Hidden Gem

Hidden Gem opened December 20, 2023, at 3118 Locust Street in Midtown — the first bar from sisters Amanda Helman and Susan Logsdon, founders of the St. Louis accessories brand Golden Gems. They call it a disco dive bar, and the label is literal: roughly 300 disco balls, hung one by one by the owners themselves, shimmer over the two-story room, anchored by a 60-foot blush-pink resin bar embedded with glitter and a second-level lounge styled like a 1970s living room. Three months in, Feast Magazine declared the place a certified hit in Midtown.

Zero-proof drinks were part of the plan before the doors opened. When the bar debuted, bar manager Tiffany Kaltenbach told St. Louis Magazine that spirit-free options were among the most common requests from future guests: "We wanted the drink menu to also be inclusive." That intent holds on the current menu, which carries a dedicated Spirit Free section year-round: the Nah-Hito (sparkling water, citrus-mint simple, lime juice), a build-your-own Spirit Free Moscow Mule in flavors from strawberry and raspberry to jalapeño, lavender, and hibiscus, and The Apple's Cider (apple-cinnamon simple, lemon, club soda). Alcohol-free beer includes WellBeing Golden Wheat from St. Louis's own dedicated NA brewery, plus Mighty Kind CBD seltzer. Each January the bar goes further with an exclusive Dry January menu — 2025's brought playful builds like Clear Eyes, Full Hearts and the hibiscus-cayenne Desert Rose.

St. Louis Magazine's guide to nonalcoholic cocktails in the city recommends the Nah-Hito and sums up the appeal: a pink bar, quilted stools, an indoor marquee, and zero-proof cocktails for dancing the night away. Expect programming most nights — karaoke, trivia, drag, and weekend dance parties — in a 21-plus room where ordering spirit-free is entirely normal. As the owners put it to Feast, "You can get a really great craft cocktail here or you can get a Stag. There are also great non-alcoholic options."