“If you’re trying to give someone an experience, don’t go reaching for premade stuff.”
This is the philosophy of Devon Mundt, owner and head bartender at Anna’s Place, a speakeasy located near 19th and Dodge streets, inside Hotel Indigo. At Anna’s Place, it’s all about the experience. “We treat this place like you’re in my living room,” Mundt quipped. It indeed feels like a living room, a small space with seating for 30. The bar is dark and intimate, featuring artwork from Omaha artist Watie White depicting burlesque models, and other decor like a neon sign that reads “Call me.”
Known for craft cocktails and made-from-scratch ingredients, Anna’s Place is unique among the numerous speakeasies and watering holes throughout the city.
“This space is very much about celebrating feminism,” Mundt explained. Anna Wilson, for whom the joint is named, was a brothel madam in the latter half of the 1800s. Though not accepted by the “respectable” women of society at the time, Wilson reportedly took good care of the women working for her, even covering wedding expenses when they got married. Her career proved a lucrative one, her net worth being upward of a million dollars (over $33 million today) by the end of her life. With no family of her own, Wilson bequeathed her 25-room mansion to the city of Omaha upon her death in 1911.
“Anna’s our person,” said Mundt. “She’s a huge name in the area. Omaha would not be what it is today without her.” This is why he and business partner Jill Cockson, who is based in Kansas City, built their new speakeasy on the idea of such a woman.
“We believe that sex work is work and we believe in bodily autonomy,” Mundt continued. “She had a body, she made a choice what to do with it, and then she found herself with a platform where she could do good for the community, and she chose to do that.” The bar prides itself on not only stellar customer service and craft cocktails, but also as being a safe space for women.“It’s a small space and it’s very intentional that the angle of the bar faces into a 90 degree angle the way it does—the bartender can see everything that’s going on in the room,” said Mundt. “If somebody was uninvited to a group, either we’ll move them back or ask them to leave, period…No one customer should ruin the experience of anybody else in the room. That’s just how a bar should be run.”
Menu items nod to historical figures and range in flavors and ingredients. “Every one of the Old Fashioneds is named after a different sex worker,” said Mundt. “They were also philanthropists in their own markets. A great example is the Lou Graham—when Seattle burnt down, she actually helped fund the rebuilding of the city.” The menu of “Exonerated Cocktails” is shown the same love in both naming and creating a perfect, sophisticated mocktail. “All [the Exonerated] drinks were named after people who were accused of being sex workers but weren’t,” said Mundt. “After they got out of prison they couldn’t get a job, so they actually went out and became sex worker rights advocates…so they’re accused of being cocktails, but there’s no alcohol.”
Mundt also claims that the definition of a “craft cocktail” has changed over the past few years. “Everybody has been claiming that they do ‘craft’ things, but at best they’re just using fresh citrus, so it’s kind of diluted the strength of the word,” he explained. To combat this, Mundt has deleted the term from his professional vocabulary and instead makes sure customers know that everything is made in-house.
“I firmly believe in making everything in-house. It’s just better, and then that we have full control over exactly what everything tastes like,” said Mundt. “I don’t have a soda gun. If you want a cola, I make you a cola. That’s how this works.”
The menus also include information about the local farmers and businesses from whom Mundt sources the ingredients. “For example, I don’t carry cranberry juice because cranberries aren’t grown in Nebraska,” he explained. “But I’ve got a farmer on speed dial who I can text and he’ll show up with a five gallon bucket of aronia for me. So that’s how I give back to the community, that’s how I support local.” Those local ingredients all mix together in Mundt’s “science lab” to create house-made sodas, syrups, juices, and the like.
Anna’s Place is also known for their pop-up series called “A Cocktail Thing.” These cocktail tasting parties are reservation-only and include a fixed menu of four new cocktails that the establishment will provide for a limited time. This November, the tasting will feature a menu inspired by Krampusnacht, followed by “Twelve Days of Cryptids” in December.
Exciting new flavors are on the horizon for Anna’s Place, and Mundt and his staff show no signs of slowing down. The labor of love that is this local bar’s drinks is an experience to remember—and one to return for.
For more information and to book a reservation for A Cocktail Thing, visit annasplaceomaha.com.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.