Industry Sunday Fun
A new high-end cocktail bar with the goal of creating both a sophisticated and educational atmosphere is opening in the Rountree Neighborhood this weekend.
Good Spirits & Company, parent of The Golden Girl Rum Club, Cherry Picker Package & Fare, Best of Luck Beer Hall, Sweetboy's Neighborhood Bar and the former Scotch & Soda, is opening its new headquarters at 1424 E. Cherry St.
The headquarters serves two purposes. The first is as an internal space for Good Spirits & Company to create and adapt menu items and train staff for its other locations.
The second isd as a bar for public use, with high-end cocktail pop-up events to be held one weekend each month. The bar does not have regularly set hours and will only be open for special, scheduled events. The space is available for private event rentals.
"It's not another bar to where we are open every day of the week to serve the same menu," owner Joshua Widner said. "It's a place where we can really stretch out, goof off and work on things we want to."
Good Spirits & Company is kicking off its first cocktail pop-up on Friday.
The bar will be open Friday and Saturday between 5 p.m. and midnight for high-end cocktail service and Sunday between noon and 6 p.m. for what Good Spirits & Company has coined, "Industry Sunday Fun."
"Friday and Sunday are about cocktails, the best way we can do it, and Sunday is about the ... cocktail culture in our community here," Widner said.
Each month, Beverage Director Rogan Howitt will curate a custom menu for the selected weekend, consisting of four draft cocktails, six house cocktails and two non-alcoholic cocktails.
"The cocktail (events) will be using the finest spirits that we can get ahold of and making some interesting and adventurous cocktails for people to drink," Howitt said.
High-end cocktail service
On Friday and Saturday, cocktails will range from $12-15, draft beers will be around $7-8 and "celebratory bottles," like champagne, will be available for higher prices, Widner said.
Reservations are not required on Friday and Saturday but are encouraged. Folks interested in making a reservation can do so on the Good Spirits & Company website at goodspiritsandco.com/ events.
Business will be more casual on Sunday for Industry Sunday Fun with cheaper drink prices, Widner said. Reservations cannot be made for Sunday; the bar will serve walk-ins only.
Each month for Industry Sunday Fun, Good Spirits & Company will partner with local and regional business owners in the restaurant and bar industries for more community-focused events. This week, local chef Clint McCann will serve bocatas, sandwiches made on Spanish-style baguettes.
What's on the menu this weekend?
Draft cocktails
Seville Espresso Martini (Japanese vodka, The Coffee Ethic cold brew, Mr. Black Licor 43, orange oil and chocolate bitters)
Seasonal HQ Punch (Jamaican rum, brandy, falernum, banana, coconut, black tea, lemon and allspice)
Berry Blanc Spritz (strawberry Capaletti, blanc vermouth, Chinola, prosecco, fraises de bois, rose balsamic and lemon)
Draft Gin and Tonic (hibiscus spiced tonic, Midwest dry gin, lime and herbs)
House cocktails
Park Ranger (reposado,
hhhhhalpine amaro, XILA Agave Apertif, Crème de Cacao, orange bitters and mezcal spritz)
Baiju Bird (aged Puerto Rican rum, Szechuan Baiju, apertivo, pineapple, lime, pimiento and molasses)
Honeydew List (honeydew-infused Japanese gin, blanc vermouth, Italicus Malort and grapefruit peel)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Blanco Agave, sotol, gochujang pomegranate molasses, lime, angostura, green chile and hibiscus salt)
Midwest Freezer Martini Service (Rieger Midwestern dry gin, vermouth, olive oil, accoutrement and pork rinds)
Garden Variety Show (Hendrick's Gin, cucumber citrus cordial, celery, pineapple, lime, coconut water, labneh and sesame mint oil)
Non-alcoholic cocktails
Snapberry Swizzle (blackberry non-alcoholic apertivo shrub, snap pea, lemon, basil and soda water)
Chrysanthemum Gnargarita (chrysanthemum Seedlip, super lime, apricot cordial, pickled serrano and smoked salt)
Snacks
Applewood-smoked sea salt nuts French tarragon sweet pickles Moroccan-spiced green and black pitted olive chips
Bagged chip
Bagged pork rinds
Good Spirits & Company's new headquarters at 1424 E. Cherry St. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The high-end cocktail bar offers both public and private events.
Good Spirits & Company's new headquarters at 1424 E. Cherry St. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The high-end cocktail bar offers both public and private events.
From left to right, Good Spirits & Company Beverage Director Rogan Howitt, owner Joshua Widner, Design & Marketing Director Angela Houska, Kacey Vandelicht, Special Events Director Jacob Edwards and Meg Burns at Good Spirits & Company's headquarters in Springfield.
hhhhhhhhhhhhPrivate events
When not being used for menu development, staff training or weekend popups, the Good Spirits & Company space can be rented for private events. The space is available for a room rate, which Widner did not disclose, and must be booked for at least two hours. Included in the room rate are two employees, two bartenders and a full-service bar. Folks interested can also work with Howitt to create a custom drink menu for their event for an additional charge.
Upcoming events
In addition to this weekend's pop-up, Good Spirits & Company has a few other events on the calendar.
Next month's weekend pop-up is Oct. 13-15. Good Spirits & Company is excited to invite staff from John Brown's Underground in Lawrence, Kansas to present cocktails during Industry Sunday Fun on Sunday, Oct. 15.
On Friday, Oct. 20, the bar is hosting Bubbles, Oyster & Caviar. In addition to Good Spirits & Company staff, local wine retailer Aaron Rozeboom will help prepare and serve a four-course pairing, featuring Island Creek Oysters, Adams White Sturgeon Caviar and four champagne growers. The event is limited to 30 guests. Tickets will be available on the Good Spirits & Company website soon.
More on the way
Good Spirits & Company has been hard at work and is preparing to open two more bars in the next two years.
By the end of this year, Good Spirits & Company will open Loveless Cocktail Club in Bentonville, Arkansas. The "classic" cocktail bar is inspired by "intimate cocktail clubs and modern listening lounges," according to the Good Spirits & Company website. An opening date has yet to be announced.
Looking toward next year, Good Spirits & Company expects to open another Springfield bar as part of the Loose Goose development on the Grant Avenue Parkway. At the corner of Grand and Grant Streets, the Loose Goose development will feature a drive-through coffee shop, food trucks, yard games, six pickleball courts and Good Spirits & Company's walk-up bar.
A Good Spirits & Company news releases states that Loose Goose will be open by summer 2024.
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.