A Ribbon Cutting for the Next Chapter
Two years after opening as a self-pour wine lounge, The Study Wine and Bourbon Lounge marked its next chapter with a ribbon cutting last week. Owner Jeff Velazquez, a Marine Corps veteran, was joined by Chamber of Commerce president Chris Steinocher and his team to celebrate and reflect on how far the lounge has come.
He credited his friends and staff as the backbone of the business, calling them his “dream team” and adding, “The strength of the pack is in the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is in the pack.”
How Bourbon Happened
The bourbon idea started almost by accident. While sanitizing one of the wine machines, Jeff recalled, “an employee brought in a bottle of bourbon. I thought, let’s see if it works. Pressed the button, and it poured out. I said, we have to sell this.”
Pitching the concept to the city wasn’t easy. “On paper, pour-your-own bourbon sounds like I’m just putting the bottle in front of you and walking away,” he said. But once officials saw the photos and understood the controls, they agreed. “It’s actually more controlled than a bartender.”
That approval made The Study what Jeff says is the first self-pour bourbon lounge in Florida.
Rare Finds
Jeff says he’s especially proud of one bottle behind the machines: Gold Bar Bourbon. The Study is the only place in Florida to pour it, after the team spent months chasing down the brand and even traveling to San Francisco to secure the deal.
More Than a Bar
Even with bourbon in the mix, Jeff emphasized that The Study is meant to be a tasting lounge, not a sports bar. “We still consider ourselves a tasting room,” he said. “This isn’t the loud and rowdy type of place — you’re not going to see the game on TV.”
The lounge now offers more than 30 wines on tap alongside its bourbon program, with an atmosphere built for relaxed evenings, small plates, live music, and the occasional trivia night.
Final Sip
The Study may have opened as a wine lounge, but with the launch of Florida’s first self-pour wine and bourbon program, it’s carving out a unique spot in the state’s beverage culture. The Study is writing its next chapter, one that blends wine, bourbon, and St. Pete community all under one roof.
