GARDEN & GUN PRESENTS THE SOUTH’S BARS Sure, they’ve got great drinks and distinctive settings. They might specialize in or or, of course, whiskey, and the food sometimes rivals the meticulously crafted . But the best part? These recently opened establishments will make you feel right at home

By WAYNE CURTIS

The Run Devil Run at Atlanta’s Golden Eagle, with , Scotch, lemon, cacao, orgeat, and bitters. 93

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW THOMAS LEE GARDEN&GUN FEB. / MAR. 2019 THE SOUTHERN CRAFT- THE SOUTH’S BEST NEW BARS RENAISSANCE IS Alex&nder The Bluebird Cocktail Room STILL DOING BOFFO BOX LOUISVILLE, KY Est.: June 2018 BALTIMORE, MD Est.: July 2017 Joe and Lesley Heron made OFFICE—THE SHOW’S RUN IS a splash when they opened The cocktails at the Bluebird Copper & Kings distillery in are as sturdy as a three- Louisville in 2014, special- legged stool, served in a room izing in brandy. (Brandy! In with the feel of a well-funded NOW WELL INTO ITS SECOND Louisville!) They set up shop library at a small but presti- in a cathedral-scale industrial gious school. Add to that a building that happened to cocktail menu that’s chatty have a great top floor with without being overbearing, DECADE. BUT THE STAGE stunning skyline views. As of and a sense of communal last summer, the Herons have collegiality along a welcom- turned that perch into the ing and tables sized DIRECTION FOR THE CURRENT brandy-centric Alex&nder. for groups mid-room. Cool has legs? Consider that it’s Forget the club chairs and weather is a perfect excuse now reached Livingston, an smoking jackets of the bran- for a hot toddy with apple and unincorporated community dy dens of yore—it’s bright ginger, sipped while watching that was once listed in the SCENE HAS SEEN A CHANGE and contemporary, with an the daylight diminish outside 1902 inventory of “extinct adjoining rooftop deck, and the broad windows as the towns of Mississippi.” This an ideal spot to rethink what soft glow of the globes and distant suburb of Madison you know about this spirit. chandeliers quietly confronts (population 25,627) is now IN PROTAGONIST: the evening within. home to the Briar Patch, a beguiling spot with the vibe Babas on Cannon of an Edwardian bird hunting CHARLESTON, SC Bourbon on Rye club (see: painting of a point- “Exit: Mixologist. Enter: Bar- the new class of bar is bring- Est.: October 2018 LEXINGTON, KY er over the bar), a fine selec- tender.” Or, more precisely, ing back the lost art of hospi- Est.: October 2017 tion of cocktails in elegant reenter . tality. are acting Inspired by bars and restau- glassware, and punch by the The early acts of the revival like bartenders again, and rants they frequented in Bartenders or professors? bowl. Need ballast? The char- emphasized the specialized new venues are taking some Europe, Babas co-owners Hard to know at Bourbon on cuterie and shared plates can handiwork of drink masters of the settings we’re familiar Marie Stitt and Edward Rye, set on the ground floor turn a brief stop into a long, armed with eyedroppers and and comfortable with—the Crouse teamed up with of the Ballroom Building in pleasing afternoon. hand-carved and , the honky-tonk, the veteran barman Lane Becker downtown Lexington. Here, house-made this and that, classic corner —then and launched this all-day “old the well-educated staff loves served up in hushed temples adding to the mix outstand- world café” in a former bar- to enlighten guests about Dot Dot Dot devoted to the bibulous arts. ing cocktails, a library bershop downtown. During the nuances of the noble CHARLOTTE, NC These places offered a distin- that runs quiet and deep, a the day you’ll find coffee brown spirits, with the pro- Est.: July 2017 guished alternative in a milieu mood that refuses to take along with pastries, salads, or fessors holding court in front still hungover from a long itself too seriously, and bar a chèvre and roasted carrot of a nineteenth-century “It’s only hard to find the first dalliance with Long Island food that doesn’t seem in the sandwich. Come evening you mahogany backbar. Order time,” says co-owner Stef- iced teas. But while the drinks same genus as cheese fries. can pivot to and enjoy by the dram, grab a private- an Huebner of his modern were delicious, something (Also, USB outlets.) aperitif bites—olives, cheese, selection bottle to go, or let tucked behind a An old-fashioned at the Bluebird Cocktail Room. had been lost among the By definition, new bars pickled okra—in a cozy space your guide mix up something strip mall. Inside is a relaxing, Opposite, clockwise from mumbled incantations and are, well…new. They lack the that’s quickly gained a local memorable. casual space that doesn’t so top left: The Bluebird’s bar; muttonchops: that sense of natural patina that comes following. Cocktails don’t much call attention to itself as cucumbers with Aleppo feeling welcome, as if return- with age. Yet many of these stray far from well-crafted set a stage for fabulous cock- chile pepper and lime at ing home, even if you’d never Southern bars, all opened basics (Manhattan, and The Briar Patch tails and good conversation. Babas on Cannon; Babas’ beverage director Lane set foot there before. within the past two years, will tonic), or try sipping on a LIVINGSTON, MS Drinks are divided among Becker (left) and co-owner The drinks magic remains leave you feeling as if they’ve symbol of prosperity—Babas Est.: July 2018 “classics” and “house” cock- Edward Crouse. (there’s no better time since been around for a while. Put serves up fresh-squeezed tails, with the latter including the late 1800s to step out for a your feet up on the brass rail. pomegranate cocktails, with Is further evidence required such riffs as Burning Leaves,

perfectly made Sazerac), but Settle in for the next act. your call on the . Helen Norman and right: Helen Norman; bottom James Olivia Rae Top: that the craft-cocktail revival with , Chartreuse,

94 FEB. / MAR. 2019 GARDEN&GUN TYPE ILLUSTRATIONS BY LUKE LUCAS GARDEN&GUN FEB. / MAR. 2019 95 Toasting an evening at New Orleans’ Elysian Bar. THE SOUTH’S BEST NEW BARS

and a of cinnamon, that bridges the gap between nutmeg, clove, and anise. bar and restaurant. They of- This is ostensibly a member- fer seating upstairs and down ship club ( join online for ten in a renovated two-story dollars, or become a member bungalow, serving a range at the door), so “wear some- of classic cocktails both un- thing that you wouldn’t mind touched and revamped. The Five more fledgling wearing on a first date,” the name is a nod to their love of spots to belly up to this year bar advises. the Paris of the 1930s, and the downstairs has the charm of The Elysian Bar a French bistro, bolstered by Add to life’s certainties: Another bar will be open- a hefty dose of Georgia ingre- ing tomorrow, or next week. Keep your eye on these NEW ORLEANS, LA dients, from local cheeses to new places, from some of the South’s top drinks Est.: October 2018 a White Oak Pastures duck maestros, which were just on the cusp of throwing breast with charred eggplant open the doors at press time. The backbar rises like a and peaches. fevered swamp dream— stylized trunks of cypress The Crunkleton Gary Crunkleton did nigh the im- The Fox Bar trees as envisioned by a mild- Charlotte, NC possible when he opened his name- bar in Chapel Hill in 2006: He ly unhinged art deco artist. & Cocktail Club proved that refined drinking could Situated in the 1875 rectory NASHVILLE, TN survive and thrive in a college town, earning a national reputa- of a former church complex Est.: September 2017 tion along the way. Now Crunkleton is bringing that same court- a few minutes’ walk from the liness and flair to Charlotte, this time with bites to complement Marigny neighborhood’s A compact, cozy spot created the drinks. bustling Frenchmen Street by music industry pros Bryan Jewel The newest project from cele- (the complex is now a lovely Rushton and Andrew Cook, of the South brated Big Easy bartenders Nick new boutique hotel), the bar the Fox feels like a hidden New Orleans, LA Detrich (Cane & Table) and Chris lures hotel guests and neigh- room at the Church of Good Hannah (Arnaud’s French 75 Bar) borhood residents alike each Times—all tin ceilings, worn will be a paean to traditional New evening with light fare and antiques, and globe lamps. Orleans drinking. (It’s named after a once-famous bar where the drinks overseen by the tal- The cocktails, created by brandy crusta was invented.) Expect exemplary service with a ented team from Bacchanal local bar veteran Will Bene- heaping side of nineteenth-century New Orleans showiness. Wine and chef Alex Harrell. detto, are as deft as the club’s Kingfisher A former bar manager at Durham’s Order an exquisite Sazerac design, offering a sideways Durham, NC 21c Museum Hotel, Sean Umstead or select from a list of re- tour of the great tipples and is teaming up with his wife, Michelle freshing aperitif cocktails, their progeny without ever Vanderwalker, to open a new down- then find a seat where mood taking them too seriously. town bar focused on cocktails incorporating produce from the dictates: the garden room, Among the drinks: the Irish state’s farms. That means lots of pickling and preserving and a the elegant parlor, or that Exit, made with coconut- strawberry daiquiri you’ll actually want to drink. otherworldly bar. infused Jamaican rum and macadamia nut , Miss Carousel One of a trio of new spots from spritzed with orange flower Houston, TX the group behind the Houston heavyweights Coltivare and Eight The Expat water. It’s a trip to the tropics Row Flint, this 200-seat lounge’s ATHENS, GA without leaving home. expansive cocktail menu, overseen by beverage director and Est.: May 2018 co-owner Morgan Weber, is broken into engaging categories, including one labeled “Extremely Interesting Non-Conformists.” Expectations were high when Golden Eagle Since opening PX in Alexandria, Jerry Slater—the experi- ATLANTA, GA Tiki TNT enced barman behind Atlan- Est.: October 2017 Washington, D.C. Virginia, a dozen years ago, Todd Thrasher has been quietly upping ta’s late and much-beloved H. the food-and-drink game around Harper Station—decamped Golden Eagle is the bar Washington. His new bar will be folded into his next venture: a for Athens to open his next secretly constructed by the rum distillery, which will of course provide the fuel for many of venture. Slater and his wife, eccentric uncle you never his concoctions.—W.C. Krista, a , have knew you had. Inside a former elevated the college town’s train station on Atlanta’s drinking options in a spot BeltLine Eastside Trail, it

96 FEB. / MAR. 2019 GARDEN&GUN PHOTOGRAPH BY RUSH JAGOE THE SOUTH’S BEST NEW BARS

has an interior duskiness Goodnight Charlie’s range from a -aged bou- storefront bar with a tiny that twinkles with brass levardier to a Paloma on tap. sidewalk patio in the Ad- accents, with a stag’s head HOUSTON, TX ams Morgan neighborhood imperiously presiding over Est.: December 2017 blends in more than it stands a horseshoe bar. The overall The Green Zone out. Do expect a DJ spinning vibe is 1940s as envisioned by Think tried-and-true Texas WASHINGTON, D.C. Middle Eastern party songs the 1970s. Drinks are similarly honky-tonk…except sparkly Est.: July 2018 come dark on weekends, full-chord swanky, and range and clean. Located in a getting the whole place up from classics to cocktails that cedar-clad contemporary Best named cocktail ever? and moving. may one day vie to be clas- building in Houston’s Mon- The Green Zone’s variation sics. Feeling splurgy? Order trose neighborhood, Good- on a New Orleans favorite: the Traveling Suitcase, an night Charlie’s retains the the Saz’Iraq. There will be Hayride Scandal old-fashioned for the table lively heart of a dance hall no further discussion of this BATON ROUGE, LA that comes in its own valise. (foot-stomping bands, a matter. That’s just one of the Est.: May 2017 compact wooden dance floor) irrepressible drinks at a bar but with drinks that exceed that draws from a palette of Does it come as a shock that Above, from left: A Suffering one’s notions of roadhouse Middle Eastern flavors for its a bar in Louisiana’s capital is Bastard at Golden Eagle; fare: Choose from a solid innovative concoctions (for named after a scandal that comfy seats inside the bar. Opposite: Elysian bartenders selection or a deep bench of instance: gin, pistachio, lem- ended with a governor in Jasmine Bradley and Roy agave spirits and whiskey, on, and “silky magic”). Don’t prison? Hardly. But it’s still Chavez welcome guests. along with cocktails that expect fancy—the two-story a pleasing that Baton

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUSH JAGOE (OPPOSITE); ANDREW THOMAS LEE GARDEN&GUN FEB. / MAR. 2019 99 THE SOUTH’S BEST NEW BARS

Rouge now has a cocktail bar the Holler’s fresh, midcen- Lone Wolf is boisterous and inspired by the history of tury sensibility. Drinks on friendly, with a tiki-inflected drinking in Southern Louisi- tap include a Moscow Mule house cocktail list in addition ana. It has the feel of a private and a margarita, as well as to a roster of “classics for a club from the 1930s or ’40s, a straight-up shot of Old reason”—including Harry though with some curveballs. Grand-Dad from the spigot— Johnson’s 1888 fifty-fifty The doors are open at our (Is that a portrait of Bill Mur- comfort food for the parched. martini (equal parts gin and ray?) Whiskey is well repre- Really thirsty? There’s also vermouth). Among the origi- new Atlanta outpost sented, with four hundred rosé by the pitcher. nal martini recipes, this drink brown spirits, but you’ll also was big in the late nineteenth find such departures as the century. Find out why here. Oaxaca old-fashioned, which The Jasper takes a familiar favorite on a RICHMOND, VA trip abroad by swapping out Est.: January 2018 Longway Tavern whiskey for smoky mezcal. NEW ORLEANS, LA The bar just recently added Craft-cocktail whizzes Est.: May 2018 a new space, the Parlour, serv- Mattias Hägglund and ing Victorian-era cocktails Thomas Leggett—formerly This latest elevation of from the 1890s. of Richmond drink havens French Quarter drinking Heritage and the Roosevelt, comes from the restaura- respectively—joined forces teurs behind Sylvain and The Holler with restaurateur Kevin Liu Meauxbar, who’ve carved out BENTONVILLE, AR to open this sleek addition a welcoming, neo-rustic tav- Est.: July 2018 to downtown. It’s possessed ern that provides a calm oasis of a precise, minimalist air amid the Quarter’s question- You have bills you should deal that will appeal to the secret able mixology and aural with. But you’d really like to Scandinavian in anyone. The chaos. The decor is equal go out for a drink. Problem drinks list is well rooted in parts spare, friendly, and solved! The Holler is Benton- history (hello, Quoit Club bold, and the staff serves ville’s version of a social hub/ Punch!) but swiftly moves up impeccable cocktails— coffee shop/bar mash-up. on to destinations unknown, Sazerac, Pimm’s Royale, Bring your laptop and type such as a Jungle Bird varia- sidecar—made with stellar while you tipple, then take tion made with molasses- ingredients. More good news: a break at the shuffleboard infused tequila. Don’t over- There’s no need to roam the courts, which fit right in with look the stellar draft Zombie. Quarter when hunger strikes, as the bistro fare here is A view of the raw bar from the dining room at the Garden & Gun Club. countless notches above ordi- Lone Wolf Lounge nary, including an outstand- SAVANNAH, GA ing cassoulet and such simple Est.: September 2018 but elegant bites as radishes Opened last spring at the Battery Atlanta, in the shadow of enhanced with caviar. Garden & Gun Club the Braves’ new stadium, the Garden & Gun Club is our take Another bar opened by mu- Atlanta, GA on the perfect Southern bar. It’s intimate and full of touches sicians? Yawn. A bar opened Southerners will appreciate (including host stands made by the principal oboist of the Nickel City with Charleston, South Carolina, ironwork), with food and local philharmonic? Excuse AUSTIN, TX drinks that reflect the region’s ingredients and history while also putting a spin on tradition. You’ll of course find a range of Southern classics on the cocktail list (to date our Proper Old-Fashioned Est.: August 2017 me? Andrew Jay Ripley and has been ordered 4,237 times), along with originals such as the Rabbit Will Run, a bourbon, vermouth, and his business partner (and a spiced-pear combo. To devise the menu, we partnered with the James Beard Award–winning chef Mike drummer), Tom Worley, each Like fancy cocktails but hate Lata of Charleston’s FIG and the Ordinary, and like the drinks, the food blends staples we love with dishes held down enough shifts in fancy cocktail bars? Nickel that surprise. Sample Southern oysters from the raw bar or start off with an order of boiled peanuts or a bars that they knew just what City (forthright slogan: Benton’s country ham plate with biscuits. Should you need something more substantial, try the turkey neck they wanted when they set “Cold Beer & Mixed Drinks”) gumbo with Carolina Gold rice, or Korean short ribs over grits, or just go for a burger with comeback sauce. out to open their own—a has you covered. The bar We like to think of it as the magazine brought to life, but most of all, it’s a celebration of the South and the pleasures that come from slowing down and sharing a drink or a bite with friends old and new. Don’t take our Clockwise from above: A Midwestern-style neighbor- occupies a boxy, nondescript barrel-aged boulevardier at word for it, though. Swing by if you’re in the neighborhood. Goodnight Charlie’s; enjoying hood “grandpa bar” that building of blond brick and a drink at the Fox Bar; the went on a Caribbean cruise deco-era glass blocks. In-

Goodnight Charlie’s dance floor. and refused to come back. Bottom left: Blaylock Studios; right: Ralph Smith bottom Cameron Sinclair Amy side, you might think you’ve

100 FEB. / MAR. 2019 GARDEN&GUN PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILY DORIO (TOP) GARDEN&GUN FEB. / MAR. 2019 101 THE SOUTH’S BEST NEW BARS

stumbled into a Milwaukee Officina Amaro sy of chef Nicholas Stefanelli, for those awaiting reserva- dive with its vinyl banquettes, who has a Michelin star four tions downstairs, the lounge long and unfussy bar, and low Library miles north at his luxe Masse- shouldn’t be overlooked as ceilings with exposed rafters WASHINGTON, D.C. ria. But you don’t have to dine a destination in its own right, (not the lovely rustic exposed Est.: October 2018 here to enjoy a brief detour to especially for those who could kind). But this is a bar that Italy by the glass. use a little de-harrying and takes its liquor seriously. Squirreled away in an alcove unstressing in their lives. Backbar bottles include J.M. off the dining room at Offi- Look for a drinks list that’s rhum from Martinique, Del cina—a new three-story culi- Paper Crane Lounge modest but creative, with Maguey mezcal, and Whis- nary complex celebrating ATLANTA, GA enticing descriptions tlePig single-barrel ryes. all things Italian in D.C.’s Est.: November 2017 (“acidic, witty, well-traveled”) Cocktails run the gamut Wharf project—a modest bar replacing run-of-the-mill from top-notch standards to fronts a well-curated collec- A visit to the Paper Crane ingredient lists. surprising originals, such as tion of more than a hundred Lounge is like a meditation the coffee julep. varieties of amaro, the dusky, session, but one, you know, bittersweet liqueur that with cocktails—relaxing, Pearl Diver quietly informs so many soothing, and rejuvenating. NASHVILLE, TN Above, from left: Nickel City’s Est.: July 2018 Jungle Bird; sharing a laugh after-dinner moments in It’s located above (and part at Pearl Diver. Opposite: Italy. It’s a fitting place to of) the lauded restaurant Bartender Nick Dolan hard retire after embarking on new Staplehouse, and while pop- Call it a seasonal miracle: It’s

Left: Townsend Hunter at work at the Fox. gustatory adventures courte- ular as a de facto way station summer year-round at Pearl

PHOTOGRAPHS BY EMILY DORIO GARDEN&GUN FEB. / MAR. 2019 103 THE SOUTH’S BEST NEW BARS

Diver. Four Nashville restau- The Vermutería rant/bar associates made like hermit crabs and moved at Cúrate into a midcentury car-repair ASHEVILLE, NC shop, converting it into their Est.: March 2017 own tropical oasis. There’s a fun vibrancy throughout, Chef-restaurateur Katie with bright, jungly wallpaper, Button felt a certain some- pink and teal tiles, and other thing was missing at Cúrate, New bars inspired by the exuberances. The courtyard the traditional Spanish tapas cantinero tradition has the feel of a South Seas restaurant she opened in , scattered with Asheville to great acclaim in tiki torches and conversa- 2011. It lacked a vermutería—a tion pits. Let your tropical bar devoted to the low-proof Julio Cabrera is improving your drinking experience. night unspool with sips that pleasures of vermouth, The Cuban-born, Miami-based bar entrepreneur has instructed dozens of Americans in the ways of tradi- channel the sultry South, , and . “Vermouth tional Cuban bartending, organizing and leading some twenty including Cuban classics such is having a moment now in trips to his homeland in recent years. Visiting bartenders spend as the Hotel Nacional and a Spain,” Button says. So when time mastering drink-making techniques while experiencing highball made with Jamaican an adjoining fro-yo shop fabled Cuban hospitality at the hands of revered local canti- rum and Ting grapefruit soda became available, she and neros. And a number of Cabrera’s pupils are now spreading that brings home the funk. her Catalan-born husband those traditions stateside. and business partner, Félix A society of bartenders devoted to preserving the country’s Meana, took it over, installing time-honored practices, El Club de Cantineros de la República Tongue-Cut de Cuba was founded in 1924, during the height of Prohibition, a zinc-topped bar backed by when American swells flooded Cuban bars in search of a good Sparrow and taps serving up drink (or any drink). The group survived repeal, Castro, and em- HOUSTON, TX draft Spanish vermouth and bargoes. Cabrera taught at one of Cuba’s top cantinero schools Est.: February 2017 cider, which pair perfectly for sixteen years before eventually emigrating to Miami in 2006 with the cured jamón ibérico. to work with the chef Michelle Bernstein. Since then, his influence Bobby Heugel jump-started has reached well beyond South Florida. Houston’s cocktail revival New Orleans bartenders Nick Detrich and Chris Hannah vis- Whiskey Thief ited Cuba several times under Cabrera’s tutelage, and with fellow when he opened the doors barman Konrad Kantor, they opened Manolito last year in the to Anvil a decade ago. Heu- CHATTANOOGA, TN French Quarter. Focused on authentic Cuban drinks, it’s named gel’s latest contribution to Est.: September 2018 after the late Manuel Carbajo Aguiar, a twenty-year veteran of the city’s better drinking is El Floridita in Havana. Tongue-Cut Sparrow, a snug, Revisit Chattanooga… TJ Palmieri visited Cuba twice with Cabrera, and in 2017 he comfortable, and slightly now with a new aerial view. opened Madrina’s in Gainesville, Florida. Like Manolito, his bar stealthy lair. Tucked up a Whiskey Thief sits atop the has a distinctly Cuban air. Palmieri likens it to what a bar in Cuba flight of stairs behind the recently opened Edwin Hotel, might look like if the country had access to the full range of U.S. ingredients. Another Cabrera alum, Ricky Gomez from New Or- Pastry War (Heugel’s popular providing a panorama of the leans, also opened a Cuban bar, in Portland, Oregon, last year mezcaleria), it’s informed city’s iconic Walnut Street called Palomar. but not dominated by an Bridge. The space has a fun, Cabrera isn’t slowing down. He’s partnering with Bernstein understated Japanese flair, boho industrial vibe, with to open Cafe La Trova in Miami’s Little Havana. The new space from the name (a Japanese soaring windows, and the will feature two bars and an all-day café, plus its own school to folktale) to happy-hour drinks are as well made as formally instruct bartenders in the art of the cantinero. Japanese highballs, with the vintage-style glassware “We want to be very classic and authentic, so [our staff] will have plenty of intriguing de- in which they’re served. The to respect a lot of rules,” Cabrera tours, like the Falernum Fix Eighteen Seventy-One, with says. Those rules include no facial and Scotch-based Bobby Glenfiddich 12, , Punt hair, always wearing long sleeves Burns. Couches and leather e Mes vermouth, and a touch and never rolling them up, and no upholstered seats give it a of hickory smoke, is a good sneakers. “Grooming and outfit Somerset Maugham–in–exile starter. Or you can rummage are very important,” he says. “But sensibility, making this shrine through the cocktail attic, most important for cantineros is to the perfectly built cocktail sampling such throwbacks as The Kilauea Bowl at hospitality.”—W.C. Pearl Diver, with fresh a splendid destination from the Aviation, concocted with , rum, gin, sherry, which to explore the world, gin, lemon, and both cherry and apricot brandy. one coupe at a time. and violet . G

104 FEB. / MAR. 2019 GARDEN&GUN PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILY DORIO