Cocktailians have flocked to Taste by Niche in St. Louis ever since the craft cocktail lounge opened in the summer of 2009. But the tiny 18-seater quickly outgrew its digs. Chef-owner Adam Altnether recently moved the cocktail haven to a larger space in the trendy Central West End neighborhood, where he and talented beverage director Ted Kilgore are raising the bar to new heights.

“Taste by Niche was limited in size, but became something that people really dug because it was so personal,” explains Kilgore. “Our goal at this space was to do the exact same thing in a more comfortable environment that really spoke to what we love, which is cocktails, food, a great atmosphere and great service. We wanted to take the old Taste and amp it up, to wrap Taste into the entire experience.”

A nondescript front door and heavy black curtains in the entryway set the stage for this cocktail den that exudes a Prohibition-era, speakeasy vibe. The narrow space, flanked by exposed brick and crimson-colored textured wallpaper, is duskily lit from naked bulbs that hang from a wood ceiling and tea light candles on the tables and at the 11-seat bar. Altnether’s goal of creating an “exclusive club” atmosphere flows into an upstairs lounge that holds a pair of communal wooden tables and black leather couches.

Hand Crafted Cocktails

The drink menu at Taste includes more than three dozen cocktails, organized by flavor profile. For instance, some libations are categorized as “Tart, Spiced, Savory,” others “Rich, Dark, Bold,” still others taste “Full, Dark, Robust.” Listed among the “Tart, Bright, Citrus” cocktails are the popular Rosie the Riveter, priced at $10, made with tea-infused Flor de Caña Silver Rum, hibiscus liqueur, orgeat almond syrup, lemon juice, egg white and muddled dried rose buds; and the best-seller, In a Pickle, which is menued at $10, and is a sprightly combination of Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain, Velvet Falernum, lime juice and muddled dill and cucumber.

On busy nights at the previous location, bartenders mixed approximately 40 In a Pickle cocktails. “Over half the people would order that,” says Kilgore. While it is too soon to state with certainty the bar volume at the new space, considering that dining capacity has tripled, Kilgore anticipates selling an average of 300 total cocktails (doled out to 175 guests) on bustling weekend evenings.

All of the drinks on the menu are original creations by Kilgore and his bar crew except for a section dubbed “Favorite Classic Concoctions” and “Friends of Ours.” The former include the likes of a Manhattan, Old-Fashioned, Dry Martini and Daiquiri, while “Friends of Ours” is a guest section; the inaugural menu at the relocated Taste included guest recipes courtesy of cocktail legends Gaz Regan and Dale DeGroff. All cocktails are $10, with punches and pitchers priced at $45. Also available are 10 wines, for $10 a glass, and six bottled craft beers, priced at $7.

The clientele at Taste—typically professionals between the ages of 25 to 45 years old—don’t generally walk in looking for wine or suds, however. “The majority are cocktail enthusiasts,” said Kilgore. “They are not afraid to be adventurous.” Customers can get especially adventurous exploring Taste’s expanded offerings of gin, rum and American whiskey. Other specialty items on the shelves include a selection of more than 20 vermouths (including a house-made version), aperitifs and digestifs, as well as 45 bitters, ranging from the standard Peychaud’s and Angostura to the obscure, like a dandelion and burdock combination.

Unusual Offerings and Tasty Fare

Taste uncorked a new age in mixology last year when Kilgore became the first bartender in town to age pre-batched cocktails in spent oak barrels. Among the barrel-aged elixirs on the list are the Unusual Negroni, a mix of Hendrick’s Gin, Aperol and Cocchi Americano, aged for eight weeks; and a seven-week aged Martini made of Plymouth Gin, Dolin Dry Vermouth and Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6.

Another obsession at Taste is the ice. Taste relies on a Kold-Draft machine to dispense one and a quarter-inch square cubes and a local ice-carving company to make custom specialty ice for the bar. The cylindrical cubes, measuring two and a half inches in height and two inches in diameter, are created from a reverse osmosis water filtration system that leaves the ice crystal clear. “It’s so clear you can read through it,” comments Kilgore.

Drinks at Taste take center stage, yet food is hardly an afterthought. “It is European tavern fare founded on seasonality, sustainability and innovation,” describes Altnether. Taste offers numerous small plates, all moderately priced and perfect for sharing. Assorted pickles, roasted seasoned almonds and candied bacon are representative of snack fare ($4 to $5), while hungrier tummies can fill up on charcuterie and cheese boards, terrines or sticks of breaded, deep-fried, braised pig head called Pig Fries ($7 to $18). “People sit down at a bar and want bar food like mozzarella sticks. Here, you order Pig Fries,” notes Altnether. Entrées include items such as Fish and Chips, Pork Burgers and Braised Pork Belly ($12 to $16). Desserts, especially Taste’s signature Pigwiches, bacon buttercream sandwiched between two pig-shaped chocolate cookies, are an epicurean’s delight.

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In its original incarnation on Sidney Street, Taste — then known as Taste by Niche — was probably best classified as an upscale bar with interesting food, as opposed to a dinner destination. Taste v2.0 opened in March in the Central West End space that was formerly Moxy, dropping the “by Niche,” even though it’s next door to Brasserie by Niche. The menu notes that dishes are “designed to be shared,” but most also can be used to construct individual appetizer-entree-dessert meals.

The new space is cozy but, at about three times the capacity, not so near-claustrophobic as the old place. The design morphs Moxy’s polished hipness into a more subdued, much warmer state of cool. It feels, dare we say, cosmopolitan, although that word’s connotation of cartoonish “Sex and the City” sipping sophistication would be an unwarranted slight of head bartender Ted Kilgore and his team.

Niche mastermind Gerard Craft retains partial ownership of Taste, but chef Adam Altnether is the official “proprietor.” His approach appears to revolve around fairly mundane ingredients taken to unexpected heights.

The roasted chicken leg quarter ($13), for example, complemented rich and perfectly cooked dark meat with a concentrated, succulent jus — and then counterpointed those flavors with florets of cauliflower that had been pickled and roasted.

Braised pork belly ($12) was a gourmet riff on pork and beans, placing the full-bodied but tender meat and silky, rich fat of a rectangle of belly atop white beans chilled for more-pronounced flavor and contrasting temperature.

An apple-and-Taleggio panini ($11) also played with contrasts, using two thick slices of airy butter-browned bread to border the crisp tartness of Granny Smith slices and the oozy richness of the cheese, with lemon-vinaigrette-dressed arugula contributing variations of tang and bite.

Crispy trout ($16) and ramp risotto ($8) each elevated usually humble root vegetables to much higher stations. The filleted half-trout was served atop a grapefruit-color swirl of radish purée whose aroma was distinctively earthy but whose flavor was at once mildly peppery and slightly sweet. Standing alone, the trout was relatively bland; saucing it with the purée was unexpected, but the flavors matched in much the way as a creamy horseradish would have.

The ramp risotto was an off-menu special designed to capture the transition from winter to spring. Newly sprouted oniony-garlicky ramps flavored the rice and turned it green, while halved tiny turnips and parsnips from the root cellar browned alongside into a luscious caramelization.

Altnether is one the area’s young chefs who have embraced the “nose to tail” concept of using as much of an animal as possible. This was vividly illustrated by the evening’s selection of terrines ($7, for one, two for $13, or all three for $18): Grand-mère was a standard, coarse liver pâté, densely flavored but simple, perhaps included for those who might be scared off by the other two. Pig’s ear had a firmer texture and a smoother, richer flavor, owing to soft chunks of pork along with chipped pistachios; and beef tongue set thin slices of tender tongue, along with small bits of carrots, in a vaguely beefy jelly.

For amped-up bacon and eggs, we paired three halves of deviled eggs stuffed with bacon-whipped yolks ($5) with an order of six small slices of bacon candied with maple and pistachios ($5).

The pigwich ($5), a bacon-butter-cream cookie sandwich that was one of the most popular items at the original Taste, is still on the menu and is still an ideal way of ending the meal.

This isn’t a bar review column, so I’ll touch only briefly on the cocktails. Two, three and sometimes all four bartenders shake, muddle and roll — occasionally with a twist but never a shout — through a menu of almost three dozen cocktails. Sitting at the bar provides the proverbial ringside seat.

Duck fat Grand Marnier, concocted on-site, provided a new textural context for a beverage while adding no distracting flavors. At $10 a drink, you can run up a considerable bar tab if you don’t sip your cocktails slowly from start to finish. (A brief but well-chosen and moderately priced wine list is also available, as is a vast selection of hard liquors.)

The dining areas consist of standard tables downstairs, and two communal tables and a conversation pit upstairs. For any semblance of privacy, stay downstairs, although the table spacing is high-rent-lower-Manhattan tight.

The dimly lit interior, including lines of tea candles marking the way up the stairs to the mezzanine, makes Taste feel like an elite club. It’s one you should join at your next opportunity.

The new Taste in the CWE is far from a replica of Taste by Niche; it’s an exciting interpretation. Owner and CIA-trained chef Adam Altnether, who began at Niche as a line cook in 2007, took over Gerard Craft’s beloved taste bar, partnering with award-winning mixologist Ted Kilgore to reopen in the former Moxy space. He dropped the “by Niche” name, created menu items that are more entrée-sized and made a few touches to the cocktail list.

The Space
The only remnant of the space’s previous tenant, Moxy, is the small, open kitchen and bar; beyond that, however, the interior feels fresh. Warm brass, gold colors, wooden floors and very low lighting create a well-thought-out steampunk look and a more elegant European ambience than its former Benton Park digs. The new space also has three times the seating capacity and a second-floor lounge with long communal tables and leather couches for private parties.

Sip & Sup
Altnether says he wanted Taste to feel like a rustic European tavern—both in appearance and with the menu. So, he beefed up portion size and added a few new dishes like a rich pork burger with homemade chips and a pub-esque fish and chips that swaps in trout. The menu is heavy on pork, but delightfully so, with bacon deviled eggs, a candied bacon appetizer with a maple glaze and a braised pork belly entrée with chilled beans. Those
undaunted by what makes up pork fries will enjoy Altnether’s version, served with aioli and mint sauce. And, thankfully, he also kept the famous pigwiches dessert—the unique bacon crème and light chocolate wafer sandwich has always been a favorite of mine.

The 40-plus cocktail menu is now presented by flavor, similar to a wine menu with “bold,” “tart” and “crisp” as some of the defining categories. Kilgore has an unmistakable flair for artisan-style cocktails, and his menu makes use of ingredients like egg whites, dandelion bitters and jasmine liqueur. On my first visit, I asked my server to make my drink selection, and she returned with the “In a Pickle,” which calls for gin, St. Germain, Velvet Falernum, lime, dill and cucumber—it smells more like a pickle than it tastes like one, and was fairly light and delicious. I also enjoyed the tart and subtly spicy “The Transporter,” which blended coconut ginger Rittenhouse rye with passion fruit and pineapple, and the “Saints and Sinners” with cognac, El Dorado rum, lime and Bittermen’s grapefruit bitters. The bold “Gold Coast Fizz,” a shaken cocktail that features whiskey with OJ, walnut and cherry liqueurs, espresso syrup and egg, was certainly a memorable drink.

And those feeling a little lost or unsure while trying to order from the long list of intricate cocktails, try one of the “what are we drinking?” options. When at Taste, it’s more fun to leave your drink of choice in the hands of Kilgore and his team of mixologists.