A great drink mixes past and present

The intent is to revive an art form that Prohibition nearly killed: Mixology, practiced in a small, out-of the way clubs where ambiance and the quality of the cocktail’s ingredients are fully appreciated, like a fine meal.

And so, it was fitting that my first discussion about mixology was served with a Ward & Precinct, the perfectly chilled bourbon-based cocktail Ryan Maybee slid in front of me. The martini glass is filled with a heady bitters aroma and a sip is a kick to the palate, but the kind of hit you’d beg for again. Divine.

A minute prior, Maybee prepared the drink by spraying homemade bitters into a glass, then lighting the mixture to achieve a wash, or coating, on the mixing glass. That was only one step as he prepared my portion — no mass production blending here.

Maybee, formerly co-owner of JP Wine Bar and Coffee House, is readying Manifesto, a speakeasy-like club where mixology will reign.

A mixologist is the equivalent of a wine sommelier, but for liquor and spirits. Maybee is a first level sommelier as well, one of only a handful of people certified in Kansas City. And now he is the area’s first certified mixologist.

Well, technically, he would be considered the second. Kansas City-based but internationally known wine and spirits expert Doug Frost is one of five men who created the mixology coursework in New York City that Maybee recently completed. Maybee passed his exams — written work and blind tastings — at the highest level, earning the distinction of BAR Ready (Beverage Alcohol Resource program).

Portions of his study involved the history of spirits. So spending time with Maybee is like being with a cordial professor of liquor, learning the many ways it has influenced society. He’ll tell you why the front desks in hotels look like bars. (Some of the first cocktails were served as people checked in.) And that women’s right to vote might have been further delayed had it not been for Prohibition. (Illegal clubs couldn’t afford to exclude women, who got to drink alongside and influence politicians.)

Ward & Precinct is an original recipe Ryan devised for the election season. It is loosely based on the classic Ward Eight cocktail, which Maybee detailed in an essay about the confluence of spirits and politics (another of his passions is writing about wine and liquors).

The Ward Eight allegedly was created in Boston in the late 19th century for the victory supper (held the night prior to the election) for Martin Lomasney, who was running for office from Boston’s Ward Eight.

And there is the fact that the cocktail is an American invention. Until Prohibition, when sometimes lethal concoctions such as bathtub gin came about, drinks were created with far more finesse than found in most establishments today.

The location has been secured for Maybee’s Manifesto. In fact, my Ward & Precinct was enjoyed there. Think hip subterranean. But that’s all you get. Manifesto should open shortly after the New Year begins.

For now, just know that Kansas City will soon be one of the few places where someone certified in the old ways of making cocktails will conduct their art. Mixology is about fresh and homemade ingredients (no concentrated fruit juice) and techniques once used to create cocktails.

Mixology is not for the just-want-to-get-drunk crowd. Nor those who enjoy the antics displayed in some local bars, a la Tom Cruise in the movie “Cocktail.” That’s showmanship. And those content with a “Sex and the City”-style drink made sweet to camouflage even a hint of liquor likely will not want to imbibe there either.

But maybe such drinkers should visit to heighten their appreciation for fine cocktails. Never know, conversions occur and some aspects of class can be acquired.

Even the ice will be special. No mass-production ice machines here. Instead, Maybee will use filtered water and special forms.

Which led Maybee to utter the oddest line I’ve ever heard: “You’re going to see ice at my bar that you won’t see anywhere else.”

But it makes sense when one considers that ice, and its melted remnants, should be considered when mixing a fine cocktail.