City in a Glass: Kansas City, Missouri
Photo courtesy of Zach Bauman
Thirsty? You’re in luck. In Paste’s drinking-and-traveling series, City in a Glass, we mix up a city’s signature swills and slide them down the bar to readers. Grab a stool. This round, in Kansas City, Missouri (not Kansas!), is on us.
Conflating Kansas City, Missouri, with Kansas City, Kansas, is punishable by law. Not really, of course, but this 320-square-mile metropolitan area straddles the border between the two states and each city boasts a proud, distinct identity. The Missouri side (abbreviated KCMO) is the largest city in the state and its demographics skew toward the young professional crowd. The family-friendly Kansas side (KCK) is much smaller—KCK is only the third largest city in Kansas—and the surrounding areas tend to be more rural. So how do the drinking environments compare? “Simple answer: There isn’t a cocktail scene in Kansas City, Kansas,” says KCMO barman Andrew Olsen, laughing. “All joking aside, we share ideas and talk amongst ourselves as often as possible.”
For our purposes, we’re going to stay east of the border and explore Missouri’s Paris of the Plains, which has always been a laid back town according to Ryan Maybee, owner of Manifesto cocktail bar. “We’ve never seemed to feel the need to put on airs, and I think that’s reflected in our cocktails,” he says. “There are lots of amazing bartenders that are doing some very creative things, but it always seems to be grounded in a sense of humility.” Olsen, bar manager of Bluestem restaurant, says the goal is always to push the boundaries and be more than a flyover city. “That being said, our style is very genuine and hospitable,” he says. “We hustle and we smile.”
To put simply, drinks in KCMO are fun. This is where American bartenders first started incorporating smoke into cocktails, a natural birthplace considering the city’s huge barbecue presence. Whiskey is definitely king of the spirits here, but smoky mezcal is turning into the house shot in many bars. And according to Maybee, the most popular cocktails are the super regional Pendergast (bourbon, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine and Angostura bitters) and Horsefeather (KC whiskey, ginger beer and Angostura bitters). On this city drinks tour, we’re going to introduce you to three only-in-KCMO cocktails, show you where to find them and even how to replicate them at home.
1. SXSE
Where to order: Bluestem
When Andrew Olsen, bar manager and lead mixologist at Bluestem, designs a cocktail, he wants it to be as beautiful as possible—and taste even more incredible than it looks. (The same goes for the restaurant’s artistically designed and delicious food dishes.) One of Olsen’s favorite drinks for people to order is his stunning SXSE cocktail, which guests often pass to their friends, saying, “You have to try this!”
For this drink, Olsen combines tequila with German Riesling wine, chamomile tea syrup and lemon juice. “Since terroir is very present in both tequila and wine, I chose something that had similar aromas and tastes,” he says. “The earthy, minerality that comes with the Riesling complements that of the tequila. I get very specific flavors as well: pear, green vegetable, apple, rosemary, cinnamon and black pepper.” The chamomile tea helps reinforce and amplify those flavors. He then tops the drink with an easy-to-make foam that contains ancho chile liqueur, Spanish red wine and salt.
“Salt and tequila are a natural pairing, but I needed something that was going to add more character to the drink,” he says. “This foam is really something else. It is slightly dry and salty with a bit of ancho flavor, but not too much spice.” Once you get some of the foam in your mouth, your palate is immediately cleansed by tequila, chamomile and Riesling. “You get more of the back end floral, which helps it finish so balanced and clean. You have all sorts of experiences in this drink.”
He named the drink SXSE, a play on the well known acronym SXSW from the South By Southwest music festival held in Austin, Texas. “The slopes from which the Riesling are grown fall from the east,” he says. “So I’m just trying to be clever. Funny enough, everyone orders it as ‘South By Southwest.’ Muscle memory, I suppose.”
SXSE
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