This is a fun neighborhood to explore. Despite the loss of two businesses recently, you can tour and have a tasting at the J. Rieger Distillery or attend a concert a block away at Knuckleheads at 2715 Rochester.
J. Rieger & Co. Distillery: Originally founded in 1887 in Kansas City, it was a distillery with over 100 different products. It closed as a result of Prohibition. It was reopened in 2014 by members of the Rieger family and produces products including a Kansas City Whiskey, a Midwestern Premium Vodka, a Midwestern Dry Gin and a Caffe Amaro made in conjunction with a local coffee roaster. My favorite is the Kansas City Whiskey. Their spirits can be found in some of the best cocktails in Chicago, New York and New Orleans including the Aviary in Chicago. Make sure to stop in to pick up a bottle or sign up for a tour or tasting. Check out their website for details. 2700 Guinotte Ave. Their expanded tasting room opened in the Spring of 2019. The expansion also included the new The Monogram Lounge, overlooking the production floor, where you can enjoy cocktails, small plates and local craft beer as well as the Hey Hey Club for craft cocktails and small plates.
Newly opened in 2021 is their Electric Park Garden Bar which is a park-like space complete with fire pits, a swing set table and lounge seating. “Electric Park was an amusement park located in our neighborhood from 1899-1906. The park was owned and operated by the Heim brothers, who owned the Heim Brewery in the neighborhood and who bottled their beer in what is today our distillery building.”
