Kansas City's newest speakeasy lets bartenders play
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A version of the Alchemist and The Brass Monkey menu. Photo: Abbey Higginbotham/Axios
Pick a card, any card. At The Brass Monkey, bartenders blend mythology with mixology, turning house infusions and herbs into experiments behind the bar.
The vibe: It's intimate and a little eccentric; part apothecary, part lounge. Behind the bar, jars of house infusions and herbs double as décor and a science project.
- "A lot of heart and soul went into this place from every step of the way," bar manager Kelsey Kennedy told Axios.
What to expect: Drinks that are smart without being fussy, and a bar team that actually wants to talk to you.
- The menu features inventive cocktails, like the Cherry Moon, made with amaretto and cherry Pepsi cold foam, and the Armor of Aphrodite, a yuzu vodka and elderflower mix finished with pink peppercorn.
- But there's also the Alchemist, a no-menu option where guests draw a playing card that determines a surprise cocktail; hearts mean sweet, diamonds mean citrus, clubs mean herbs and spices, and spades mean bitter.
Between the lines: Kennedy calls herself "an alchemist behind the bar," and her creative process backs it up.
- She and her co-creator built most of the opening menu from scratch in a galley kitchen, testing recipes while listening to Tupac and Lana Del Rey.
- "Some of our best cocktails came out of those nights in sweatpants," she said.
The big picture: Owner Mark Denton, of Project 507, wanted a bar that didn't limit creativity. Kennedy, who previously bartended at Prime Social and Hotel Fontaine, embraced the chaos.
- "We don't want to step on anyone's toes," she said. "Kansas City is almost a cocktail city. We're so close."
The bottom line: The Brass Monkey isn't another moody speakeasy; it's a bar built on experimentation, collaboration and a little bit of the unknown.