. Order the Full Sneak at The Fortune Teller Bar and watch as ruby port is floated over a blend of whiskey, ginger liqueur, lemon and ginger ale. Red also wine crowns The Juice at Scapegoat Tavern & Courtyard, which shakes up Orangecello (a house-made lemoncello that swaps the citrus), pomegranate vodka, muddled oranges and ginger beer.

as american as applejack Look for this potent fruit-based hooch cropping up by the bushel-full. Eclipse combines applejack with tequila, gin, rum and Benedictine in the 3 Mile Long Island, while The Royale keeps it simple in its Apple Buck, a mix of applejack, lemon juice and ginger beer.

Scapegoat Tavern & Courtyard puts a twist on the whiskey sour, adding applejack to brandy and sour mix in The Monica. ben bauer sips on the she’s standing right behind you cocktail at the libertine

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lager love Once the watery antithesis of the craft beer movement, a new wave of crisp, full-flavored lagers are making a comeback. Brewers are turning to the old-school Eastern European Czech Pilsner to create these low-ABV brews with a characteristic Saaz hop. Look for 2nd Shift’s Technical Ecstasy, Stubborn German Brewing Co.’s recently added Hip Czech Pilsner and seasonally available versions from Square One, Schlafly and The Civil Life.

BEN BAUER PHOTO BY DAVID KOVALUK

taste of the alps

Think of this French Alpine liqueur as Green Chartreuse’s little brother.

With more floral notes, a lower ABV and a lower price tag, St. Louis bartenders are falling in love with Génépy. Drink it on its own as an aperitif or look for cocktails where it plays well with others: Try it paired with the gin-like Bols Genever, Yellow Chartreuse and lime in the Vivre Sa Vie from Olio’s summer menu, or sip an intense lineup of hibiscus, pomegranate and baking spices in the Heatsource cocktail at Retreat Gastropub. The bar at Público lends a Latin vibe with mezcal and lime, along with Licor 43 and Averna in Wee Willy’s Whiskers. Or visit The Whiskey Ring when winter hits for its take on a hot toddy: The Green Lantern made with Génépy, Green Chartreuse and lemon simple syrup.

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leaving port THE NEW PORTUGUESE WINES

BY REBECCA KOENIG

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mericans are rekindling their flame for pours from Portugal, which may surprise those whose first thought was of rich old British guys downing tiny glasses of port on Downton Abbey.

Fortified wines from the Iberian Peninsula have been a favorite of the international elite for centuries – America’s founding fathers toasted the Declaration of Independence with Madeira – but the strong sweet stuff has long since fallen out of favor on this side of the Atlantic.

Rejecting tradition, Portuguese growers are now turning away from those stuffy fortified wines and producing boutique reds in the styles of Bordeaux and northern Spain. The resulting flavors (fruity, dry, full and rich) and affordable price tags have experts like Andrey Ivanov, beverage director at Reeds American Table, head over heels. We talked to Ivanov about what makes these wines worthy of affection and which to look for. You never forget your first love, but thankfully both your tastes can mature.

OLDER THAN THE DOWAGER COUNTESS Portugal boasts one of the world’s oldest appellations, or legally defined regions tied to a particular kind of wine. That would be the Porto, which in the 1750s was named the only place in the world that could make true port.

PORT SHMORT Entering the European Union in 1986 made Portuguese winemakers eligible for grants to modernize vineyard equipment and facilities, and more accessible to the international marketplace. It broke up longstanding port monopolies and increased competition and quality, creating a wave of boutique producers making artisan wines. Today, young winemakers are combining family traditions with innovative techniques, international knowledge and bold marketing to introduce drinkers around the world to the unique qualities of Portugal’s many native grapes and wines.

EXPENSIVE-TASTING CHEAP WINE The quality-for-price ratio in Portuguese wine is on your side. “Try a $10 bottle of wine from France or America and it tastes like red wine – it tastes like $10,” Ivanov said. “Some $10 bottles from Portugal taste like they cost a lot more.”

Guide to Drinking 2016

REGIONS TO REMEMBER The Minho region in northwest Portugal is known as Vinho Verde because it yields those crisp, light whites and rosés that come with a bit of fizz. Surrounded by mountains that prevent extreme weather, Minho’s cool, moderate climate produces the clean flavors that come with a slow and steady ripening. Low in alcohol, high in minerality and usually best enjoyed young, bottles of vinho verde are perfect for summer sipping. The Dão region produces well-balanced white blends and tart reds similar to those from northern Rhone.

Wine from sunny Alentajo is juicy, plush and approachable, while reds from rainy Bairrada are tannic and age well. Along with its traditional ports, the warmer Douro region now produces red wines that Ivanov characterized as “full-bodied, rich and powerful,” comparable to Bordeauxs.

PUT DOWN THE PINOT Bored with merlots and cabernets?

Portuguese grapes offer something new to many Americans. The country doesn’t grow a lot of international favorites, but proudly produces wines made from hundreds of native grape varietals. Look for wines made from Alvarinho white grapes, which are acidic and reminiscent of riesling. Other white grapes include the peachy loureiro, common in vinho verdes, and the floral malvasia, which is a foundation for many white blends. Prized red grape touriga nacional, grown in the Douro and the Dão to make port and dry reds, has robust tannins, and is often blended with other red grapes like the berry-flavored touriga franca.

buy it BROADBENT VINHO VERDE With its modest spritz, this light white wine is refreshing and citrusy. $10.50. 33 Wine Shop & Bar, 1913 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.231.9463, Facebook: 33wine

2014 LAGAR DE DAREI This crisp, unoaked white blend is a good alternative for pinot grigio lovers. $14. The Vino Gallery, 4701 McPherson Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.5665, thevinogallery.com

ALVARO CASTRO DAC TINTO According to Kara Flaherty of Parker’s Table, this pretty light red wine from the Dão region has notes of roses and tea. $17.

Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

2006 QUINTA DA BOAVISTA TERRAS DE TAVARES Before its release, this floral, fruity red was aged three years in old barrels, then a few more years in the bottle. $30. The Wine Merchant Ltd., 7817 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.863.6282, winemerchantltd.com

2013 HERDADE DO ESPORÃO ASSOBIO Matured in French oak, this smooth, juicy red is a good pick for those who like California merlot and Argentine malbec. $15. The Wine & Cheese Place, multiple locations, 314.962.8150, wineandcheeseplace.com

2012 QUINTA DE VALE DE PIOS EXCOMUNGADO This tannic Douro blend features touriga nacional and touriga franca grapes. $15. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

Madeira, a Portuguese fortified wine strong enough to endure the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, was a favorite of George Washington, who would order more than a hundred gallons at a time.

2010 QUINTA DA ZARALHÔA COLHEITA This dense red wine spends two years maturing in French oak and has notes of blackberries and vanilla. $45. Reeds American Table, 7322 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.899.9821, reedsamericantable.com

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beer gets tropical

ILLUSTRATION BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN

BY KATIE HERRERA

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PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

4 hands/ wicked weed super flare

Guide to Drinking 2016

iki trends are taking over bar and cocktail culture. Fun glassware, deliciously sinful spirits, juicy tropical flavors and island vibes can whisk you away from the real world, if only for a momentary vacation. But spirits aren’t having all the fun – the beer world is saying aloha, too.

Tropical nuances in beer develop through several different avenues. Rum barrels are now used for barrel aging, hop varietals and yeast fermentation can produce tropical aromatics and flavors, and additions from passion fruit to pineapple promote a palate ripe with island flair.

Big imperial stouts and other maltforward styles like brown ales and porters are prime for rum-barrel aging.

The barrels bring complex notes of char and coconut that shine through and balance out some of the aggressive bitter chocolate and coffee notes.

Yeast can drive fruity aromas and flavors in beer without adding any actual fruit.

Banana and soft stone fruit notes are common byproducts of fermentation, while certain Brettanomyces yeast

Guide to Drinking 2016

strains (like Anomala and Bruxellensis) produce beautiful, funky flavors and aromas of pineapple, guava and mango.

Since hops create layers of complexity on the palate and nose, varietals heavy on tropical fruit flavors and aromatics (like Mosaic, Citra, Topaz, Calypso, Azacca and Galaxy) can make beer ready for a luau.

Sour beers are also primed for the tropics. Made by introducing bacteria to the fermentation process, their acidity drives a more juice-forward, lively flavor.

Fruit additions can enhance existing tropical notes brought from hops, a barrel, yeast or bacteria, or they can create an influence all their own.

Pineapple, mango, papaya, passion fruit, guava or coconut can be added during or after fermentation, and typically result in a vibrantly fruity aroma and juicy palate.

If you want to up your tiki game in the beer world, check out these beach-bum beers.

Continued on p. 18.

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Boulevard Tropical Pale Ale

4 Hands / Wicked Weed Collaboration Super Flare Brett IPA with mango and guava (7.5-percent ABV) By far the most dynamic beer on the list, this hopforward, juicy, funky IPA is a tropical mouthful. Galaxy and Mosaic hops and Brett funk drive the aroma, while succulent mango and guava round out the palate. This beer deserves its own giant parrot tiki glass. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com Avery Brewing Co. Liliko’i Kepolo Belgian-style wit with passion fruit (5.4-percent ABV) This mildly tart, satiating wheat beer is chock-full of vibrant citrus notes, light black pepper, cardamom and juicy passion fruit.

Medium-bodied, crisp and easy-drinking, your taste buds will dance the hula.

Craft Beer Cellar, 8113 Maryland Ave., Clayton, 314.222.2444, clayton. craftbeercellar.com

Bright hoppy notes of pineapple, mango, citrus and grass are paired with passion fruit juice, grapefruit juice and grapefruit zest for a deliciously refreshing tropical twist on a pale ale. This former seasonal was so popular, Boulevard started brewing it yearround. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com

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PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

Boulevard Brewing Co. Tropical Pale Ale Pale ale with tropical hops and grapefruit zest (5.9-percent ABV)

PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

Though not quite a whale, Prairie Artisan Ales’ Pirate Bomb! isn’t easy to find. If you see this smooth and coconut-y rum barrel-aged Imperial stout on the shelf, catch it while you can.

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Mikkeller Spontan Series - Pineapple/ Mango/Passionfruit Lambic-style wild ales with fruit added (all 7.7-percent ABV) Intense notes of barnyard funk and bright acidity brought on by spontaneous fermentation are highlighted by different fruit additions. Try the pineapple, mango or passion fruit versions of the Spontan series for a taste of the tropics. Friar Tuck, 9053 Watson Road, Crestwood, 314.918.9230, friartuckonline.com Oskar Blues Passion Fruit Pinner Session IPA with passion fruit added (4.9-percent ABV) I thought Oskar Blues Pinner couldn’t get any better; then it went and added a tropical touch. Still rocking the beautifully dry, crisp palate and nice body of the classic Pinner, this has a subtle sweetness on the nose and ripe passion fruit carrying out the finish.

Fields Foods, 1500 Lafayette Ave., St. Louis, 314.241.3276, fieldsfoods.com

Mikkeller Spontanpineapple

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Served on cask at 58 degrees, this juicy, sour blonde ale boasts vibrant clementine on the nose and a palate stacked with funky notes of pineapple and mango, all derived from the fermentation of local Missouri microflora.

The Side Project Cellar, 7373 Marietta Ave., Maplewood, 314.224.5211, thesideprojectcellar.com Guide to Drinking 2016

PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

Side Project Brewing Foedre Beer Missouri Wild Ale (6-percent ABV)

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Cellarman

Steve Crider SERIOUS BEER DOESN’T HAVE TO BE SERIOUS B Y J U L IE C O H E N // P H O T O S B Y C A R M E N T R O E S S E R

libby and steve crider

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to own a brewery. In 2008, with approval from the Tobacco Trade Bureau and the state of Missouri, a brand-new microbrewery license and now nearly 10 years of homebrew experience, Crider finally felt ready to open a brewpub in St. Louis.

But instead, he landed at Cedar Creek Center, a corporate conference and retreat space in New Haven, Missouri, which isn’t quite as random as it sounds. At the time, Crider was working at Cedar Creek Center, heading up building projects and maintaining the grounds.

“I can make anything out of metal or wood,” he said. (Or grain and hops, we’d like to add.)

The folks at Cedar Creek Center offered him the space, so he built what would become 2nd Shift Brewing, a production facility that would provide beer to Town Hall Restaurant on Cedar Creek’s premises and a home to his cats, nicknamed Albino Pygmy Puma and El Gato Grande. Namesake for two beers which came later, you may also recognize them from 2nd Shift’s social media, where they can be seen sitting on aging barrels, perched on top of a ladder, casually riding a pallet jack and hanging out in a fermentation tank.

ART OF NEUROSIS, AMERICAN IPA, 7.6-PERCENT ABV In November 2010, Crider released his first beer, Art of Neurosis, to the public. The name comes from Crider working on it for what felt like “forever” – 30 different renditions – until he thought it was right.

MULLINEAUX, SAISON, 6-PERCENT ABV In 1999, Charlene Mullineaux Crider bought her son, Steve, a homebrewing kit for Christmas, a gift that not only changed his life, but served as the impetus for great beer for Missouri and a growing portion of the nation.

What might have resulted in the usual new homebrewer routine (bottling two or three batches of mediocre beer and then dismissing the apparatus to the basement to collect dust), for Steve Crider, had a different effect.

“In three months, I was unhappily obsessed,” said Crider. “I read and studied everything.”

By Thanksgiving, Crider had 10 taps and 42 kegs of homebrew. He was making beer so

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fast (20 to 40 gallons a week), he couldn’t find enough friends to drink it all, which says a lot – his friends like beer. Soon he had three temperature-controlled deep freezes: one set for fermenting, one set for crashing the beer and one for serving.

Fast-forward to 2006 when Crider and his uncle were driving across southern Utah.

At the time, Crider, like his father and grandparents before him, was working as a machinist, a welder, a self-described jack-ofall-trades. During one of his turns behind the wheel, his uncle suggested Crider open a brewery. “I said, ‘Nah, that wouldn’t work,’ and he said, ‘Fuck it! Do it!’”

So he did. But first, because Crider had never worked in the service industry, he went to Chicago to take a course in how

St. Louis beer blogs, message boards and social media platforms also felt he had gotten it right, many citing it the best IPA they’d ever tasted.

Beer Advocate gave it a very good score of 88 out of 100. Not bad for a homebrewer’s first commercial release out of a tiny operation facility no one had ever heard of.

“The first beer is supposed to be horrible,” Crider said. “I wish I had that story. You’re supposed to. But I’ve never made a gross beer – not a bad, bad beer, not technically.”

Since Crider is considered one of the more experimental brewers in the area, it makes one wonder how he can’t produce at least some crappy products. After all, only months after releasing the highly lauded Art of Neurosis, he already had barrels of brews aging and funkifying with wild yeasts.

Perhaps what makes Crider great instead of just good is that he lives in the space between

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Crider is a cat man. He names beers after his brewery cats (like the Albino Pygmy Puma pale ale pictured here with its namesake), puts them on labels and props stuffed cats on tasting tables, bottle boxes and peeking out behind signs at beer events.

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being unafraid of failure and being techniqueand research-obsessed enough that he won’t allow himself to fail.

“He’s the most curious person I’ve ever met,” said his wife and co-owner, Libby Crider. “If he gets addicted, he’s going to be the best at it. He’s going to give it 135 percent.”

And if a beer doesn’t work? “He wants to hear how much you hate it,” Libby said. “He loves it when people tell him they hate his beer because he’s invoked a passionate response. He says, ‘Good. My beer isn’t middle-of-the-road.’

If you’re ‘meh,’ then he wants to know why and what you think. He’s like a 3-year-old. He always wants to know why.”

KATY, AMERICAN BRETT SAISON, 5.4-PERCENT ABV In early 2012, Crider released Katy, named after the Katy Trail that runs along the river across from Cedar Creek. Crider described Katy simply as a “Brett beer.” Brett, or Brettanomyces, is a wild yeast strain that can be added to beer for a touch of funkiness and complexity. Katy is aged three months in oak barrels, which, along with the Brett, give it wine-like notes and an effervescence that makes it both delicate and refreshing.

While nowadays experimenting with Brett is commonplace, in 2011 Crider was one of the first, if not the first, local brewer to put one out.

And again, the beer nerds were buzzing.

But Crider hasn’t stopped tinkering with Katy.

Last year, Libby bought 250 pounds each of peaches and blackberries, and Steve added them to some barrels of Katy. This year, she bought 260 pounds of organic raspberries, so he’s doing the same. “Brett eats sugars from the fruits, but it’s not a fruity beer. The fruits that come in here also have wild yeasts, which are risky,” he said.

For Crider, his risky infatuation with wild yeasts is one of the best parts of brewing.

While many strains of yeast have been isolated and cultured over the centuries so brewers can have total control with their recipes, it’s the untamed yeasts Crider seeks out. Even though

Guide to Drinking 2016

they’re hard to manage and have the capability of making a beer undrinkable (think notes of horse poop and cat urine), they also have the potential to make a beer truly remarkable.

(“He’s lived 10,000 lives before we even met; he does what he wants”) she was quick to point out that he takes his family and brewery very seriously – just nothing else.

“That’s the fun of it – that’s the art side. There’s the technical side and the artistic side. The artistic side is the best part.”

“It makes him happy to see people having fun. He’s the good-time facilitator,” Libby said. “We just want to make good beer.”

“Every beer you drink you can get inspired by,” Crider said. “A lot of brewers won’t say, ‘I had beer X and I want to make one like it.’ No one wants to admit it. But everyone does it. You wouldn’t come up with dark chocolate if you had never had it before.”

ANNABELLE, FARMHOUSE BRETT, 4.8-PERCENT ABV And now there is a third Crider to add to the mix, Annabelle, Steve and Libby’s infant daughter.

As for Katy, though, Crider thinks it might be an original and sees it as a good entry point to funky beer. “I still don’t know if I’ve had one like it yet,” he said. “But I’m not saying that’s good, bad, right or wrong.”

P.A.R.K.A.S., BARREL-AGED SOUR, 6.2-PERCENT ABV For years it’s just been Steve and Libby at 2nd Shift. “We do everything,” Steve said. “It’s a tough business to make money. We are literally just breaking even. We try to take one day off a month, but usually it just becomes a half-day.”

Yet, the Criders wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve never gotten up at 4 a.m. and said, ‘Shit I have to go to work,’” said Steve. “I get to go build a brewery!”

“We love what we do,” seconded Libby, even the parts of the job that involve cleaning kegs and scrubbing floors.

Part of what makes the grind fun is the couple’s commitment to not taking themselves too seriously. One of Steve’s brews, named by Libby, is P.A.R.K.A.S., made in collaboration with Cory King of Side Project Brewing. It stands for Puppies and Rainbows, Kittens and Shit. “You know,” Libby said, as if this made total sense, “rainbows blowing out of your asshole.”

While Libby agrees with the public’s perception that Steve is a total free spirit

With the addition of Annabelle and the Criders’ desire to finally turn a profit, they knew their tenure at Cedar Creek was nearing its end.

After searching for almost two years, looking at more than 30 buildings, the Criders found a new home. Come this fall, they will open their 13,000-square-foot production facility and tasting room on The Hill.

“It’s incredibly bittersweet,” said Libby. “This is our home, this is the area that fostered us.”

In homage to their first home as a brewery, the Criders plan on always holding their annual summer beer festival out at Cedar Creek.

Even though another brewery in St. Louis doesn’t seem profound, for St. Louis beer drinkers, this one is. (On the day the Criders made the announcement to move 2nd Shift to St. Louis, they were trending on social media over the Cardinals and Blues – and the Blues were in the playoffs).

With the move, the Criders hired Mike Sweeney, founder of St. Louis Craft Beer Week and the STL Hops blog, to take over operations, so that Steve can spend more time with his beers and release some self-described “freaky stuff.” And now Libby can cross cellarman, gopher and at least a few other of the thousand job titles off her list.

But the move to the city and the addition of more staff doesn’t mean the Criders will rest much. During 2nd Shift’s first year, Steve made 250 barrels of beer (one barrel equals 55 gallons). Last year, the Criders produced 750

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libby and steve crider 2nd shift brewing 1601 sublette ave., st. louis, 573.237.3421, 2ndshiftbrewing.com

barrels; this year they are on track to produce 1,300, and next year they are hoping for 3,000 with the help of the larger St. Louis facility. Yet, becoming gigantic is not their end goal. “At 5,000 barrels, we want to plateau,” said Libby.

“We never not want to work in the brewery.”

“It’s just what we do,” Steve agreed, over the sounds of Annabelle’s coos as she wiggled on his desk. “It becomes your life. She’s going to take this stuff over.”

And she just might. Even now, she refuses to be maneuvered into any sort of baby carrier, preferring Steve’s hip as he brews. “Just like Steve,” said Libby, “she can’t be restrained. I tried everything. That child wants to be free.”

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FUNKY PHOQUE, AGED WILD ALE, 5.5-PERCENT ABV One morning in late July, in the middle of a heat wave, hundreds of people stood sweating inside a warehouse with no air conditioning and no seating. Why? At noon 2nd Shift would release its newest beer, Funky Phoque, at the site of its soon-to-open tasting room.

Just after noon, Steve Crider climbed to the top of a 10-foot ladder standing incongruously in the middle of the empty warehouse and let out an ear-piercing whistle.

The call to attention didn’t do much good in the cavernous space reverberating with hundreds of people’s conversations.

Unperturbed, Crider shouted out information about the new beer and plans for the layout of the new production facility and tasting room.

Maybe he talked about how Funky Phoque was aged 17 months in French oak with a mixed wild yeast culture of Brett, Pedio and Lacto. Maybe he described the tart and funky beer, with its notes of white wine and oak – who knows?

Finally, someone in the crowd yelled, “We can’t hear you!”

So Crider cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back, “Get drunk!” before descending the ladder.

Guide to Drinking 2016

Guide to Drinking 2016

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hold the gin VERMOUTH MAKES A COMEBACK

BY KRISTIN SCHULTZ // PHOTOS BY CARMEN TROESSER

punt e mes over ice with a twist

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Guide to Drinking 2016

vermouths at planter’s house

L

ong regarded as martini and Manhattan’s backup dancer, vermouth is having a spotlight moment. This old-school underdog has recently piqued the interest of American wine drinkers and cocktail quaffers alike, leading to a more diverse and higher quality bottle selection.

Vermouth is an aperitif wine that’s fortified (blended with other booze, usually brandy) and aromatized (flavored with botanicals, including wormwood). Traditionally, “Italian” was shorthand for sweet vermouth, while French varieties were light and dry, but these days, most producers do it all.

Guide to Drinking 2016

In a market formerly dominated by a couple functional but lackluster varieties, local distributor Vintegrity has quadrupled its vermouth portfolio in the last half-decade. Certified sommelier and sales representative Alisha Blackwell attributed the fortified wine’s increasing popularity to the craft cocktail movement.

depth and nuance of the wines, as well as their differentiating qualities.

“(Vermouth’s) trajectory is going up,” Blackwell said. “Bartenders are looking for specific flavor profiles. Maybe they’re looking for a nice, dry white or a sweet red that comes off as nutty with a cola profile.”

Planter’s House proprietor Ted Kilgore agreed. “Vermouth blends well with high-alcohol spirits. There are so many styles. I analyze each vermouth, then pair it in a cocktail.”

Randolfi’s head barman Jeffrey Moll used to make his own vermouth but now takes advantage of the wider variety available, considering the

“There’s a tool for every job,” Moll said.

“A delicate, dry vermouth is better suited in a martini, where it works well with the gin, than a Manhattan where the whiskey takes over.”

As a mixed-drink modifier (a low-ABV ingredient that flavors and tames a spirit-forward tipple), vermouth can both enhance and buttress the notes in a cocktail, particularly on the middle of

the palate, creating an elegant bridge between a boozy first sip and a pleasant finish via lighter liqueurs or syrups.

A delightful, if unintended, consequence of this aperitif ascension is the ability to dip a toe into European drinking culture by sipping quality vermouths on their own. A serving should amount to 4 or 5 ounces.

“There’s no wrong way to drink vermouth,” said Kilgore. “It can be served straight or on the rocks.”

While not technically a vermouth, Moll suggested starting with Lillet Blanc as your gateway glass into continental aromatized wines. Lillet tastes similar to vermouth, but is less fortified and lacks

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the importance of being contrary at planter’s house

Where to get it Reeds American Table offers five domestic and imported glasses to sip on ice with a twist on its aperitifs menu. the strong, bitter flavor of wormwood.

It’s a more approachable, fresh, fruity sip with a happy lingering finish. For a comparable light glass of vermouth, Kilgore recommended Dolin Blanc, which is also fruit-forward (with grapefruit and floral notes to Lillet’s lemon and orange), or a member of the newly available La Quintinye family of French vermouths, which include a blanc, extra dry and rouge.

For a dark, rich glass, Carpano Antica Formula is a classic – claiming the original recipe used since the Italian company purportedly invented vermouth in 1786.

“Everyone calls it the Rolls-Royce of vermouth,” Kilgore said. “It’s the go-to for high-end.” The Antica offers a luxurious, well-rounded sip grounded by vanilla with baking spice, plum and prune notes, and

a sweet finish. Moll suggested Cocchi Vermouth di Torino as a more affordable alternative to the Antica, which has a similar deep, rich quality and a smaller price tag. Kilgore prefers Punt e Mes, which he described as “a cocktail in a bottle,” offering a bitter note along with citrus. “It’s good for breakfast, lunch or dinner,” Kilgore said. He suggested enjoying it chilled over ice with an orange twist, or mixed simply with La Quintinye Blanc, club soda and a twist of grapefruit.

While there’s no wrong way to drink it, there is a wrong way to store vermouth.

Do not crack open a bottle and throw it on your cocktail cart next to the rye and over-proofed rum. It is a wine after all, and should be stored in the refrigerator to ward off oxidation and spoiling.

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If you’ve had a bad experience – perhaps having stolen a nip from a 3-year-old bottle stored in your parents’ liquor cabinet – it’s worth taking another look.

“It’s so often misunderstood,” said Moll.

“Vermouth is so diverse and easy to drink. It’s not like having two or three Manhattans and having to call it a night.

It’s a great way to extend the evening.”

In other words, vermouth is the Jennifer Lopez of the cocktail world. Plucked from its underutilized background-dancing role, it is now front and center, rising to the challenge and delivering palatepleasing wins for bartenders and patrons alike. Love don’t cost a thing – or at least not much more than $20 a bottle.

Planter’s House released its aperitif cocktail menu in July, with each cocktail featuring a different vermouth. Try The Importance of Being Contrary, a simple blend of light, dry Contratto Bianco, gin, tonic syrup and a bubbly topper, or sample the 10 spotlighted varieties on their own.

Randolfi’s Adventurous Menu includes May All Your Days Be Gold, featuring Moll’s favorite vermouth of the moment – La Quintinye Blanc. He’ll also serve your choice of nearly two dozen other bottles.

All vermouths mentioned are available at Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

Guide to Drinking 2016

Guide to Drinking 2016

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best bitter bottles

Sweet-toothed Americans are increasingly embracing bitter flavors at the bar. Aperol spritzes are everywhere, and according to Randolfi’s head barman Jeffrey Moll, “No respectable home bar should be without Campari.” The pretty pink amaro and its compatriots are for more than your nightly Negroni. Bitter liqueurs and aromatized wines can be enjoyed simply poured over ice with a citrus twist or neat at room temp. We asked Moll, Planter’s House’s Ted Kilgore and Retreat Gastropub’s Tim Wiggins to tell us which bottles best bring out the bitter. – Kristin Schultz

Amaro Sibilla is sweetened with honey but tastes boldly bitter and herbal – a siren song for the experienced amaro enthusiast. It’s great in complex cocktails. $54

Amaro Sibona boasts a sweet, baking spice-laced start with a smooth, slightly bitter, chocolate finish.

Substitute it for Campari or sweet vermouth in your next Negroni. $30

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Contratto Aperitif is easy to drink with prominent orange notes, like a more complex Aperol.

Try mixing equal parts with a dry, sparkling white wine. $30

Amaro Nonino’s bittersweet caramel and baking spice notes are best on their own, rather than in a cocktail. Try as an aperitif over ice, or sip it neat after dinner. $50

Amaro di Angostura rolls around the palate with the spiced flavors of the classic Angostura bitters. Use in place of vermouth for an ampedup Manhattan. $22

Byrrh is a lightly bitter blend of young red wine and quinine.

With an approachable flavor profile and price tag, it’s a safe start on your bitter journey. $18

Guide to Drinking 2016

PHOTO BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

All available at The Wine and Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com.

Guide to Drinking 2016

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Guide to Drinking 2016

Guide to Drinking 2016

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