A stylish slice of Lee’s Summit’s Strother District is home to one of the metro’s chicest coffee shops and bars. Hand in Glove may be the sister concept to speakeasy The W, which is just upstairs, but the hybrid concept has a personality all its own—simultaneously hip and warm with some of the best coffee and cocktails around, often served in the same drink.
Cocktails are available all day, including in a lineup of liqueur lattes: There’s the bourbon burnt sugar, Irish salted caramel, and Canadian maple leaf, just to name a few. Guests can also enjoy a seasonal liquor chai or add a shot to another espresso drink of choice—the bartending baristas don’t judge, no matter the time of day.
Of course, not every morning beverage needs a boozy kick, and Hand in Glove offers plenty of workday friendly options too. Your basic drip coffee, americano, and espresso drinks are available along with hot and iced lattes. A boost of amaretto or cinnamon flavor ensures they still feel indulgent, minus the alcohol content, and a selection of croissants and donuts tempt from the counter, if you need a little sustenance.
Hand in Glove isn’t exactly a coffee shop where you settle in with a laptop or book and nurse a drink throughout the morning—although it’s plenty welcoming, there’s not a ton of seating. Cherry red and brass stools line the white marble bar that dominates most of the narrow space, with a few tables and a recessed leather booth, known as the snug, tucked away in one corner. Rows of bottles reach behind the bar to the ceiling and glamorous geometric light fixtures hang overhead. Those touches help the space transition from feeling like a café to a cool lounge as day turns into night and the focus shifts more toward java-free drinks.
The cocktail menu is relatively concise, with takes on classics like the old fashioned and the jungle bird, made here with burnt-sugar gomme syrup. The espresso martini draws on Hand in Glove’s coffee program with cold brew and coffee liqueur, while the smoked vanilla gives drinkers a taste of what they’ll find upstairs at The W—it’s one of the bar’s signature drinks.
“For Hand in Glove, I wanted cocktails that could be taken as easily to go as our caffeinated beverages, and we are blessed in being able to produce high quality cocktails on tap,” says the bar manager, Brock Schulte.
Hand in Glove also switches things up seasonally, offering creative cocktails with a sense of humor as well as more timely specials (guests who visited during the height of the #FreeBritney movement may have spotted the Unusual Conservatorship making an appearance).
“One of our bestselling items is affectionately from our Summer Father Figures menu, which picks great ’80s and ’90s movies that everyone should see at least once,” Schulte says.
The Long Kiss Goodnight takes its name from the 1996 film in which Geena Davis plays (25-year-old spoiler alert) a former spy suffering from amnesia who starts to remember her past. Schulte’s interpretation features citrus, sweetness, and a little bit of spice—and pairs perfectly with a throwback Netflix movie night.
The Long Kiss Goodnight
- 1.5 ounces Control C Pisco
- .75 ounce Cinnamon-Osmanthus Cordial
- .5 ounce Citrus Oleo-Saccharum
- 3 ounce clarified sparkling granny smith apple juice
Shake first three ingredients in a tin with ice and double strain over a Collins cube in a Collins glass. Top with sparkling juice.