A rendering of The Jasper, coming to the space adjacent to Carytown Cupcakes on West Cary Street (Image courtesy Campfire & Co.)
The Richmond region has many chef-driven restaurants. What we don’t have is places driven by bartenders. It’s a quirk of the commonwealth: State law doesn’t allow stand-alone bars and enforces that rule through the dreaded food-to-liquor ratio, requiring at least 45 percent of the total sales in restaurants to come from food.
Mattias Hägglund, one of the partners in The Jasper (Photo by Piet E. Jones)
Despite this, three of the city’s renowned mixologists are joining forces to open a place in Carytown — The Jasper — named for Jasper Crouch, cook and barman for the Quoit Club in the early 1800s. Mattias Hägglund, Thomas Leggett and Kevin Liu have been working for nearly a year in a portion of the Carey Burke Carpets space (3113 W. Cary St.) to bring their concept to life. Liu owns the adjacent Carytown Cupcakes and is co-owner and “Chief Cocktails Officer” at The Tin Pan; he also authored the book “Craft Cocktails at Home.” Hägglund is a former owner and bartender at Heritage, and Leggett will be leaving his current gig at The Roosevelt to concentrate on The Jasper, which they hope will become a “classic Richmond bar,” Hägglund says..
What is a classic Richmond bar? A fair question. Think tin-stamped ceilings, a long wooden bar, tables down one side of the floor space. The bar will be designed to have “cocktail cockpits” with speed rails and the ability to keep bar product within immediate reach of the bartender.
The food will complement the drinks, mostly small plates but also, as required by state regulations, a couple of entrees. Cheese plates and charcuterie, bar nibbles, and heavier fare.
The drinks will run the gamut, from craft cocktails to reasonably priced wines and both craft and inexpensive beers. “We want to be able to satisfy all the people walking through Carytown,” Hägglund says.
The goal is to be open in time for the holiday season, although the partners admit that date might be a bit of a challenge with all the required inspections and licenses.
