The team behind Lake Monster Brewing Co. will launch a new distillery, cocktail bar and pizza restaurant this summer in St. Paul's Vandalia Tower, just across the plaza from the brewery.
"We are thrilled to open another business at Vandalia Tower," Matthew Zanetti, who co-founded the spirits company with Matthew Lange and Jeremy Maynor, said in a statement. The trio named the distillery for its location — the former King Koil mattress factory.
Lange, the brewmaster at Lake Monster, will be King Coil's head distiller. "Brewing was my first passion," he said, "but I have a huge interest in cocktails and spirits, so transitioning into distilling is a logical next step."
Lange has been experimenting with tinctures, botanicals and infusions for more than a decade, and has developed a selection of housemade gin, run, vodka, blended whiskeys and liqueurs that will drive the cocktail menu.
On the food side, King Coil will bring Roman-style pizza to the table; the dough and mozzarella will both be made in-house. Known for its rectangular shape, the pizza will be available by the slice and whole pies for both dine-in and takeout. The seasonal menu also will include a selection of starters and signature pizzas.
Cunningham Architects of Minneapolis is designing the 140-seat cocktail room in Vandalia Tower, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The complex also will have private event spaces and a 60-seat patio.
An exact opening date for the distillery (550 Vandalia St., Suite 140, St. Paul, kingcoilspirits.com) hasn't been set — think summer, though — but you can keep up to date by following their social media.
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