In Springfield, Missouri, Scotch & Soda Sends Patrons Back in Time with Classic Cocktails

By Ettie Berneking I Photos By Jessica Spenser
Featured in the May issue of FEAST Magazine

Lodged between a dueling piano bar and a cozy Italian restaurant in Springfield, Missouri, you’ll find Scotch & Soda, where patrons are sent back in time to an age when a vodka-cranberry was known as a Cape Codder.

Inside, the walls drip with vintage elegance. The massive back bar swallows one whole wall, and the dark stained-wood shelving gleams in the low lighting. High-top tables are littered with tinctures, and in the back, sleek leather sofas round out the lounge. On sunny days, expect to find the front window wide open and lined with bar stools as apron-clad bartenders buzz behind the bar.

“We wanted timeless,” says co-owner Josh Widner. “The style speaks to the ‘30s and ‘40s with low lighting and different levels of seating.”

But more than creating an impeccably stylish bar, Widner and co-owner Andrew Heilman wanted to create an experience for guests. The bar serves whiskey and Scotch flights that range from $40 to $250, barrel-aged cocktails that change with the seasons and staples like the Belgian Blood & Sand with blended Scotch, orange and sour cherry ale.

This spring, guests can cool down with the Bella Morte made with muddled strawberries, basil, gin, simple syrup, lime juice and aged balsamic vinegar.

Scotch & Soda, 310 South Ave., Downtown, Springfield, Missouri, 417.719.4224, thescotchandsoda.com