When it opens this fall, Luna Sea Lounge will revive the Walnut Creek nightlife scene with a focus on vodka-based craft cocktails, sustainable seafood dishes and a deep-sea vibe.
Nevada City-based owner Kyle Wells has tapped a Santa Cruz distiller and distributor, Deven Wek of Luna Sea Vodka, to lead the project at The Waymark Apartments at 121 Pringle Avenue near Walnut Creek BART. Expect a wall-sized nautical mural and a 14-foot tall bar housing top-notch vodkas, including Wek’s own, a double gold winner at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition three years in a row, plus whiskey, bourbon, craft beer, wine and more.
Wek’s vision starts with seafood from H & H Fresh Fish that is prepared by chef Nichole Robbins, both of Santa Cruz. Fruit, herbs and other ingredients will come from local farmers markets. And because Wek plans to offer lunch-time oysters, ceviche and poke bowls, Luna Sea will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., eventually expanding to late-night hours. He is hoping to unveil the lounge in the next 60 to 90 days, he says.
“It’s going to be really beautiful,” says Wek, who got bitten by the spirits bug early in life. His Ukrainian father taught him how to properly taste and evaluate vodka at an age too young to publish. “I grew up playing chess until two in the morning and sipping vodka with my dad.”
Wek, a native of San Luis Obispo, spent years working in bars and distilleries, including an eight-year stint making and distributing his own tequila in Guatemala. In 2018, he started Luna Sea Vodka to make a spirit that would have measured up to his dad’s standards. He passed away when Wek was 18.
“My vodka is five times distilled and 10 times filtered,” he says. “It’s super pure.”
In addition to the classic, medal-winning vodka, Wek makes vodka infused with antioxidant-rich butterfly pea flower, which transforms from deep blue to purple with the addition of citrus. He created it four years ago but was not allowed to sell it until this year, when it was finally approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is the only vodka of its kind in the U.S. and will be on offer at the lounge.
And if you live in Santa Cruz, you can soon try it at the Luna Sea headquarters at 815 Almar Ave. In December, Wek will be opening the space up to the public for the first time. For updates on Luna Sea Lounge, visit https://lunasealounge.com.
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