Although it just opened this past November, Wit & Wisdom has already won the hearts of Baltimore’s growing cocktail aficionado crowd, judging by it’s win for Best Cocktail Bar in our 2012 Drinker’s Choice Awards. We were certainly impressed on our first stop into the Michael Mina tavern in the Harbor East Four Seasons Hotel, noting that the creative drink list was a fitting counterpart to the great waterfront view.

We reached out to general manager Anthony Kinn to get an idea of what makes the bar tick and find out where he would go for a cocktail on his day off.

– Can you name two (or more) specific things that make Wit & Wisdom deserving of the Best Cocktail Bar win?

Wit & Wisdom, a Tavern by Michael Mina, redefines the ordinary tavern and really elevates it to extraordinary dining and drinking heights. We feature farm-to-table kitchen and bar menus prepared by world-class culinary and beverage professionals in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows featuring panoramic views of the harbor. This all comes together to create an authentic, truly memorable drinking and dining experience in Baltimore.

The kitchen and beverage teams at Wit & Wisdom really work together to create this experience; our innovative cocktail program fully supports the philosophy of the menu — using locally and regionally sourced products and ingredients. All of our our juices are hand-squeezed daily, all spirit infusions are created by our talented team of bartenders, all gommes, syrups and garnishes are be prepared in-house, and we use premium, small-batch selections which greatly improve the quality of our cocktails.   

– Can you tell us briefly what inspired the launch of Wit & Wisdom?

Wit & Wisdom is a tavern concept created by Michael Mina that embraces the beauty of the Chesapeake and Mid-Atlantic Region with a farm-to-table approach enlivened in both in the kitchen and behind the bar. Like the dining menu, the cocktail program is focused on American classics, reinterpreted with an emphasis on creativity and presentation.

– If you had to choose a winner in this category that is not your own establishment(s), what would it be?

This is an incredibly difficult question, as we align ourselves with several other restaurants that are very much deserving of the same accolade — Woodberry Kitchen, B&O Brasserie, and Rye, to name a few. If I HAVE to pick one though, I would have to say Woodberry kitchen; their innovation and consistent delivery of craft cocktails is impressive. Corey Polyoka has a great team and they deliver a fantastic program.