Our Favorite Bourbon Drinks in St. Pete (So Far)

Hello and welcome to our first trek “off the tipsy path!” 

First, let’s get this out of the way.  We are a couple that enjoys having a drink – with dinner, with lunch (when we’re not working), occasionally at brunch – and we like learning about the art of distilling and brewing spirits, and of course, finding new places to enjoy our recreational sport.

Second, we love St. Petersburg, Florida!  The pandemic allowed (aka “forced”) us, along with millions of other people, to find new ways to travel and new places to explore. St. Pete is one of the places that we lucked into, thanks to Vincent Van Gogh! When the immersive Van Gogh experiences started popping up in 2020, we looked for places that were a short drive or quick plane trip away to see the exhibit - St. Pete was on the short list of direct flights on Allegiant!  We spent a long weekend in March 2021 along the bay in downtown St. Pete… and we were hooked. So much so, we went back again for a week in October 2021 for our anniversary. That time, we stayed in the Grand Central District within walking distance of our favorite bars, restaurants, breweries and museums. (We’ll hit those in future posts.)

Third, we love bourbon!  With all due respect to Mr. Daniel and Mr. Dickel, the Kentucky stuff just has a smell and taste that does the trick. Scott likes a good Manhattan and sipping on the brown water neat or with a few cubes, as well as a Sazerac, Boulevardier, and any other tasty concoction. Christy enjoys an Old Fashioned (well, we both do...)

Put all that together, and we have come up with what we think are our top 5 bourbon drinks (and locations) that we’ve found and enjoyed during our time to St. Pete. These are not ranked in any order…

1. The Jack Skellington at Tropez – A smoked pumpkin spice Old Fashioned that is a treat for the senses

2. Sea Ya Later at No Vacancy – A refreshing take on an Old Fashioned using Jack Daniel’s

3. Lion’s Tail at Bar Chica – A refined cocktail for the adventurous in a legit Speakeasy

4. Bonded & Infused Old Fashioned at Flute & Dram – A traditional Old Fashioned that begs to be sipped (Their Manhattan is mighty fine as well… and a steal during happy hour!)

5. Old Fashioned at Mandarin Hide – These folks should know how to make good bourbon drinks… and they do. 

Runner up: Old Fashioned at Club 201 at the Detroit – Refreshing when paired with live jazz; and just about any bourbon drink at the Saint! Their drinks are as fun as their theme.

As with all our posts, these are only our opinions. If you think we missed something in St. Pete on this, please drop us a note!  Anything else you’d like to see or places we should visit?  We love finding new places and drinks “off the tipsy path.”