Manifesto: A Dignified Place For A Cocktail

Manifesto in Kansas City, Mo. comes with its own cocktail manifesto — and boy, does the bar take its cocktails seriously. Among its decrees: "No yelling, screaming, hollering, shouting, fighting,or other unnecessarily loud vocalizations unless it is an attempt to warn fellow patrons or employees of impending danger or police raid.... Gentleman, please don't approach uninterested ladies. If you must, ask the bartender to send her a drink on your tab, and she will let the bartender know if it's ok for you to join her. Ladies, please feel welcome to start a conversation with anyone you wish." This old-school, intimate speakeasy does craft cocktails right. Take a look at Gaz Regan's most recent "101 Best Cocktails" list and you'll find a recipe from Valdez Campos, called the Emperor: a mezcal and Campari that warranted high praise from Regan. He wrote about the drink, "Wow!  I'm stuck for words.  So bloody simple and so bloody marvelous.  Standing ovation for this baby." 

Manifesto does small plates as well, but it's the cocktails that keep people coming back. Be sure to call or text ahead of time for a reservation, as the joint books up fast.