Pup’s presence so crucial at party, Wichita restaurateur got state OK to bring her
KVH Chophouse owner Greg Hiser’s 6-year-old Yorkie, Gigi, is a spoiled little girl. She eats like a queen, and she goes wherever her parents go, even when they travel by boat or plane.
So it only made sense that Gigi would get her own gin.
On Tuesday, Hiser is throwing a party at his upscale steakhouse, which he opened in July at 29th and Tyler, to celebrate the release of his restaurant’s new GiGi Girl Gin – and of course GiGi will be here.
In fact, Hiser even applied for a special license to make sure he could bring Gigi to the restaurant for the party. (Don’t worry. She’ll stay off the counters.)
Gigi Girl Gin is one of two house-brand spirits that Hiser introduced to the restaurant about a week ago. The other is a whiskey called Hiser Family Straight Bourbon Whiskey. About two months ago, he rolled out a KVH private reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, made in Sonoma Valley.
Hiser said it was important to him that he have his own alcohol brands in the restaurant so that he could offer high-end products at a better price. He started the process before the restaurant even opened.
“It’s called affordable quality,” he said. “We can ensure affordable quality by doing this. A lot of people don’t want to spend the money to do it or the time to do it.”
How the gin, whiskey and wine are being produced
The gin and the whiskey both are being produced by J. Rieger & Co, a distillery in Kansas City, Missouri, which also sells its own brands. Hiser said he met the distillery’s co-founder and president, Andy Rieger, and liked his products. Rieger agreed to do a proprietary blends for KVH, Hiser said, and after negotiations, he agreed to bottle it as well.
“He worked with us on our blend for our own whiskey. He worked as our blend for Gigi Girl Gin,” Hiser said. “And then came the paperwork, and then came the label designing. And that took months and a lot of work to finally get that figured out.”
The wine is being produced by VinZant Wines in Sonoma Valley, which is owned by Kansas City restaurateur and Wichita native Whitney VinZant. Eventually, Hiser said, he’d like to add his own brand of white wine as well.
Hiser said he decided to introduce the Gigi Girl Gin on Tuesday because it’s also the pup’s birthday. The event, which will last from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the restaurant, is open to anyone. KVH will offer $5 GiGi Girl Gin martinis and also will serve birthday cake.
Hiser, a pilot who built his career in aircraft insurance, spent years working on KVH and opened it last summer in a new building at 2926 N. Tyler. He named the restaurant in honor of his late parents, Keith and Verna Hiser — who he says also knew and loved Gigi.
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 1:00 PM.
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