Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/113109
rch ST. LOUIS IS THE GATEWAY CITY AND SANCTUARIA PROVIDES AN ENTR��E INTO ITS UNIQUE ���DIVE BAR��� CULTURE Rival by Bridget Albert / photos by Lauri Baker M att Seiter is a barman and the author of Sanctuaria: The Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars. His Cocktail Club program at Sanctuaria boasts a whopping 1,400 members. On my visit to St. Louis to judge Speed Rack last month, I popped in and became a member too. The next time you are in St. Louis for a ball game or to visit the Gateway Arch, make sure to ind your way to the Grove section of town and tell Matt I sent you. Order a number 83. You won���t be disappointed. Bridget Albert: What makes Sanctuaria different from other bars? Matt Seiter: We don���t wear vests, ties or anything formal. On special occasions we���ll dress up, but you can ind us in lannel shirts, jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes most of the time. The clothes we wear don���t affect the quality of the libations we serve. It is comfortable environment. And we have a Cocktail Club. We started that endeavor in December 2010. We created a menu of 150 drinks, charge $20 to join and give our members their own composition journal to write tasting notes about the drinks they���ve had. I decided to keep those journals at the bar for a few reasons. The main one is so the members don���t lose them. Also, it brings a sense of ���home��� to the bar: They���re a part of something���something they seem proud of and promote to all their non-member friends who come with them. They have a piece of themselves here at the bar every time they come, and sharing occurs on a frequent basis. That its into our tapas dining theme very well. Also, we have something for everyone. Our list of libations includes beer, wine, non-alcoholic drinks and over 200 cocktail selections. We divide our cocktail list in sections. Seasonal Sippers are just that: seasonally inspired drinks. The list offers a selection of Barrel-Aged Cocktails, Cocktails On Tap, Old Timers (our list of classics), Big Bertha Cocktails (made with our own barrel of Elijah Craig 12 Year bourbon), Old Stand Bys (the familiar drinks) and The Show Offs ( a list of drinks made with our higher-end spirits, like our $100 Rare Rhum Daiquiri). Basically, if you can���t ind something here that you like, you don���t like liquid. 100 / the tasting panel / march 2013 Matt Seiter is in the spotlight at Sanctuaria.