Brookside’s newest wine bar, Vita’s Place (5514 Oak St.), has one of the most impressive wine menus you can find around the metro, but owner Ryan Sciara didn’t stop with wine. Flip through the reds, the whites and the bubbles and you’ll stumble upon a page listing 28 gins, including a build-your-own gin and tonic menu.
“I love the gin culture in Europe,” says Sciara, who along with Vita’s Place also owns the neighboring Underdog Wine shop. “Spain especially has a huge gin and tonic culture. [KC] already has agave, rum and whiskey bars but nobody who goes deep on gin.”
Among the gins you’ll also find a plethora of tonics, sodas and garnishes, such as grapefruit, rosemary, blueberry or basil, to help build your cocktail. Ironically, despite having such minimal ingredients, building your own G&T may seem overwhelming with such extensive options. Sciara recommends starting with one of his favorite’s: Future Gin, a queer women-owned brand with hints of grape leaves, honeysuckle and Meyer lemon. It’s clean but aromatic and citrusy.
“That’s what I love about our gin list,” Sciara says. “There are so many great ones that aren’t just all juniper and Christmas trees.”
With the spring equinox right around the corner, round out your tasty drink with a fresh slice of cucumber, strawberry or lime. But before you get to planning your cocktail mix, be sure to make reservations at Vita’s. The wine bar has been packed almost every evening since it opened.
