This will be the final “season” for the pop-ups in the lounge at Vast, which has been a collaboration with Guthrie-based WanderFolk Spirits since it started in 2024, but that’s not because the lounge is going away. In fact, after this season of internationally themed popups with The National, Malfi, Later Bye, and two more as yet unnamed bars, the lounge will be a permanent fixture in our top-of-the-city restaurant in the Devon Tower. Throughout March, the Mile High Lounge — not to be confused with the mile high club — has been hosting bar takeovers in the lounge, each featuring a local bar paired with a travel destination. This week is Spain and Later Bye, and each week the bartenders at some of the city’s best bars are creating themed cocktails to pair with what Vast General Manager Evan Askey is calling “bite flights.”

Each iteration of the Mile High Lounge runs Thursday to Sunday, and tickets go on sale Tuesday the week before the scheduled event — so this week’s tickets went on sale March 10 for the Later Bye/Spain popup that starts the 19th. The next destination will be Japan, which will go on sale today along with the announcement of the concept, followed by the moon. Yes, the moon, and it shouldn’t be too hard to guess which local bar will be the featured moon mission popup. Askey said that guests who have completed all five destinations will be invited to the launch party for lounge’s new identity. The expected date of that announcement will be sometime in the second quarter ’26, hopefully April, but no date has been set yet.

“The lounge has been great these past three seasons, but it’s fulfilled its purpose to test the concept,” bar manager Colby Poulin said. “That’s not to say we won’t still collaborate with local bars and bartenders, but it will be a permanent part of Vast and not a popup one month a year.”

Askey said there have been two schools of thought in the process: “One was to create a unique brand for the lounge, and the other was to expand the Vast brand to include the lounge.” We’ll have to wait for their announcement to know which route they choose. The brand-within-a-brand strategy has worked well in other spots, most notably The Den at nonesuch, followed by BarNone in the same space, and The Daley inside Frida Southwest. In fact, it’s relatively easy to find multiple examples. From a marketing perspective, it’s a solid way to attract new guests and offer a different experience — different/lower price point, second menu, more or less casual dining experience, featured beverages, and smaller public events.

Tickets are $35; the cost covers entry and the bite flight. Cocktails are priced separately: $18 for the featured cocktails, with two “minis” from the list available for $9. Until supplies are gone, the lounge is also featuring a barrel select whiskey from WanderFolk, which is 8-year Kentucky bourbon from Bardstown. The food is very much worth the price of admission in terms of flavor, quality and presentation. No, it’s not a meal, but they have a full menu in main dining and the bar, and it’s likely that at least part of the impetus here is to encourage people to try Vast again or for the first time. For those who haven’t been in a while, it’s worth noting the changes around Vast, including one of the city’s best bartenders in Jacob Arvin, the aforementioned team of Poulin and Askey, and the recent addition of Chef Jonas Favela as the new executive chef. He will be joined sometime in April by Chef Kari Garrett as executive sous chef. It’s a young, talented, energetic team, and they are leading the charge for even more experiences at Vast, plans for which are under consideration.

To purchase tickets and see popup announcements, follow Vast on their facebook account.