Next door to Drastic Measures is Wild Child, the newest wine bar concept created by Jay Sanders in downtown Shawnee. Guests can expect a completely new and different experience with a selection of lower alcoholic cocktails and a full non-alcoholic drink menu.
“The location inspired the business, and not having anything else like this in the neighborhood made it a great opportunity,” says Sanders. “We like to build our businesses to suit the neighborhood and what would make sense. Unlike Drastic Measures, we will take reservations and have a phone. The space has much more natural light and much more thought put into the finish. It’ll be a lot brighter and less moody—I want the space to feel small but fun and electric. Expect lots of plants, wood tones and marble. We are going to be doing a lot in such a small space.
“The social media presence will be a lot different and more defined as well. We have to make these two businesses that share a wall as creatively different as possible to give people a reason to come to both. Wild Child is going to have a pretty dynamic mix of what we serve from natural wines, to low/no alcohol cocktails, pre-bottled cocktails, shaved ice cocktails and full-strength cocktails.”
This bright and quirky bar will perfectly complement the drinks.
“My favorite drink is probably one of the carbonated, labeled and bottled cocktails that we are making to be around the potency of wine, and to be enjoyed like sparkling wine but created from my specific skill set, which is making cocktails. I commissioned local artists to design labels based on the words vegetal, terroir, exotic, vibrant and nostalgic—then, I built flavors around those word prompts. My favorite is probably the Exotic which has Haitian rum, clarified carrot, mango, pickled apple, Szechuan peppercorn and lime acids.”
New to the lineup is a small plates food menu that’s not only tasty, but sustainable as well.
“My favorite chef in Kansas City, Jeff Workman, has designed our menu to be a beautiful complement to the space using ingredients that we also process into drinks so we can eliminate a lot of possible food waste and keep costs in line. He’s a real talent and I can’t wait to show off all that he has created for us. It’ll be fast, simple and able to be assembled by our staff.”
Sanders is a James Beard Foundation finalist for outstanding bar for Drastic Measures, his first cocktail experience serving only nonalcoholic beverages. The prestigious James Beard organization is like the Oscars of the food industry—it celebrates and supports the people behind America’s food culture while pushing for new standards in the restaurant industry. As a finalist with four other bars across the country, the entire Drastic Measures staff will attend the awards ceremony in Chicago in June.
The much anticipated sister bar Wild Child opens this summer and is located at 11022 Johnson Drive in Shawnee. For more information, visit wildchildkc.com.
