By Nanette Wiser
Got guests? Imbibe like a localista at these wine havens, breweries, and bars from downtown St. Pete to the Gulf Beaches.
WINE BARS
Sip sip hooray in downtown St. Pete at Try Wine, Must Wine Loft, Bacchus, Lolita’s, Book + Bottle, Dracula’s Legacy Wine Bar, Bin 6 and Sauvignon Wine Locker American Trattoria. Creative Grape is both a wine bar and arts salon. In St. Pete, we love Sea Grapes, which has morphed with partner Lolita’s into a more robust dining/wining experience in a very hip space. At the beach, Elizabeth’s Wine Bar now features Chef Edith James dinner menu and live music. Sola Bistro & Wine Bar is known for its jazz Wednesdays and Vino Simpatico also features jazz and blue. The Dewey and Grace (where the chef is now the owner) are casually elegant and Bella Vino’s wine and charcuterie is worth a trip to Belleair Bluffs. In Tierra Verde, Vista At The Top’s Sunday brunch and wine list pair well with the amazing view.
CRAFT BREWERIES
The Pinellas County GOATs are Big Storm, 3 Daughters and Green Bench, but each of the 100+ local breweries is iconic with interesting events and seasonal brews. Drink the Gulp Coast starting at Sea Dog Brewing Co. in Treasure Island and Mad Beach Brewing, then meander either to Dunedin (Caledonia, Cueni, Dunedin HOB), Safety Harbor (Crooked Thumb), Palm Harbor (De Bine), St. Pete Beach (Mastry’s) or downtown St. Pete (Bayboro Brewing, Cage Brewing, Grand Central, Pinellas Ale Works, Overflow) and more. From goat yoga to indie market pop-ups, live music to trivia or karaoke nights, beer in Paradise is a blast!
COCKTAILS
Discovered Dirty Habit Cocktail mixes in mason jars at The Merchant DTSP. Just add your spirit, shake, and refrigerate the infusion for 3-6 hours, then strain into a glass with a bit of soda or juice as a mixer to make a mule, old-fashioned or margarita. My fave is the retro Miami Vice fusion cocktail of Strawberry Daiquiri and Piña Colada. dirtyhabitcocktails.com
In St. Pete Beach, The Saint Hotel’s 82 Degrees (Blackberry Bluegrass, Saintly Spice) and RumFish (Strawberry Mojito Martini) rock craft cocktails and mocktails.