The new natural wine bar in town, ‘ssippi, is opening this Friday.  (We hear there are cute cats too!)  Check out their instagram for more details.

After several years working in a natural wine bar in Los Angeles, St. Louis native Brogan Drissell returned home in early 2020, with plans to open his own bar dedicated to natural wines. Together with his girlfriend, Emily Kostiuk, he even found a venue, the space at the corner of Cherokee Street and Pennsylvania Avenue that was previously home to Red Oak Biscuits and The Blue Pearl.

“The bar was supposed to open two or three years ago,” Drissell said. “We’ve been sitting on it to build it out exactly how we wanted and wait for Covid to feel low enough that it wasn’t a problem to open a bar.”

‘Ssippi’s launch may have been stalled by the pandemic, but Drissell and Kostiuk didn’t waste their time during the enforced pause. With Drissell’s family, they spent the pandemic renovating the entire space, adding a completely new bar and bar stools, building a tap system and much more. The feel will be intimate, but playful and relaxed. “It’s going to feel light and airy,” he said. “There are some bars in California that I’ve pulled inspiration from.”