FREE Q2017–18

THE ’S GUIDE TO BOOZEBOOZE && BREWSBREWS (oh, and wine, too) ost aluable int 2017–2018 THE INDY’S GUIDE TO DRINKING IN THE TRIANGLE

EDITOR IN CHIEF Jeffrey C. Billman MANAGING EDITOR Victoria Bouloubasis ART DIRECTOR Maxine Mills COPY EDITOR Denise Prickett EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Curt Fields, Kim Lan Grout, Corbie Hill, Brian Howe, David Klein, Emma Laperruque, Matthew Poindexter, Emily Wallace, Jill Warren Lucas, Iza Wojciechowska, Susie Zadeh Locklier STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Boerner, Ben McKeown CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS D.L. Anderson, Justin Cook, Jeremy M. Lange GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Steve Oliva, Chris Williams, Steve Oliva

PUBLISHER Susan Harper BUSINESS MANAGER Alex Rogers WEB CONTENT MANAGER Tira Murray

DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Brenna Berry DISTRIBUTION STAFF Laura Bass, David Cameron, Michael Griswald, JC Lacroix, Raymond Lanier, Richard David Lee, Joseph Lizana, James Maness, Gloria McNair, Jeff Prince, Timm Shaw, Freddie Simons, Marshall Wade, Gerald Weeks, Hershel Wiley

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Shannon Legge SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Ele Roberts ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Gillian Morris, Josh Rowsey, Sarah Schmader

MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 1772, Durham, NC 27702 ADDRESS 201 West Main Street, #101, Durham, NC 27701 PHONE 919-286-1972 ADDRESS 227 Fayetteville Street, #105, Raleigh, NC 27601 PHONE 919-832-8774 WEBSITE indyweek.com COVER PHOTO Alex Boerner © 2017 ZM Indy

2 www.indyweek.con Victoria Bouloubasis 5 SPIRITS OF THE SOUTH Victoria Bouloubasis 6 BOOZE HOUNDING Jill Warren Lucas 8 SOUTHERN COMFORT Victoria Bouloubasis 12 THE REMIXOLOGISTS Victoria Bouloubasis, Kim Lan Grout, Brian Howe 22 H0T INGREDIENTS Susie Zadeh Locklier 24 MOCKTAILS & DREAMS Victoria Bouloubasis 26 BUDGET BENDER Emma Laperruque 29 BEYOND BOURBON BALLS Victoria Bouloubasis 32 GREAT GRAPES Emily Wallace 34 WINE FINDS Emily Wallace 36 CORK STAR Corbie Hill 39 THE NEED FOR Matthew Poindexter 42 IT’S NOT ALL SCUPPERNONG AROUND HERE Victoria Bouloubasis 44 GOLDEN GRAINS Jeffrey C. Billman 46 & THERE Corbie Hill 51 HOUSE RULES Curt Fields 52 GRUB Iza Wojciechowska 58 HOP TO IT Victoria Bouloubasis and David Klein 61 MAKE THE ROUNDS Curt Fields 65 DRINKING PROBLEMS

A CALLED MEXICO BURNS, WITH EQUAL PARTS CYNAR, APEROL, AND , AT GOCCIOLINA IN DURHAM PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER contents intro 3 301 West Martin Street Raleigh, NC • 984-232-8969 Parksideraleigh.com

YOUR DOWNTOWN, INDEPENDENT CRAFT BREWERY FOCUSED ON QUALITY BREWS AND AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE. FEATURING WHITEWALL WHEAT AWARDED THE BRONZE MEDAL AT THE GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL 2016 IN THE AMERICAN BELGO CATEGORY. 319 W. DAVIE ST., RALEIGH 919-324-3529 WWW.CRANKARMBREWING.COM

Beer Study & Starpoint Have Come to Durham!

2501 University Dr. Suite 4 (across from Q Shack) 919-240-5423 www.drinkdurham.com

4 www.indyweek.com SPIRITS OF THE SOUTH What we do have, though, FROM 1909–35, North Carolina are a slew of bars, breweries, was a dry state—meaning the distilleries, and wine shops only alcohol we could imbibe was pushing the envelope. Just as we what someone’s papa concocted relish our foodie identity, North on the sly, by the light of the Carolinians know how to knock moon, savored out of a mason one back with just as much zeal jar. (You know the stuff.) and creativity as we know how to smoke a whole hog. Now, despite North Carolina’s history of teetotal laws and In DRINK, we present the most bootlegging outlaws, only one imaginative ideas surrounding dry county remains. (Solidarity alcohol in our state: handcrafted with Graham County.) Still, we’re and locally sourced among the nearly twenty states (p. 8), a full roundup of our most that have a stringent control on interesting wines (p. 42) and sales through the Alcoholic community-focused breweries Beverage Control Commission. (p. 46), and advice from What does this mean for bartenders about what to drink transplants? There’s no corner at home (p. 26). If drinking’s not bodega to grab a bottle of liquor your vice of choice, we’ve got with your smokes. You’ll have to original recipes for you, too. Bake hit up a state store, and it won’t with your favorite flavor of booze be open on Sunday. (Actually, (p. 29) or indulge in homemade you can’t buy anything alcoholic mocktails (p. 24). Whatever you before noon on Sundays, as the fancy, we’ve got a reason to clink state would prefer you to be in our glasses.

church; see p. 65.) — Victoria Bouloubasis ALEX BOERNER BY PHOTO

intro 5 DURHAM DISTILLERY PRODUCES TWO TYPES OF AND THREE PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

RIGHT JIM PYNE WITH A COSMOPOLITAN, AT PLAYERS’ RETREAT IN RALEIGH PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON

6 www.indyweek.com liquor BOOZE HOUNDING ONE OF THE GREATEST OF LIFE’S INDULGENCES is an afternoon . With so many bars to choose from, we’ve distilled (sorry) our favorites into a behind- the-scenes look at what makes the world of craft so special. In this section, we decipher some of the trendier ingredients on local menus (p. 22) and explore classic riffs from your favorite bartenders (p. 12). Jill Warren Lucas takes us on a tour of the area’s award- winning liquor makers (p. 8) and I reach out to professionals for tips on stocking a home for just $200 (p. 26). INDY critic and baker Emma Laperruque shows you how to make boozy desserts (p. 29), while barista and spice maven Susie Zadeh Locklier works magic on original mocktail recipes (p. 24). —Victoria Bouloubasis

liquor 7 THE CUSTOM-MADE MUELLER POT STILL USED BY LEE AND MELISSA KATRINCIC, FOUNDERS OF DURHAM DISTILLERY PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

8 www.indyweek.com North Carolina distilleries win big at home—and elsewhere By Jill Warren Lucas SouthernSouthernSOUTHERN ComfortsComfortsCOMFORTS

Several Triangle distilleries scored big in 2016, which gets its kick from Raleigh’s Slingshot Cold earning critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Brewed Coffee, each earned two awards in 2016. Their accomplishments allow those of us While Durham Distillery is focused on pushing distribution beyond state borders, the inspired to buy local a chance to stock our liquor brand plans to introduce a new barrel-rested gin cabinets with booze that makes outstanding in late 2017. Additional Damn Fine liqueurs may use of local ingredients and distilling expertise. follow—but that “greatly depends” on whether Here are some of our hometown favorites. the state relaxes its rules limiting distilleries to selling one bottle per person per twelve-month period, says cofounder Melissa Katrincic. TOPO Distillery 505 WEST FRANKLIN STREET, CHAPEL HILL Fair Game Beverage Company TOPODISTILLERY.COM 193 LORAX LANE, PITTSBORO Esteban McMahan went to California in FAIRGAMEBEVERAGE.COM January to accept a Good Food Award for Chris Jude, head distiller at Fair Game, is also a TOPO’s organic in the highly competitive fan of TOPO’s vodka. In fact, he concocted an Spirits category (which also featured expert collaboration, infusing the vodka with Apothecary No. 15 Spruce and Birch Bitters by mild, locally grown Tobago peppers to create Raleigh’s Crude Bitters). Fair Game’s own 2016 success story, Flying TOPO might have two new product launches Pepper. The smoky-sweet spirit goes perfectly in 2017, including its long-awaited Reserve in a . Straight Wheat Whiskey, which McMahan says Agriculture-focused to the core, the Pittsboro may be the only USDA-certified organic, locally distillery also makes a No’Lasses rum using sourced, 100-percent-wheat-mash-bill whiskey Southern-grown sorghum and a signature barreled for at least two years anywhere. Apple using pressed apple cider made in the North Carolina mountains. Durham Distillery 711 WASHINGTON STREET, DURHAM The Brothers Vilgalys Spirit Company DURHAMDISTILLERY.COM 803 RAMSEUR STREET, DURHAM Last year, Durham Distillery reeled in quite BROTHERSVILGALYS.COM a few awards for its five distinctive products: Much as his dad tinkered years ago with a the “modern” Conniption American Dry and stovetop recipe for a spiced honey , Conniption Navy Strength , and three Rim Vilgalys has been testing variations since flavors of its luscious Damn Fine liqueurs the successful launch of Brothers Vilgalys (coffee, chocolate, and mocha). The gins have Krupnikas in 2012. Pineapple and pomegranate dominated at national competitions, winning a batches were promising, while a strawberry- total of fifteen accolades and earning Durham kiwi experiment ended in a goopy mess. Distillery the title of No. 2 Craft Gin Distillery in Finally, Vilgalys has settled on a winner. the U.S. from USA Today. Days before Christmas—and just shy of the The creamy Damn Fine Mocha—made with fourth anniversary of having introduced the Raleigh’s Videri Chocolate—snagged a bronze Lithuanian beverage, which is flavored with a medal last month at the International blend of aromatic spices—Vilgalys announced Spirits Competition. It and the coffee flavor, the release of Winter Cranberry Krupnikas.

liquor 9 THE BROTHERS VILGALYS SPIRIT COMPANY MAKES KRUPNIKAS, A TRADITIONAL LITHUANIAN STYLE OF SPICE HONEY LIQUEUR. PHOTO BY JUSTIN COOK xxx10 introwww.indyweek.com Currently a limited edition product, it is sold in Irish moonshine called Drumlish Poitín. ABC stores and the distillery’s tasting room. Created by Ireland-born distiller Ollie “Cranberry really changes the character of Mulligan, Rúa won the category of the drink pretty significantly,” Vilgalys says. Garden & Gun’s annual Made in the South “Where Krupnikas is sweet, this is pretty tart, awards. Made in small batches with mash with everything else—the complexity of the from neighboring Olde Mecklenburg Brewery honey and spices—layered behind it.” Drink it and mountain water imported from Yancey straight up or on ice, he suggests—or mix it with County, the complex single malt is described as Fair Game’s Apple Brandy. a “polished winter warmer with hints of coffee, toasted grain, and dark chocolate.” Great Wagon Road Distilling Company Crunkleton thinks it’s one of the best new 227 SOUTHSIDE DRIVE, CHARLOTTE entries he’s tried. “The Rúa has a smooth entry GWRDISTILLING.COM with great earthy tones from the malt,” he says. “I am proud that an American single-malt Gary Crunkleton is always on the lookout whiskey of this quality is made locally.” for new spirits to feature at his bar, The Rúa also earned awards this year from the Crunkleton, in Chapel Hill. He’s especially American Craft Spirits and Seattle International keen on Great Wagon Road Distilling Spirits competitions. If you can’t find it at your Company in Charlotte, which produces an local ABC store, visit the company’s website. American malt whiskey called Rúa and an Hill sborough GOOD FOOD, GOOD BEER, GREAT COMPANY!

VISITHILLSBOROUGHNC.COM

liquor 11 DAIQUIRI, TWO WAYS ALLEY TWENTY SIX, DURHAM Bartender Colin Cushman theRemixologists Don’t make the newbie mistake and assume SIX RIFFS ON CLASSIC COCKTAILS that daiquiris were invented at a Señor Frogs, packed into a Slushee machine from which By Victoria Bouloubasis you contracted a brain freeze (hopefully the only illness you picked up during your raucous spring break). The classic daiquiri, served up, is Belly up to any cocktail bar in the Triangle, a standard recipe and jump-off point for many and you’ll get a gentle nudge from a bartender favorites. The basic components are what Colin pushing a list of signature craft concoctions. Cushman calls the “Caribbean holy trinity”: And while these menus usually move beyond citrus, sugar, and rum. the classics, you can trace any contemporary Cocktail experts debate the origins of the drink back to a tried-and-true staple. We spoke daiquiri, but a common historical account to six local bartenders about their favorite riffs attributes the recipe to an American mining on classic drinks. engineer in Cuba who named it after a local town rife with lime and sugar. Cushman employs both of those ingredients—fresh lime DAIQUIRI juice and simple syrup—to make Alley Twenty Six’s standard daiquiri, with white rum, as well 2 ounces rum 1/5 ounce simple syrup as another version with dark rum. The first one 1/5 ounce lime juice is a summery yellow-green in hue and tastes Shake with ice and double-strain into a crisp and sweet. By swapping out the rum, the coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel. drink becomes a cloudy, rusty color, picking up more on the sourness of the lime juice. If you

12 www.indyweekk.com exchange the rum for gin, you’ve got a classic RUSTY BARBED WIRE, . A switch with whiskey and lemon makes A VARIATION OF THE RUSTY NAIL it a whiskey . BITTERSWEET, RALEIGH “The blueprint is used in different ways, and if you switch out the alcohol, it becomes a different Bartender Lewis Norton classic,” Cushman says. “All you have to do is The Rusty Nail is a favorite classic of play Mr. Potato Head with the ingredients and Bittersweet owner Kim Hammer. But her bar anything becomes a tasty drink.” is most known for its monthly gin club and extensive use of the herby liquor in its cocktail menu. Bittersweet’s Rusty Barbed Wire, then, mashes the two favorites together. “It offers us a chance to show our guests how versatile a spirit gin is,” says Hammer. In a Rusty Nail, we’re acquainted with , the liqueur based in whiskey and honey that marries perfectly with a hard scotch. For the variation, Lewis Norton, Bittersweet’s bar manager, suggested trying a gin with vanilla undertones like the Few brand. “Turns out, it’s amazing—even better than a Rusty Nail,” says Hammer. Since the additional alcohol makes the drink a bit more potent, “it needed a stronger punch to the name,” she says. Hence the Rusty Barbed Wire. She adds: “It’s a teeny nod to The Walking Dead villain Negan and his favorite weapon.” Leave the bat at home and knock back one of these drinks instead.

ABOVE GIN ANCHORS A RUSTY BARBED WIRE AT BITTERSWEET IN RALEIGH. PHOTO BY BEN MCKEOWN

COLIN CUSHMAN (LEFT), A BARTENDER AT ALLEY TWENTY SIX IN DURHAM, MAKES THE CLASSIC DAQUIRI (TOP). PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

liquor 13 RUSTY BARBED WIRE 1 ounce Few gin 1 ounce Dewar’s White Label scotch 1/2 ounce Drambuie liqueur

Pour in a rocks glass over ice. Stir gently. Add fresh lemon twist.

LEWIS NORTON (BELOW) PREPARES A RUSTY BARBED WIRE (LEFT) AT BITTERSWEET IN RALEIGH. PHOTO BY BEN MCKEOWN

FIONA MATTHEWS (RIGHT) WITH A BELLY WARMER AT BOWBARR. PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

14 www.indyweek.com BELLY WARMER, A PLAY ON SOUR BOWBARR, CARRBORO Bartender Fiona Matthews

Tart pisco, the patriotic liquor of Peru and Chile, needs an acidic citrus and sweet jolt to make a tangy drink that goes down easy. But Bowbarr co-owner Amanda Barr says pisco alone “would be boring in my book, so we added bourbon.” Ever the artist, Barr doesn’t just throw bourbon into a glass. She first infuses a bottle of Bulleit with fresh sliced serrano peppers. “It has a yummy, more rich, heartier flavor,” she says. “The combination of the spicy with pisco, lemon, and lime is a classic. And for some reason, with all of that, you can still take the pisco.” The Belly Warmer is a promise, a drink equal parts pisco and infused bourbon that’s a cozy treat for the senses.

liquor 15 BELLY WARMER 1 ounce Encanto pisco 1 ounce serrano-infused bourbon (see below) Juice from half a lime Juice from half a lemon 1/2 ounce simple syrup 1/2 ounce St. Germain (or any elderflower liqueur) Dried rosebuds, salt, and sugar for rim For the bourbon: Cut four to five serrano peppers in half, lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Place peppers in a 750 ml bottle of bourbon and allow to steep for four to five hours. For the drink: Pour all ingredients over ice. Shake vigorously. Strain in a coupe already set with a rosebud, salt, and sugar rim.

16 www.indyweek.com LEFT BOWBARR’S BELLY WARMER PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

ABOVE A CLASSIC FLIP COCKTAIL AT C. GRACE IN RALEIGH PHOTO BY BEN MCKEOWN

liquor 17 ODD PERFECTION, A RIFF ON THE FLIP C. GRACE, RALEIGH Bartender Matthew Bettinger C. Grace manager Matthew Bettinger says the bar’s classic flip is its most popular drink, which comes as no surprise since it boasts a three-hundred-year history. “The flip has always been one of those great categories of cocktails that fizzled out,” he says. Egg yolk (or a whole egg) ODD PERFECTION gives the flip its distinguishing 2 ounces Kraken dark spiced rum 1 egg yolk creamy texture, which came out 1 ounce vanilla syrup 1 coffee bean of necessity at a time when bars weren’t souped up with bells and Shake the first three ingredients vigorously. whistles, nay refrigeration. “For Add ice and shake again, lightly. Double strain into the longest time, eggs were kept a coupe. While drink is settling, finely grate the behind the bar because they coffee bean on top with a microplane. didn’t need to be refrigerated like cream,” says Bettinger. At C. Grace, he quickly realized the sweet appeal of egg when combined with rum, which is “not uncommon from what you would find in a meringue.” Bettinger played on this idea by making C. Grace’s Odd Perfection a sweeter after-dinner drink. The key is choosing a spiced dark rum with strong hints of vanilla, like Kraken. Bettinger brings out those notes with homemade vanilla syrup. The drink worked, but Bettinger and his bartenders realized the sweetness needed to be subdued. “It drank almost like a . When we realized that, we knew it had to be finished with coffee.” Using a microplane, Bettinger dusts the drink with finely grated coffee bean. It’s the first note that hits your senses when you take a sip, livening you up after dinner for a night of live jazz at C. Grace.

A CLASSIC FLIP COCKTAIL (RIGHT) AT C. GRACE (TOP) IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH PHOTO BY BEN MCKEOWN

FACING JANET MIGUEL, A BARTENDER AT THE SURF CLUB IN DURHAM, POURS A . BY ALEX BOERNER

18 www.indyweek.com THE LAST WORD 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse 3/4 ounce gin 3/4 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur 3/4 ounce lime juice Shake hard. Strain and serve up in a chilled coupe.

THE LAST WORD, WITH EDITS Still, if you catch Janet Miguel behind SURF CLUB, DURHAM the bar, she’ll revel in the chance to make a strong classic cocktail for you. Miguel is Bartender Janet Miguel particularly fond of the Last Word, equal parts Aside from a PBR, you may not expect gin, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, and green anything classic from Surf Club. It’s the taps Chartreuse. She smirks when she hands over a loaded with a supreme variety of craft shot of the last ingredient. (and nightly deals on pints) that attract the “It’s a favorite of Tom Waits,” she says. local millennial set. First made by monks in the 1700s,

 liquor 19 Chartreuse is a sharp, 110-proof French SENZA NOME, digestif, its only subtlety being a hint of anise. FROM THE MARTINI But its high notes are the Mediterranean ARCANA, DURHAM mountain herbs that scratch your throat on the way down. Bartender Lindsey Andrews With a background in classic cocktails, Lindsey Andrews opened Arcana with co-owner Miguel easily riffs on the Last Word. “It’s an Erin Karcher as a tarot bar. It evolved into an even template that allows you to interchange eclectic space for basement dance parties, a lot of its core ingredients,” she says. With intimate live music performances, local art, and, mezcal instead of gin, it becomes La Última of course, witchy things like tarot readings. To Palabra. With , yellow Chartreuse support the bacchanalia, they backed the bar with (milder and sweeter than green), and lemon, it’s “hot” cocktails. That is, the booziest possible. the Final Word. The Senza Nome (“without a name” in Either way, it’s a strong one. Waits said it Italian) appeared on the menu at the end of best: “With a pint of green Chartreuse ain’t 2016, just as Arcana celebrated one year of nothin’ seems right/ You buy the Sunday paper business. But Andrews had been serving the on a Saturday night.” drink for a few weeks to a customer who came in looking for depth with a punch. “Make me the thing without a name!” the customer declared at each visit. So Andrews would stir up

SENZA NOME 2 ounces Durham Distillery Conniption Navy Strength gin 1 ounce Amaro Montenegro YOUR WEEK. Stir with ice and strain into a coupe. EVERY WEDNESDAY. Garnish with lemon peel.

LINDSEY ANDREWS (ABOVE), COFOUNDER OF ARCANA IN DURHAM, PREPARES THE SENZA NOME (RIGHT). PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

MUSIC•NEWS•ARTS•FOOD INDYWEEK.COM

20 www.indyweek.com her dark winter version of a martini. “At least I think it’s got the sensibility of a martini variation,” she admits. The classic martini uses gin or vodka as a base, with a dose of dry and, sometimes, a dash of bitters to manipulate the alcohol’s natural flavors. Andrews likes her drinks dry, balanced by herbs and a slight sweetness that’s more smooth than cloying. For the Senza Nome, she starts with Durham Distillery’s Conniption Navy Strength gin, which highlights an herbaceous profile with vigor (it’s 114 proof). The gin’s complexity reveals its sharp and savory ingredients: coriander, caraway, rosemary, cardamom, juniper, and cassia. Musty, decadent fig finishes off the gin’s process, which is perhaps why the Senza Nome rounds out with a touch of velvety Amaro Montenegro instead of vermouth. The Senza Nome is as cozy as a heavy cloak and as potent as moody winter.

YOUR WEEK. EVERY WEDNESDAY.

FOOD NEWS ARTS MUSIC

INDYWEEK.COM liquor 21 H0T INGREDIENTS Five of Our Favorite New Cocktail

Additions Mezcal Craft cocktail menus present The green fairy isn’t exactly Begin by a dizzying vocabulary if fl itting all over the place, but debunking you’re unfamiliar with the you can glimpse the fl utter of any myths overwhelming variety of its wings if you know where you may liqueurs and liquors behind to look. Our favorite spot to believe about the bar. We’ve picked fi ve quaff absinthe until we feel mezcal. of our favorites that are now like mad French painters It is not common is Counting House at 21c , and additions to local Museum Hotel. Counting it is not all cocktail lists, House serves Lucid Absinthe smoky. The and demystifi ed Supérieure, the fi rst absinthe complexities them for your with real wormwood essence— of mezcal are rooted in the enjoyment. which, again, doesn’t make region’s terroir—mezcal you trip, but is certainly a mild is made in eight regions poison essential to the unique of Mexico, but Oaxaca is fl avor behind the high-alcohol considered the epicenter—and kick—to be made available in how the maguey (an agave the U.S. after a ban that had plant) is cultivated. Marshall stood since Prohibition was Davis, owner of Raleigh’s Gallo lifted in 2007. We take it neat Pelón, explains the varietals as (Lucid is bottled pre-diluted, being diff erent in the same way so, sadly, there’s no ritual wines are. Each grape bears a pour over a sugar cube on a unique taste; each barrel ages slotted spoon), which tastes through diff erent temperatures, like a whole bag of licorice time, and fl avors. “You can’t jellybeans in a small glass, drink a chardonnay and declare or in Counting House’s ‘I don’t like wine’ when you’ve tasty . Bartender only tried that one,” Davis says. Mitch Mitchell makes In Mexico, he adds, you sip the his a bit less sweet than drink straight, all day and all some places do, with a night. But for a bar to work in couple of ounces of rye North Carolina—and to have (we recommend Bulleit), a little fun—Gallo Pelón sells a quarter-ounce of simple mezcal neat and thrown into syrup, a few dashes of a stellar . The Peychaud’s Bitters, and Leather Jacket is a popular just a spritz of absinthe. feature, mixing a blend of If you’re in the mood for three (espadin, cuishe, something at once familiar tobala) with the rhubarb-and- and exotic, basically like cardamom-focused Zucca an Old Fashioned with amaro and a hint of sweet an anise kicker, follow Spanish vermouth. But the the green fairy to this kicker? Shell-on salted peanuts accessible, sophisticated that highlight the smokiness of bevvy. —Brian Howe the Mexican liquor with a touch of North Carolina terroir. —Victoria Bouloubasis ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEVE OLIVA

22 www.indyweek.com Japanese St-Germain Amaro whiskey With notes of pear, peach, Not to be Newly trending in the South, and lychee, St-Germain is a confused Japanese whiskey varieties are light, fruity, and sweet (but with the becoming the go-to for modern not saccharine) liqueur made better known Asian leveling up from macerated elderfl owers , their bar game. And for good grown in the French Alps. amaro includes reason: they keep edging They bloom through a brief in its big Italian out the Scottish standards in four to six weeks in the family fernet, global competitions. There springtime and are then vermouth, is a separate category for distilled into a secret family and carciofo Japanese whiskey at the World recipe created by Robert J. (cynar), along Awards and, in Cooper. (Considered a young with dozens of other styles. We 2016, Suntory Hibiki 21 won pioneer in the cocktail world, could spend all day organizing the award for World’s Best Cooper died in 2016 at age the kingdom, phylum, and Blended Whiskey for the third thirty-nine.) St-Germain tastes class of bittersweet and herbal time since 2010. Still, the as fun, nuanced, and dramatic amari, as they are that nuanced, hearty, scotch-like Japanese as the way it’s created, and can but suffi ce it to say that amaro is whiskey is relatively diffi cult pair gracefully with white and versatile enough to stand on its to fi nd in the U.S. Mike Caulo, dark spirits alike. Pros call it the own (neat) or complementing bartender at Dashi’s upstairs “bartender’s ketchup”—it goes other spirits in a complex in Durham, says that with everything. While it can , oftentimes he asks customers willing to and should be enjoyed neat, upping the fl avor ante on try it if they like scotch. A nod the powers of St-Germain are tried-and-true bar staples will get you a Suntory utterly transformative, making like Manhattans and Old Hakushu served neat, any cocktail brighter and Fashioneds. Made by mashing with a splash of water if fl irtier without being dozens of fruits, fl owers, herbs, you’re so inclined. It’s overwhelming. A splash in roots, and bark into alcohol, smoky and peaty, a fl ute of sparkling wine throwing in some sugar syrup, but not as sweet is cause for celebration; and allowing the mix to age, as a rye whiskey. better yet, allow the amaro knows no fl avor bounds The Nikka Coff ey fl oral, hint-of-citrus and can range in ABV from Grain is better for sweetness to add 16 percent to 40 percent. It’s beginners, with a depth to a mimosa or easy to pair with a variety of more full-bodied Bellini. It’s an inspired alcohols. Amari, often used as bourbon persuasion. substitute for simple a digestif, are enjoyed all over For a cocktail, Caulo syrup, so add a spritz the world and are growing recommends Dashi’s to gin and tonics to in popularity in the States. Smoky Bobby, a play make the boozy classic Germany’s Jägermeister, on a or a more approachable for France’s Chartreuse, and Italy’s . The bitters novice drinkers and more popular can arguably enhance the natural multilayered for the pros. be considered amari, too. sweetness of the Use the same strategy Our recommendation: equal alcohol, perfect for for EFFEN Cucumber parts gin, Cynar, and Aperol, winter. —Victoria Vodka and soda water garnished with an orange peel. Bouloubasis topped with a dash or two —Kim Lan Grout of jalapeño bitters for a refreshing drink with a bite. —Kim Lan Grout liquor 23 MocktaiLs &dReAms Good drinks don’t always need booze By Susie Zadeh Locklier

CHERRY CARDAMOM SAGE SELTZER 1/4 ounce cardamom syrup (see recipe below) 1/2 ounce pomegranate juice 2 cherries (pitted and halved) 4 ounces seltzer (recommended: plain La Croix) 1 sage leaf Cardamom syrup: 1 1/2 cups raw sugar 2 cups water 1/3 cup cardamom pods (whole)

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Add cardamom pods. Boil for ten minutes, let cool, and strain. Grab your favorite mocktail glass (for this one, I choose a lowball). Add the cardamom syrup and one of the cherries. Muddle well. Add pomegranate juice and seltzer. Garnish with cherry and a sage leaf (try a purple one for a complementary pop of color).

 24 www.indyweek.com Whipping up nonalcoholic drinks takes just a little extra kick of GINGER HONEYED-APPLE FIZZ creativity. The key 2 slices fresh ginger root, skin on is to find the same (I use a mandoline to get them extra thin, balance of acid, but cutting it with a knife also works) sugar, and fruit, 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice 1/2 ounce apple juice cream, or other 1 1/2 teaspoons raw sugar flavors as you would 2 teaspoons honey 2 teaspoons warm water for a cocktail. 2 ounces seltzer Flavors shine with (recommended: plain La Croix) natural ingredients. Begin with the honey and sugar rim, And the best part? or “slip.” Pour water and honey into a You can spend the saucer. Stir gently until honey is fully dissolved. In a separate saucer, spread night knocking the sugar. Dip one edge of a glass in the back however many honey-and-water mixture, where you you want without want the sugar to stick. Then dip into the saucer of sugar to create a rim. (Do this worrying about a first, before you start pouring ingredients dizzy morning after. into the glass.) Add the pineapple and apple juice to the glass and stir. Top off with seltzer. Garnish with ginger slices.

COCONUT COLD BREW 2 ounces of your favorite cold brew coffee (recommended: Slingshot) 3 ounces coconut water with pulp 1/2 ounce coconut creamer 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt 1/4 teaspoon raw sugar 2 teaspoons honey 2 teaspoons warm water 1 small piece of honeycomb (I buy mine at Li Ming Asian Market) 2 to 3 ice cubes Chilled glass Begin with the pink salt and sugar rim. Pour water and honey into a saucer. Stir gently until honey is fully dissolved. In a separate saucer, mix the sugar and salt and spread evenly. Dip one edge of the chilled glass in the honey-and-water mixture, where you want the sugar to stick. Then dip into the saucer of sugar and salt, to create a rim. (Do this first, before you start pouring ingredients into the glass.) In a shaker, add the cold brew coffee, coconut water, coconut creamer, and ice. Shake well. Pour into chilled glass and garnish with honeycomb. PHOTOS BY SUSIE ZADEH LOCKLIER BY PHOTOS liquor 25 26 www.indyeek.com PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER Budget Bender How to stock a bar for $200 By Victoria Bouloubasis

Determined to stock your home bar like Gin As herbaceous as it is versatile, gin gives a pro? It may seem like a daunting—and lighter cocktails a little heft. “Gin is going expensive—task, but the rules are pretty to cover your entertaining,” says Bettinger. simple, and the mission is pretty affordable. Think Negronis in the summer, dirty gin Jeff Johnson, a bartender at Criterion in martinis in the winter. Most bartenders Durham, compares stocking a bar to the recommend Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire, or way you’d begin a shopping trip to furnish Plymouth. But the realm of gin is vast, with your home. “You’re not going to Rooms botanical profiles that highlight everything to Go and buying a whole room,” he says. from lavender and sage to cucumber and “Start slowly and gradually build up to the coriander. If you’re looking to boost your bar you want.” gin prowess and the local economy, spend That slow start, though, means grabbing a few extra dollars on Durham Distillery’s everything you need to make simple Conniption American Dry. classics for yourself and guests. “Do it in

one fell swoop, drop a couple hundred Rum An aged rum is great to have on bucks,” says Mike Caulo, bartender at hand even if to simply perfect a tried-and- Dashi’s upstairs izakaya. “If you’re doing it true classic like a daiquiri. The standard right, you don’t have to do it all over again.” bartender recommendation is a twelve-year Invest in the basics, and buy what you El Dorado dark, but you can get away with actually like to drink. But don’t scrap value Cruzan Black Strap for nearly half the price. by aiming strictly for the top shelf at the ABC store. Often, the better bargain is a Whiskey For a classic whiskey drink, less expensive base alcohol that will stand like a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned, up to whatever you mix with it. Bettinger keeps a bottle of Jim Beam rye Local bartenders suggest four or five at the house, or Rittenhouse, which, he core bottles, with a few frills to round out says, “is a total workhorse of a rye.” Caulo the setup. prefers Old Overholt to mix with Campari and vermouth for a Boulevardier, a heavier, sweeter spin on a Negroni. “I’m a bourbon guy,” says Johnson. “My Vodka Personally, I’d skip the vodka and mixing is something basic like Evan Williams save the extra cash for vermouth and 1783. For my drinking bourbon, if I can find bitters. I’d rather drink a more complex it, I’d use Woodford or Buffalo Trace.” gin. But C. Grace bar manager Matthew Bettinger disagrees. “I don’t think any Extras To mix a variety of cocktails with the home bar is workable without a bottle above alcohols, stock the bar with a bottle of vodka,” he says. He recommends of Campari, at least one vermouth (Punt e Ketel One or, if you can find it, a bottle of Mes for sweet, Dolin for dry), and classic Luksusowa Polish vodka. There are craft Angostura bitters. These enhancers, Johnson favorites, too, like Texas darling Tito’s reminds us, were created when alcohol Handmade Vodka and Chapel Hill’s TOPO wasn’t as delicious as its modern iterations. Organic Vodka, which imparts a vanilla “These additions were used to make undertone. If nothing else, Caulo says, things more palatable,” he says. “It’s like salt. a bottle of vodka and another of Bloody A dash always makes it better.” A small bottle Mary mix are great for emergencies (read: of tonic and a pack of ginger beer (any brand hangovers). you like) round out the mixers. Later additions to your bar can include a

liquor 27 solid tequila, scotch, and, for after dinner or a nightcap, Fernet Branca. Bettinger reminds folks to “keep fruit in the house.” Orange, lemon, and lime are the trifecta for your fruit bowl. Caulo says you need a good muddling spoon for drinks with sugar. And don’t be afraid to try something with an egg white for a frothy treat— just take your time with a simple and you won’t mess it up. “You can’t overdo an egg white cocktail,” Caulo says. “I’ll watch an episode of The Simpsons while shaking for twenty minutes.” Also: don’t forget a stainless steel jigger—all good cocktails are measured.

THE LIST (prices for 750 ml) Whiskey Wild Turkey 101 $24.95 Old Overholt Rye $22.95 Larceny $29.95 Suntory Toki $29.95 Woodford Reserve $39.95 Buffalo Trace$27.95 Vodka Tito’s $21.95 Gin Beefeater $19.95 Bombay Sapphire $23.95 Plymouth $31.95 Conniption American Dry Gin $33.95 Rum El Dorado dark $35.20 Cruzan Black Strap $14.95 Tequila El Jimador $18.95 Fernet Branca $28.95 Campari $32.95 Angostura Bitters $10.59 Punt e Mes $20 Dolin Dry vermouth $6 eat. Drink. play.

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28 www.indyeek.com Beyond Like you, dessert is more fun when it’s tipsy. Think Bourbon of it this way: Sober karaoke. Martini karaoke. Sober bread pudding. Rum bread pudding. Sober brunch. Balls Bloody Mary brunch. Sober pears. Wino pears. See? Here are four recipes to put those straggling post- holiday home-bar ingredients to good use—beyond Four beautiful, cocktails and, yes, beyond bourbon balls. boozy dessert recipes By Emma Laperruque

RED WINE-POACHED PEARS Not as fancy as they sound. Here, pears take a nice, long bath in a tub of —red, sweetened with honey and orange, spiced with star anise—and emerge rosy-hued and happy. You continue to cook the wine until it’s thick and syrupy, like boozy balsamic, and serve it with the pears. Save any extra for ice cream sundaes.

1 cup dry 1/4 cup just-squeezed orange juice 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons honey 2 star anise 1 strip orange peel 2 firm pears, peeled, halved, cored

Combine all ingredients but the pears in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Add the pears and continue to simmer for about thirty minutes, turning occasionally, until they are knife-tender. Remove from the pot RED WINE-POACHED and keep cooking the wine until it thickens. PEARS PREPARED BY Serve the pears warm, room temperature, EMMA LAPERRUQUE or chilled, with wine syrup drizzled on top. PHOTO BY BEN MCKEOWN

liquor 29 BREAD PUDDING NO-CHURN SATSUMA BRÛLÉE AU RHUM IRISH ICE CREAM WITH SABAYON Classic baba au rhum is a The genius of the no- Sabayon, the French cousin yeast-raised cake, doused in churn method: sweetened to the Italian zabaione, is an rum syrup, served with soft condensed milk plus whipped ethereal, airy marsala custard, cream—the sort of old-school cream equals an ice cream thickened by egg yolks and dessert Julia Child kept in her doppelgänger. Many claim to endless whisking and magic. back pocket. “Babas,” she have originated the technique, In the summer, you’re likely wrote in Mastering the Art of but when in doubt about to find it folded into whipped French Cooking, “always seem anything, I always give credit to cream and served with fresh to delight guests.” Fifty-five Martha Stewart. This version berries. In the winter, I like years later, babas are overdue is spiked with espresso and to cozy it up—bright citrus, for a revival. This ode flips the whiskey to become a frozen drowned in sabayon, dusted original formula on its head, revamp of a holiday favorite. It with sugar, broiled until the replacing from-scratch cake makes a great base for an extra- top begins to burn. If you can’t with soft, buttery bread— boozy milkshake. find satsumas, clementines think challah or brioche. work, too. One (14-ounce) can sweetened 2 1/2 cups whole milk condensed milk 1/2 cup 3 tablespoons unsalted 1 shot espresso 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, butter, melted 3 tablespoons whiskey plus more to brûlée 1/2 cup dark rum 2 cups heavy cream 4 egg yolks 4 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup brown sugar Stir together the sweetened 4 satsumas, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract condensed milk, espresso, and peeled and sectioned Pinch salt whiskey in a large bowl. In a 8 cups cubed bread separate bowl with a whisk or Combine the wine, sugar, and 1/2 cup golden raisins in the bowl of a standing mixer yolks in a heatproof bowl over a Cream, to serve fitted with a whisk attachment, saucepan of simmering water. beat the cream until nearly Turn on an album or a podcast Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. stiff peaks form. Gently fold and whisk until the mixture Spray an eight-by-eight-inch the cream into the spiked milk becomes frothy and thick, like casserole dish. Whisk the mixture. Transfer to a loaf pan soft cream. This will take about milk, butter, rum, eggs, sugar, and freeze for at least four hours. ten minutes. When you’re there, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl I actually like this best when it’s remove from the heat and stir in until smooth. Add the bread still semifreddo, almost like soft- the vanilla. Preheat the broiler and raisins and toss gently to serve. on your oven. Pour the sabayon combine. Pour into the prepared evenly between four oven-safe casserole dish. Bake for thirty- ramekins. Add one satsuma to five minutes, until the top begins each. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. to brown and the custard barely Set the ramekins on a sheet jiggles once shook. Serve warm tray and slide under the broiler. or at room temperature, with lots Cook until the tops are deeply of cream to pour on top. brown, about two minutes. Serve immediately.

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liquor 31 wine GREAT GRAPES Admittedly, North Carolina wine has a bad rap for adding to0 much saccharine to your hangover. But Piedmont-born Matthew Poindexter eases our fears with a list of outstanding wines that defy the stereotype (p. 42). To find the best wines, Emily Wallace whisks us off to the area’s best wine shops (including a gas station) (p. 34) and demystifies the life of a sommelier (p. 36). And Corbie Hill explains the need for mead in Pittsboro and beyond (p. 39). —Victoria Bouloubasis

32 www.indyweek.com DREW BROWN BROWSES NEAR THE WINE SECTION AT PARKER & OTIS IN DURHAM. PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER wine 33 WINE AUTHORITIES IN DURHAM PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON

Wine Finds

Discover deals where you least expect them By Emily Wallace

34 www.indyweek.com Be it near a gas station or grocery, there’s likely a little wine shop around the corner from you in the Triangle—or, at least, a store that books (such as The stocks really great New California Wine grapes. With that in by Jon Bonné and mind, we’ve compiled The Wild Vine by a range of places to fit Todd Kliman), and your wine needs and wine-scented soy perhaps some other candles handmade essentials, too—from a in Charleston and cart full of groceries to cased in refurbished a full-fledged meal, and bottles. If shopping from a tank of gas to a wears you down, buy neatly wrapped gift. a bottle and stay for a glass—as well as THE GROCERY a deviled egg and a scoop of pimento Durham Co-op Market cheese. 1111 WEST CHAPEL HILL STREET, DURHAM, DURHAM.COOP THE GAS STATION During campaign season, Bill Clinton Taylor’s Wine Shop made a Co-op stop to ogle the beverage 10005 SIX FORKS cooler, and with good reason. Under the ROAD, RALEIGH guidance of beverage director Nick Williams, the TAYLORSWINESHOP.COM Co-op shelves an amazing collection of sustainably produced wines and features more than fifty labels Take the bait. Taylor’s priced between $5.99 and $8.99. Sample free pours Wine Shop isn’t a gimmick each week at Winesday (held, you guessed it, on but rather a reflection of its Wednesdays) between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and purchase surrounding community. After glasses for just $3. Or pick up Nicky’s Sixx, a perfectly Falls Lake was completed in the punned six-pack selected by Williams that will save 1980s, the gas station started stocking you between 25 percent and 35 percent. While you’re lures and live bait. And when folks began at it, also choose from a case packed with local building homes in the surrounding area beers (Clinton went for Ponysaurus). of North Raleigh in the nineties, Taylor’s installed a grill to feed construction workers THE RESTAURANT Glasshalfull and new residents. The latter also spurred 106 SOUTH GREENSBORO STREET, CARRBORO the convenience store to shelve an impressive GLASSHALFULLCARRBORO.COM inventory of wine—from a Dragora Tinto that rings in around $9 to Scarecrow Cabernet that Make a night of it. At Glasshalfull, in the heart of comes closer to $500. In summer months, Carrboro, pair small plates—from standard cheese taste various beers and wines at one of Taylor’s and charcuterie to North Carolina striped bass or “Parking Lot Parties,” featuring food trucks and a cauliflower cake—with one of twenty-five bottles live music. of wine, all available by the glass (and all half off on Mondays). Then take the party home. Adjacent THE WINE SHOP The Goat to its dining room, Glasshalfull stocks nearly three 2000 FEARRINGTON VILLAGE CENTER, PITTSBORO hundred bottles selected by Michael Klinger and FEARRINGTON.COM/THE-GOAT Jim Wald, most with an acidic Old World bent. In addition, all bottles can be purchased at retail Beyond her post in the Fearrington House price and served in the restaurant with an $8 Restaurant, beverage and service director Paula corkage fee. de Pano (see p. 36) oversees more than 150 wines all under $35 at The Goat, a wine shop and GIFT SHOP Parker & Otis coffee bar located in the heart of Fearrington’s 112 SOUTH DUKE STREET, DURHAM sprawling village. On Fridays and Saturdays, PARKERANDOTIS.COM find tastings with visiting wine distributors or a Fearrington sommelier, and in summer you Here you’ll find hundreds of bottles (including have the opportunity to carry wines by the glass lots of bubbly) and the best collection of greeting (or bottle) across to the Roost to cards the Triangle, not to mention bar-related enjoy outdoors. The Goat also assists in placing novelties, including a variety of corkscrews and special orders. glasses, decorative wine glass favors, a slew of

wine 35 Paula de Pano demystifies the life of a sommelier By Emily Wallace

osted up in a “If you like alcohol, you’ll be sixty dollars on a shot of corner of fine,” she says. whiskey,” she says. “That’s a Durham’s As the wine steward at really good bottle of wine.” Fullsteam Fearrington, de Pano oversees In her role as beverage brewery, Paula about fifteen hundred unique director, de Pano works de Pano sips a labels of wine, in addition to to make deft pairings and beer, her long other beverages. That’s why suggestions, but she also dark hair tucked into a she’s at Fullsteam on a Monday seeks to meet guests where teal knit cap. “This is afternoon, for a conversation to they are and make them feel who I am,” she says, fine-tune a beer on which the comfortable. If someone wants motioning to the hat and an two businesses collaborate. For a glass of wine similar to the oversize sweater she wears, de Pano, it’s a hop, not grape, Yellow Tail or Kendall Jackson, implying that she’s more relaxed that might be low hanging. she honors that request. than her role as a sommelier at North Carolina claims a “Drink what you like to Fearrington Village might sug- burgeoning beer community. drink,” de Pano advises. She gest. De Pano joined the Relais According to the North suggests being as clear as & Châteaux inn as beverage and Carolina Brewers Guild, it has possible with sommeliers service director in September, the largest number of craft or wine shop owners when replacing Maximilian Kast, breweries in the South. By describing the flavors or who led the wine program comparison, de Pano admits, characteristics of a wine that there for nearly a decade. “The world in North Carolina you prefer. “I never aspired to be a of wine is so small.” This “While we all—at least I sommelier,” she says. Her became strikingly clear when try to think that way—want introduction to the profession she left an earlier position to make sure you enjoy your came in 2007, when she at Fearrington as assistant purchase, we are not mind worked in public relations and sommelier to Kast for an readers,” she says. marketing for a in her illustrious stint at Eleven She also refuses to open native Philippines. From there, Madison Park in New York bottles tableside, as she is she enrolled in the Culinary City, where the drink menu determined to taste each Institute of America in New requires a table of contents for wine and ensure its quality. York and, at the suggestion of its 189 pages. “I refuse to give a bad wine to her teacher, began the intense Beyond bottles, of course, anyone,” she says. But being a certification process toward there was also a much larger sommelier, de Pano explains, becoming a master sommelier. wine community there “is not just about wine. It’s “Those who pass the test are (including fourteen master foremost about service. How instantly recognized among the sommeliers to North Carolina’s do my guests feel?” best in the business,” Bianca one: Fred Dexheimer at Put another way, she Bosker once mused in The New Raleigh’s Standard Foods). The believes it’s about “taking care Yorker, adding that it’s “the smaller wine community in of other human beings.” wine-world version of being North Carolina is partially the knighted, or made in the mob.” result of alcohol laws that limit De Pano, who holds the access to many goods. But this second-highest rank as an is also, as de Pano puts it, due to PAULA DE PANO PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER advanced sommelier, is less “perspective and priority.” grandiose about her status. “Some people will spend

36 www.indyweek.com wine 37 HOUSE AD

1/4 H

38 www.indyweek.com The Need for Mead Honey wines rooted in North Carolina pay homage to local harvests By Corbie Hill

STARRLIGHT Old habits die hard, and mead is one of the oldest. MEAD BOTTLES There’s no clear consensus on where this most ancient of fermented ON A BOTTLE TREE AT THE STORE beverages originated. The Chinese and Egyptians both drank it IN PITTSBORO thousands of years ago. Becky Starr of Starrlight Mead in Pittsboro guesses that the first fermentation was probably an accident. Honey is 80 PHOTO BY percent sugar, she explains, and will keep and keep unless it’s diluted. ALEX BOERNER

wine 39 “If you had honey in a jar and then you filled and wine. It’s getting people to try mead.” the jar with water, the honey and the water So she explains what mead isn’t: it’s not would mix and then yeast from the air would sweet, syrupy, and thick. And she explains get in there and create alcohol,” she explains, what mead is: in its purest form, it’s just honey, sitting in the meadery on a quiet Wednesday water, yeast, and time. Yet in those basic afternoon. “The first one was probably one elements is a world of variation. Starrlight’s percent alcohol, but if you’ve never had it off-dry traditional mead, for instance, is before, that could be something special.” comparable to a white dinner wine, while its Paleolithic humans probably stumbled upon semisweet traditional variety retains honey’s mead often during the four million years of flavor but not its viscosity. The traditional that era, says Patrick McGovern, a renowned sourwood mead is semisweet as well, but its expert on ancient beverages. But there are no complex character is evocative of butterscotch. containers from that period to test, so there’s The only difference is that it’s made with sourwood honey, while the other two are made with wildflower. “Honey from each place is going to taste different because of the plants that are growing there,” Starr says. Starrlight uses North Carolina honey, bought directly from beekeepers, and honey from every part of the state has a unique flavor. Bees only travel a few miles from their hives, after all, so their honey is the taste of the immediate region. Varietal honeys have even more distinctive flavors. There’s sourwood, which comes from the North Carolina mountains, MELODY FREEMAN no direct evidence. As scientific director of POURS A SAMPLE and cotton honey. In the Biomolecular Archaeology Project for OF STARRLIGHT Florida, there’s orange Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health MEAD FOR OAUL blossom honey, which at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in TEICHER AND tastes of citrus. EMILY WATHEN. Philadelphia and author of Uncorking the Past “We have another PHOTO BY and this year’s Ancient Brews Rediscovered and ALEX BOERNER honey we made a varietal Re-created, however, he does know where the mead from out of the earliest evidence surfaced. Pacific Northwest called “The first chemically attested mead is part of meadowfoam, and it tastes like toasted the extreme beverage from the Neolithic site of marshmallows,” Starr says. “It was the coolest Jiahu in China, circa 7000 B.C. at the earliest,” thing ever. It sold out really quickly.” McGovern says. Diane Currier worked with Starrlight for a Despite its age, mead doesn’t have the summer before opening her own meadery, footprint of beer and wine—not by miles. Honeygirl, in Durham. , she says, Starrlight opened six years ago, and, in that “reflect time and place” based on the fruit time, Starr has seen the number of domestic and honey harvests distilled in each bottle. meaderies grow from 60 to more than 250. When one season’s just-picked strawberries In North Carolina, Starrlight was the second. are fermented with local wildflower honey, for Today, there are five in the state, with a sixth example, an extra level of terroir is preserved. opening soon. Starrlight is growing as well: “It’s the way I can carry forward that feeling Starr and husband Ben plan to expand to a of drinking the field,” Currier says. “That’s new, larger location in mid-2017. The new the juicy part for me about making mead.” Starrlight will be a neighbor of Fair Game The people who craft this ancient beverage Beverage Company at the Plant in Pittsboro. believe in it and enjoy making it—and its Two buildings are planned, one of which is a moment could finally be coming. mead hall with a wraparound porch, fireplace, and big wooden beams supporting the ceiling. Starr is excited: Team Mead is doing well. Starrlight Mead 480 Hillsboro Street, “There’s a lot of camaraderie in the mead #1000, Pittsboro, starrlightmead.com industry, because we know our competition is Honeygirl Meadery 105 Hood Street, not other meaderies,” Starr explains. “It’s beer #6, Durham, honeygirlmeadery.com

40 www.indyweek.com Shop Local

wine 41 FAIR GAME BEVERAGE COMPANY SCUPPERNONG TIPPER (PITTSBORO, HAW RIVER VALLEY AVA) Much of the muscadine wine in North Carolina is terrifying, a likely cause of cavities and hangovers. Thankfully, Fair Game exists. The Scuppernong Tipper is a brandy- infused muscadine wine that should be the state’s official dessert beverage. Its deep gold color and distinct muscadine aroma are unmistakably traditional, but the flavors of caramel and orange peel that stand out with each sip put it in line with fine Madeira. Fair Game suggests using its Scuppernong Tipper in spritzers and gin cocktails, but a small glass after dinner is perfect. It’s found widely in the Triangle.

FAIR GAME’S SCUPPERNONG PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

42 www.indyweek.com IT’S NORTH CAROLINA WINES (THE GOOD ONES, ANYWAY) NOT ALL ARE GROWING UP By Matthew Poindexter SCUPPER- Why drink wine from North Carolina when it’s easier today to find interesting and affordable bottles from more established wine NONG regions around the world? North Carolina wine is growing up, with new producers turning less-heralded grape varieties into fascinating AROUND products. Some local restaurants, like Angus Barn, carry a wide range of Tar Heel wines, but your best option for jumping into the most interesting growers is at independent wine and beer shops in the area. HERE Here’s your five-course wine tasting, North Carolina-style.

SANCTUARY VINEYARDS GROVE WINERY PEARL NEBBIOLO (JARVISBURG) (GIBSONVILLE, HAW RIVER VALLEY AVA) When Tommy and Jerry Wright— From the Piedmont to the Piedmont: the new Wright Brothers on the Nebbiolo is an Italian grape that makes Outer Banks—decided to make stunning, expensive red wines in Italy’s wine in the sand dunes between the hilly Piedmont region. But while other Albemarle and Currituck sounds, European reds have struggled under they looked east to Spain, where our Piedmont’s heat and humidity, coastal vineyards have produced this one shines on Grove’s Guilford crisp, unique whites from Albariño County estate. The 2013 vintage grapes for centuries. Turns out, it carries classic Nebbiolo trademarks: a works in Currituck, too. Sanctuary’s light body and rose perfume give way Pearl is 100 percent Albariño, packed to cherry and licorice flavors. If you with lemon and melon notes. North want to prove to someone that North Carolina’s climate often zaps white Carolina wine isn’t all oversugared grapes of all their zest and minerality, Welch’s, pour this. Plus, it’s easily half but with Pearl, Sanctuary has figured the price of its Italian counterparts. out how to do it right. Find the 2014 Find it at Wine Authorities (2501 vintage at Southern Season (201 University Drive, Durham; 211 East South Estes Drive, Chapel Hill). Franklin Street, Raleigh).

JONES VON DREHLE FLINT HILL VINEYARDS PETIT MANSENG CHAMBOURCIN (THURMOND, YADKIN VALLEY AVA) (EAST BEND, YADKIN VALLEY AVA) The future of good wine in North Flint Hill’s story is what North Carolina Carolina may be in the shadow of the wants its wineries to be: a hundred- Blue Ridge Mountains, where cooler year-old family farm in a region temperatures and steeper slopes let searching for something to replace the grapes like this lesser-known white tobacco industry finds new life in wine. from southwest France flourish. This Flint Hill undoubtedly sells more wine is heavy, with a 14 percent ABV chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, and peach, pineapple, and mango but its most interesting wine is 100 flavors that are balanced by a tart percent Chambourcin, a hybrid red finish. Don’t turn your nose up at the variety born from a cross between screwtop in place of the traditional French and American grapes. cork. Great wine comes in all shapes Traditionalists often denigrate it, but and sizes now, and Jones von you shouldn’t, because it makes Drehle’s Petit Manseng would be complex, spicy reds on the eastern worth drinking even if it came in an seaboard where French grapes unlabeled canning jar. Find the 2014 struggle. Flint Hill’s Chambourcin is vintage at Southern Season. dark red, with blackberry and clove dominating the palate. If you can’t find Flint Hill’s, try another Chambourcin, one of the most consistently reliable vines in the state.

wine 43 LEA WOODARD’S BREWING SETUP ON THE PATIO IN BACK OF HER HOME IN DURHAM PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER RIGHT THE TAP AT TROPHY BREWING IN RALEIGH PHOTO BY JUSTIN COOK

44 www.indyweek.com beer GOLDEN GRAINS BOASTING CAMARADERIE AND COMMUNITY, our breweries are at the heart of Triangle-area drinking. Iza Wojciechowska dives into the world of home brewing (p. 58) with pro tips to get you started. Curt Fields reminds us to load up on carbs at the top places in the Triangle to score a solid meal over brews (p. 53). Corbie Hill writes about how the creative ethos behind the craft beer movement has inspired new local (p. 51). And, of course, we’ve got a beer guide of the entire Triangle to get you through it all (p.46).

beer 45 IT’S WASN’T ALL THAT LONG AGO—just a dozen or so years, before the Pop the Cap movement HILLSBOROUGH led to the repeal of a restriction on the potency of beer—that North Carolina was something of a beer desert. Sure, you could find a sixer of Budweiser in your local grocery store cooler, but the craft IPAs and high- orange county octane stouts that are today ubiquitous were, by and large, nowhere to be found. And yet, BEER look at us now. Local CHAPEL HILL beer is an industry; CARRBORO more than that, it’s an SAXAPAHAW obsession. From Trophy & in Raleigh to Ponysau- CHAPEL HILL CARRBORO rus in Durham, from Mystery in Hillsborough SAXAPAHAW THERE to Haw River in Saxapa- chatham county haw, the Triangle and its surrounding environs have dozens of brewer- ies that stack up to the best in the country. Here’s where you can find them.—Jeffrey C. Billman PITTSBORO

Bull Durham Beer Co. Durty Bull Brewing Triangle Breweries 409 Blackwell Street, Durham 206 Broadway Street, #104, bulldurhambeer.com Durham NC Aviator Brewing Company durtybull.com 209 Technology Park Lane, Carolina Brewery Fuquay-Varina 460 West Franklin Street, Fainting Goat Brewing aviatorbrew.com Chapel Hill 330 South Main Street, 120 Lowes Drive, #100, Pittsboro Fuquay-Varina Bear Creek Brews carolinabrewery.com facebook.com/FaintingGoatBeer 10538 Highway 902, Bear Creek bearcreekbrews.com Carolina Brewing Company Fortnight Brewing Company 140 Thomas Mill Road, Holly Springs 1006 Southwest Maynard Road, Big Boss Brewing Company carolinabrew.com Cary 1249-A Wicker Drive, Raleigh fortnightbrewing.com bigbossbrewing.com Clouds Brewing 126 North West Street, Raleigh Gizmo Brew Works Bombshell Beer Company cloudsbrewing.com 5907 Triangle Drive, Raleigh 120 Quantum Street, Holly Springs gizmobrewworks.com bombshellbeer.com Compass Rose Brewery 3201 Northside Drive, #101, Raleigh Haw River Farmhouse Ales Bond Brothers Beer Company compassrosebrewery.com 1713 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem 202 East Cedar Street, Cary Church Road, Saxapahaw bondbrothersbeer.com Crank Arm Brewing hawriverales.com 319 West Davie Street, Raleigh Boojum Brewery crankarmbrewing.com Jordan Lake Brewing company 357 Dayton Drive, Waynesville 320 East Durham Road, Cary boojumbrewing.com Deep River Brewing Company jordanlakebrewing.com 700 West Main Street, Clayton Brüeprint Brewing Company deepriverbrewing.com Lincoln Brewing Company 1229 Road, Apex 2912 North Main Street, #100, brueprint.com Draft Line Brewing Fuquay-Varina 341 Broad Street, #151, lincolnbrewery.com Bull City Burger and Brewery Fuquay-Varina 107 East Parrish Street, Durham draftlinebrewing.com bullcityburgerandbrewery.com

46 www.indyweek.com durham county

DURHAM wake county

WAKE FOREST

ROLESVILLE NORTH RALEIGH

MORRISVILLE WENDELL INSIDE KNIGHTDALE CARY THE BELTLINE

APEX

GARNER HOLLY SPRINGS FUQUAY VARINA

Lonerider Brewing Co. Regulator Brewing Company Trophy Brewing and Pizza 8816 Gulf Court, #100, Raleigh Beers available at some bars 827 West Morgan Street, Raleigh loneriderbeer.com and restaurants along Churton www.trophybrewing.com Street in Hillsborough Lynnwood Brewing Concern regulatorbrewing.com White Street Brewing Company 1053 East Whitaker Mill Road, 218 South White Street, Raleigh Southern Peak Brewery Wake Forest lynnwoodgrill.com/ 950 Windy Drive, #104, Apex whitestreetbrewing.com lynnwood-brewing-concern southernpeakbrewery.com YesterYears Brewery & Taproom Lynnwood Grill & Brewing Starpoint Brewing 300 East Main Street, Concern 2501 University Drive, Durham Suite C, Carrboro 4821 Grove Barton Road, Raleigh starpointbrewing.com yesteryearsbrewery.com lynnwoodgrill.com Steel String Brewery Mystery Brewing Company 106A South Greensboro Street, 437 Dimmocks Mill Road, #41, Carrboro Growler Stations Hillsborough steelstringbrewery.com mysterybrewing.com Beer Durham Sub Noir Brewing Company 404 Hunt Street, #110, Durham Neuse River Brewing Company 2039 Progress Court, Raleigh beerdurham.com 518 Pershing Road, Raleigh subnoir.net neuseriverbrewing.com Beer Study Shop & Drink Top of the Hill 106 North Graham Street, Nickelpoint Brewing Co. Restaurant & Brewery Chapel Hill 506 Pershing Road, Raleigh 100 East Franklin Street, beerstudy.com nickelpointbrewing.com Third Floor, Chapel Hill thetopofthehill.com Big Mike’s BBQ Ponysaurus Brewing 1222 Northwest Maynard Road, 219 Hood Street, Durham Trophy Brewing and Taproom Cary ponysaurusbrewing.com 656 Maywood Avenue, Raleigh apexbbq.com trophybrewing.com Raleigh Brewing Company The Glass Jug 3709 Neil Street, Raleigh 5410 N.C. Highway 55, Durham raleighbrewingcompany.com glass-jug.com

beer 47 Growler Grlz Bottle Revolution Paddy O’Beers Bottle Shop 4810 Hope Valley Road, #110, 4025 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh and Tasting Room Durham 7713 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh 121 Fayetteville Street, #114, Raleigh growlergrlz.com 10970 Chapel Hill Road, #116, paddyobeers.com Morrisville High Craft Beer Market bottlerevolution.com Peace Street Market 2716 N.C. Highway 55, Cary 804 West Peace Street, Raleigh highcraftbeer.com BottleMixx facebook.com/peacestmarket 8111 Creedmoor Road, #153, Raleigh House of Hops bottlemixx.com Pharmacy Bottle + Beverage 6909 Glenwood Avenue, #100, 120 East Chatham Street, Cary Raleigh Carrboro Beverage Company pharmacybottlebeverage.com houseofhopsnc.com 102A East Main Street, Carrboro carrborobeverage.com Ramblers Beer Store Real McCoy’s 115 Fuller Street, Durham 3325 Rogers Road, Wake Forest College Beverage facebook.com/ramblersnc realmccoysnc.com 3006 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh collegebeverage.com Red Line Beer & Wine TapLine Growler 10 Horne Street, Raleigh 1110 Kentworth Drive, Holly Springs Crafty Beer Shop redlinebeerwine.com facebook.com/taplinegrowler 2003 Fairview Road, Raleigh 8450 Honeycutt Road, Raleigh Ridgewood Wine & Beer Co. The Twisted Fork Restaurant craftybeershop.com 1214 Ridge Road, Raleigh 3751 Sumner Boulevard, #170, ridgewoodwineandbeer.com Raleigh Drink Drank Drunk thetwistedfork.com 905 West Morgan Street, Raleigh Sam’s Bottle Shop drinkdrankdrunk.rocks 1112 N.C. Highway 54, Durham samsbottleshop.com D’s Bottle Shop & BOTTLE SHOPS Craft Beer College Sam’s Quik Shop 13200 Falls of Neuse Road, #115, 1605 Erwin Road, Durham 42 Craft Beverage Raleigh samsquikshop.com craftbeercollege.com 5533 N.C. Highway 42 West, Stag’s Head Raleigh Unit A-10, Garner The Glass Jug facebook.com/42craftbeverage 106 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh 5410 N.C. Highway 55, Durham facebook.com/StagsHeadRaleigh 580 Craft Beer glass-jug.com State of Beer Bottle Shop 354 East Street, Pittsboro Great Grapes 580craftbeer.com 401A Hillsborough Street, Raleigh 1237 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary stateof.beer American Brewmaster greatgrapesnc.com/index.htm Tasty Beverage Company 1008 Southwest Maynard Road, Cary The Green Monkey 3021 Stonybrook Drive, Raleigh 327 West Davie Street, Raleigh 1217 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh americanbrewmaster.com tastybeverageco.com peacelovemonkey.com Taylor’s Wine Shop Aviator Brewing Bottle Shop HighCraft Beer Market 601 East Broad Street, Fuquay- 10005 Six Forks Road, Raleigh 2716 N.C. Highway 55, Cary Varina taylorswineshop.com highcraftbeer.com aviatorbrew.com/beershop Total Wine & More Beer Dispensary of Apex The Hop Yard NC 333 Crossroads Boulevard, Cary 1141 Falls River Avenue, #122, Raleigh 112 North Salem Street, Apex 8381 Brier Creek Parkway, Raleigh thehopyardnc.com thebeerdispensary.com 4421 Six Forks Road, #111, Raleigh 3615 Witherspoon Boulevard, Beer Durham Hope Valley Bottle Shop Patterson Place, Durham 4711 Hope Valley Road, Durham 575 New Waverly Place, #103-B, 404 Hunt Street, #110, Durham hvbottleshop.com Cary beerdurham.com totalwine.com Beer Study House of Hops 6909 Glenwood Avenue, #100, Triangle Wine Company 106 North Graham Street, Chapel Hill Raleigh & Beer Store beerstudy.com houseofhopsnc.com 3735 Davis Drive, Morrisville trianglewineco.com The Beerded Lady Bottle Shop Lincoln Bottle Shop & Taproom 1350 Fifth Avenue, #170, Garner 7451 Six Forks Road, Raleigh Weaver Street Market thebeerdedlady.com lincolnbrewery.com 228 South Churton Street, Hillsborough Big Mike’s Brew N Que Neighborhood Bottle Shop 1222 Northwest Maynard Road, Cary 716 Market Street, Chapel Hill 1341 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary apexbbq.com 101 East Weaver Street, Carrboro neighborhoodbottleshop.com weaverstreetmarket.coop Bottle 501 North Street Beer Station 3219 Watkins Road, #200, Durham Whole Foods 521 West North Street, Raleigh bottle501.com 102 New Waverly Place, Cary northstreetbeer.com 8710 Six Forks Road, Raleigh 3540 Wade Avenue, Raleigh Oak & Dagger’s Research Library wholefoodsmarket.com 18 Seaboard Avenue, #150, Raleigh oakanddagger.beer

48 www.indyweek.com Eat Pasture-Raised Beef

Drink Freshly Brewed Beer BullCityBurgerandBrewery.com 919.680.2333 zy 107 E. Parrish St., Durham Authentic Neapolitan-Style Pizza Estate-Bottled

Durham’s Classic Southern Italian Wines BURGER zy RESTAURANT Oldestand BREWPUB TRUE-TO-STYLE CRAFT BEER from our On-Site Brewery pompieripizza.com 102 City Hall Plaza Durham, NC 919.973.1589

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BikerBarNC.com Wine 101 5910 Duraleigh Road, #141, Raleigh 3325-104 Rogers Road, Wake Forest wine101nc.com

The Wine Merchant 4240 Northwest Cary Parkway, Cary winemerchantraleigh.com home brew supplies American Brewmaster 1008 Southwest Maynard Road, Cary 3021-5 Stony Brook Drive, Raleigh americanbrewmaster.com Atlantic Brew Supply 3709 Neil Street, Raleigh, atlanticbrewsupply.com Bull City Homebrew 1906 NC 54, #200-B, Durham, bullcityhomebrew.com Fifth Season 106 South Greensboro Street, Carrboro 5619 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh fifthseasongardening.com Homecrafted 211 Premier Drive, Holly Springs, homecraftednc.com Homesteaders Brew Supply 21 Raleigh Street, Fuquay-Varina homesteadersbrewsupply.com

 50 www.indyweek.com

BULL CITY CIDERWORKS Rules OFF MAIN CIDER PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

Cidermakers seek to harness movement but transfer that energy to hard cider. Cider is gluten-free, for one, and has properties the energy of the craft- that appeal to drinkers of both wine and beer. It’s beer movement By Corbie Hill made of fruit—apples, yeah, but cherries and other fruits as well. And you can create unexpected flavor efore the craft beer movement, there was profiles by adding brewery mainstays like hops. an attitude that “beer is beer,” a tautology Jolly Ranchers don’t even factor into the equation. expressing the watery similarity of the “Cider really is kind of a bridge between wine B mass-produced domestic brews dominating and beer,” Bogard says. “You don’t have the high the market. Craft brewing has effectively alcohol wooziness you can get from wine. It’s kind pulled beer from this gutter, as evidenced by the of like session wine in a way.” explosion of its industry. Hard cider still suffers, Cider is not made the way beer is, for sure, though: “Cider is cider,” the thought goes. It all so the entire process can be an exploration of tastes like apples. Or rather, it tastes like apple Jolly the differences between it, wine, and beer. The Ranchers. fermentation vessels, for instance, are more like Ryan Bogard started out with that exact miscon- those used in —except, that is, for the ception; he didn’t initially have any interest in hard open-top fermenter, which allows cidermakers cider. He’d tried the mass-market version and found to drop whole fruit through the top, where it is its sweetness off-putting. But then Bantam Cider macerated by special strains of yeast. Works opened in Somerville, . Bog- “We have some ciders we put hops in, your ard was living in Boston at the time, so he checked it Smooth Hoperator, most notably,” Bogard says. out. He was immediately hooked. “It’s like an American IPA, but without all the “It was more wine-like, more nuanced,” Bogard bitterness.” That cider contains Cascade, Citra, says. “It was incredible.” and Galaxy hops, while Ciderworks Off Main is a This cider privileged taste over sweetness and semidry cider. These are adult flavor profiles, and was flavored with honey and herbs rather than quite unlike anything found on the candy aisle. bags and bags of white sugar. A light bulb went off With the new location, Bogard is excited to get in Bogard’s head: there’s so much potential here, back to experimenting. Business was going so well he realized, and he wanted in. Today, Bogard is at the old spot, he says, that there was no time to the owner and executive cidermaker of Bull City create. Now, with a separate production facility in Ciderworks, which returned to Durham in early Lexington, North Carolina, the Bull City location 2017 after closing in April 2016 to make way for a can be a cider laboratory of sorts. police station. “That’s really what Durham’s going to Like Bantam before him, Bogard wanted be,” Bogard says. “It’s going to be our R&D to draw from the momentum of the craft beer Exploratorium, where we create new ciders.”

Bull City Ciderworks Cider Exploratorium, 305 South Roxboro Street, Durham; Cidery, 599 South Railroad Street, Lexington; bullcityciderworks.com

beer 51 IF YOU’RE OUT FOR SERIOUS DRINK, food is often an irrelevant consideration. All that matters is the bartender’s talent and the beverage options on the shelf, right? Not always. There are times when you find yourself starving in midtipple and end up inhaling a greasy burger, flaccid fries, and a lingering feeling of regret. It doesn’t have to be that way. The Triangle has quite a few places where the food menu more than holds its own against the drinks lineup. (And we’re not just talking about the often-elusive fleet of food trucks outside local breweries.) Here are five choice spots to drink where there’s always a quality meal if hunger strikes.

THE EDDY PUB 1715 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Road, Saxapahaw, theeddypub.com While drinking from The Eddy’s selection of North Carolina beers on tap, satisfy your palate with Southern comfort food comprising ingredients from local farms. The menu items change frequently to keep pace with what’s available. Recent dishes to look for include grilled North Carolina catfish tacos with a salsa constructed of locally grown peppers, the grilled Firsthand Foods pork chop, and the cheese and charcuterie board that boasts local cheeses from such producers as Holly Grove and Piemonte Farms and charcuterie from Left Bank Butchery (right next door).

CENTER BELTLINE SLIDERS AT TASTE IN RALEIGH LEFT THE EDDY PUB IN SAXAPAHAW RIGHT THE EDDY PUB’S PORK CHOPS, BRATWURST, AND FRANKFURTERS, MADE WITH PORK FROM CANE CREEK PHOTOS BY ALEX BOERNER

52 www.indyweek.com Pub Grub Where to find the best bar food in the Triangle

By Curt Fields

beer 53 THE PLAYERS’ RETREAT 105 Oberlin Road, Raleigh, playersretreat.net Yeah, it’s a sports bar, but Raleigh institution Players’ Retreat is worth visiting even if you’re clueless about jump shots and post patterns. The PR, as regulars call it, boasts the largest selection of single-malt scotches in North Carolina. If liquor isn’t your libation of choice, well, the PR has won the Wine Spectator award of excellence every year since 2010, thanks to a selection of more than seventy-five wines by the glass. The food is a consistent winner, too. Burgers ground on site draw top marks. ABOVE PLAYER’S RETREAT, RALEIGH PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER On the weekends, executive chef Beth RIGHT JOHN SHUCK, OWNER OF CAROLINA BREWING, ENJOYING A PALE ALE AND A BURGER AT LittleJohn expands the offerings, and PLAYERS’ RETREAT IN RALEIGH PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON you may find dishes such as fresh BELOW TROPHY BREWING IN RALEIGH SERVES mahi mahi. The PR has a better-than- MADE-TO-ORDER PIZZA. PHOTO BY JEREMY M. LANGE expected touch with salads, too.

TROPHY BREWING & PIZZA 827 West Morgan Street, Raleigh, trophybrewing.com Go for the beer. Stay for the pizza. Whether you’re drinking a Sweet Stout of Mine, a Teacher’s Pet IPA, or one of Trophy’s other fine brews, there’s an incredibly satisfying pie to go with it. Try the Local Celebrity, with its roasted parsnip ricotta, fontina, grape tomatoes, Heritage Farms house-cured pancetta, and arugula. For the brave of stomach, The Daredevil dazzles with ghost chili pepper salami, jalapeños, and Sriracha. (If you’re hungry for pizza, make sure you go to the Trophy on Morgan Street and not the one on Maywood. The latter location just has a taproom and a rotating schedule of food trucks.)

54 www.indyweek.con MONDAY–FRIDAY 4PM–2AM • SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 2PM–2AM 805 N PERSON ST RALEIGH • 919-977-5953

beer 55 CRABTREE BEER GARDEN 4325 Glenwood Avenue (Crabtree Valley Mall), Raleigh, crabtree-valley-mall.com/crabtree-beer-garden This beer garden and bottle shop is only a few months old and is still gaining its footing, but it has already nailed it on beer selection, with forty-plus well-chosen local and national brews on tap. The kitchen launched with a menu similar to its partner location in Brier Creek and maintains an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. Crabtree has a larger kitchen, though, which gives it more menu flexibility. Check out the white bean, sausage, and kale soup or one of the many flatbreads available, like the Loaded German with kielbasa, bacon, ham, sauerkraut, Gruyere, and spicy Dijon cream.

56 www.indyweek.com THE WOODEN NICKEL PUB 205 North Churton Street, Hillsborough, thewnp.com

This hole-in-the-wall is a fine destination for craft beers on tap. The food menu may fool you at first. It seems to be an assortment of typical bar food—burgers, wings, fried pickles. Try it, though, and experience the excellence of execution. Ingredients make a difference, such as the lamb shanks from Back Creek Farm in Mount Ulla recently used in a batch of tacos or sweet potatoes from Lil’ Farm in Timberlake. Going beyond the standard with such choices as edamame tossed in Old Bay or a lamb burger with feta cheese and red peppers also helps. Ask about the fresh catch of the day, which comes from Durham-based Simply Fresh, specializing in selling seafood caught by North Carolina fishermen.

WOODEN NICKEL IN HILLSBOROUGH PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON

42 TAPS OF CRAFT BEER • GROWLER FILLING • PINTS & FLIGHTS • PATIO SEATING NOW WITH TWO LOCATIONS: • DOG FRIENDLY SERVING DURHAM & ROCKY MOUNT • WIFI 115 FULLER ST, DURHAM 4810 HOPE VALLEY RD IN THE WEST VILLAGE PARKING DECK DURHAM • 919-973-2755 WWW.GROWLERGRLZ.COM @RAMBLERSNC [email protected]

beer 57 HoptoIt

Make beer at home with the help of local brew clubs By Iza Wojciechowska

58 www.indyweek.com n a Saturday morning, eighteen people file into Bull City oHomebrew’s “Brew School” and are welcomed with a strong ten o’clock IPA. “You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning!” announces Scott Michaels, Bull City Homebrew’s co-owner and one of the session’s instructors. Another mantra repeated throughout the morning: “Relax, don’t PHOTOS BY ALEX BOERNER BY PHOTOS worry, have a home brew.” The class’s students—largely couples in their twenties and thirties—aren’t here just to day-drink, though. They’re here to learn how to make their own beer, joining a community that has turned home brewing into a popular hobby in the Triangle. Bull City Homebrew is one of six shops in the area that sells equipment and ingredients, and all of them are thriving. (The others are American Brewmaster in Cary, Atlantic Brew Supply in Raleigh, Fifth Season in Carrboro, Homecrafted in Holly Springs, and Homesteaders Brew Supply in Fuquay-Varina.) Home brewing sits at the intersection of the craft beer movement and the DIY trend. What it boils down to (quite literally) is combining water, grains, malt, and hops, heating the mixture, adding yeast, and letting it cool and ferment in a closet for a few weeks. Afterward, the beer is bottled and allowed to carbonate, and then it’s ready to drink. “That feeling the first time you pop the bottle, and it goespssh and you hear that carbonation, and it works—it’s just amazing,” says Kyle Hefley, Bull City Homebrew’s manager, who started home brewing sixteen years ago. Several home-brewing clubs have cropped up in the Triangle over the last few years and meet about once a month. Members discuss new techniques

LEA WOODARD BREWS HER OWN BEER AT HER HOME IN DURHAM. BEER AT HER OWN BREWS LEA WOODARD or styles, swap advice, and sample one another’s beer. (It should be noted that selling home-brewed beer is illegal.) Some home brewers 7KDWIHHOLQJWKHଘUVWWLPH\RXی :TOP LEFT TOP end up opening breweries Ponysaurus, Durty Bull, Bond SRSWKHERWWOHDQGLWJRHVpssh Brothers, and many others in the Triangle were all started DQG\RXKHDUWKDWFDUERQDWLRQ ۍVMXVWDPD]LQJۉLWۅby home brewers. DQGLWZRUNV However, most people just do it on the side, occasionally entering competitions or participating in local festivals such as Brew Durham or Homebrew for Hunger. Simply having a few beers on tap in their own garage to share with friends is satisfying all on its own. “There’s nothing more fun than pouring your beer for people and seeing their reaction,” says Mark Klinger, a professor at the UNC School of Medicine. Klinger has been home brewing for nearly thirty years, starting out while in graduate school, at a time when craft beer was just getting off the ground. Throughout his decades as a home brewer, Klinger has tinkered with about eighty different styles of beer. Since then, he has seen people’s knowledge about brewing skyrocket and the availability of ingredients vastly improve. “I can get the exact same malt, exact same hops, same yeasts that every commercial brewery is using,” he says. “That’s one of those things that makes home brewing great.” Novices usually start with a technique called extract brewing and a kit that provides the necessary ingredients and a detailed recipe. Extract brewing simplifies part of the process by providingsugars in the form of malt extract, either as a powder or liquid. All-grain brewers, on the other hand, extract their own malt from grain by mashing it. Home brewers tend to make five- or en-gallont batches at a time, with five gallons yielding about fifty bottles of beer.

VINCENT AND SHEBA BROWN AT A HOME-BREWING CLASS AT BULL CITY HOMEBREW IN DURHAM. AT A HOME-BREWING CLASS AT BROWN VINCENT AND SHEBA “It’s definitely like having a roommate,” says brewer Lea Woodard. A spare room in her house is full of carboys, or fermentation jugs. She makes LEFT

beer 59 about five batches simultaneously out of a shed in her backyard. Woodard started home brewing because it aligned with many of her interests: she’d studied biology and chemistry in college and enjoyed the science involved in cooking, fermenting, and pickling. “I make everything from IPAs to sours, and I do a lot of mixed fermentation,” she says. “It makes me feel like I’m using my degree.” In addition to geeking out about the science of home brewing, another part of the hobby’s appeal is experimenting with beer styles and flavors that depart from what’s commercially available. Renee Dubois has been brewing for about five years with her husband, Jesse. She made her first two batches—a lychee wheat and a Kona coffee porter—after returning from a trip to Hawaii, where she was inspired by local flavors. Dubois also brews cider, which she says offers more opportunities to explore flavors and blends than beer does. PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER BY PHOTO “I’ve played around VGHଘQLWHO\OLNHۉW,ی with wild yeasts, blends ۍsuch as pomegranate- KDYLQJDURRPPDWH apple and grapefruit- apple, and also dry-hopping to give that added depth,” she says. Her favorite cider she’s made included frozen lemonade concentrate. For many home brewers, the community aspect of cultivating their hobby is also a major draw. Two of the major home-brew clubs in the area are the TRUB Club in Durham and Nash Street Homebrew Club, which meets monthly at Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough. They both bring people with disparate careers and experiences together to talk about the thing they all love: beer. “It’s not so surprising anymore to learn that somebody brews, but it’s nice to suddenly have that bond,” says Keith Klemp, a research analyst at the Duke University Medical Center. “It’s a lot of fun, and the end product, of

BULL CITY HOMEBREW CO-OWNER SCOTT MICHAELS RUNS THROUGH A SIPHONING MICHAELS RUNS THROUGH SCOTT BULL CITY HOMEBREW CO-OWNER DURING A HOME-BREWING CLASS. DEMONSTRATION course, is the great reward.”

60 www.indyweek.com make the rounds THE MOST INTERESTING PLACES TO DRINK IN THE TRIANGLE

THE SEARCH FOR THE DELICIOUS, A DRINK AT ALLEY TWENTY SIX, IS MADE WITH CYNAR, PUNT E MES, LEMON JUICE, ORANGE BITTERS, AND A PINCH OF MORTON’S KOSHER SALT. PHOTO BY ALEX BOERNER

listings 61 CURATING A COMPLETE LIST OF WHERE TO INDULGE IN BACCHANAL IS CLOSE TO IMPOSSIBLE.. FOX LIQUOR BAR NICHE WINE LOUNGE 237 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET, RALEIGH 109 MAIN STREET, HOLLY SPRINGS Instead, we’ve compiled AC-RESTAURANTS.COM/FOX NICHEWINELOUNGE.COM one with our favorite Fittingly branded as a “drinking den,” This elegant Mediterranean-themed local watering holes, this basement bar by star chef Ashley vino emporium has a down-home feel from the fanciful to the Christensen begs your attention. and welcoming vibe. Niche’s vast wine- Classics like the Hemingway Daiquiri by-the-glass off erings are unmatched more modest. They off er and new cocktail strongholds like the anywhere in the state, the staff is amazing libations, of potent Penicillin round out a sleek menu knowledgeable and friendly, and the course, with a few pleasant shaken up by expert bartenders. venue often features live music.

surprises—from gourmet GALLO PELÓN MEZCALERIA THE OAK menus and hard-to-fi nd 106 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET, RALEIGH 4035 LAKE BOONE TRAIL, RALEIGH liquors to campy games and GALLOPELON.COM JMRKITCHENS.COM/OAK nostalgic snacks. —Victoria The Triangle’s fi rst mezcaleria upholds Heaven on earth for bourbon lovers. The Bouloubasis and David Klein its commitment to stocking more Oak stocks more than sixty varieties of mezcal than you can imagine, while the favorite Southern spirit, including maintaining an approach that’s inclusive in-house-aged varieties where you can toward libations and spirits of all “adopt” a barrel and be a part of the sorts. If you want to explore some of process. The adjacent restaurant gives WAKE the most beautiful, handcrafted, and bourbon-focused dinners an extra COUNTY cooperatively owned mezcal coming out seasonal fl air. of Mexico at the moment, you’ll fi nd it PERSON STREET BAR BITTERSWEET here fi rst (and, unfortunately, not at the ABC store). 805 NORTH PERSON STREET, RALEIGH 16 EAST MARTIN STREET, RALEIGH PERSON-STREET.COM BITTERSWEETRALEIGH.COM JOSE AND SONS This handsome, sleekly designed The bitter might refer to the thirty 327 WEST DAVIE STREET, #102 neighborhood bar off ers an array of fi ne varieties of gin Bittersweet stocks JOSEANDSONS.COM, RALEIGH local beers and quality cocktails, along (the most in the area). Cocktails are Aside from splicing Mexican and Southern with well-selected diversions including inspired by classics and coff ee (try the culinary traditions, the restaurant’s bar pinball and a jukebox befi tting a city espresso martini), artfully crafted with dabbles in throwing some fun into the in love with great tunes. There’s also a both standout liquors and seasonal (fresh) margarita mix. At brunch, ask for game room and a large, dog-friendly ingredients. Imbibe the sweet in the elusive Breakfast Margarita, laced with back patio that’s perfect for day drinking. nostalgic riff s on favorite treats (such as a rim of crushed Fruity Pebbles. Or take a the Thin Mint: vodka, mint liqueur, local spin over to the bar later in the night for a PHARMACY BOTTLE + chocolate milk), as well as desserts so grown-up Mexican-inspired cocktail, like BEVERAGE COMPANY beautiful it’s almost a shame to eat them. the Mole! Fashioned with rye bourbon, 120 EAST CHATHAM STREET, CARY (Almost.) That, plus wine and a Bruce tequila, piloncillo syrup, and house-made PHARMACYBOTTLEBEVERAGE.COM Willis-themed mural, will have you mole bitters. Hosting monthly Latin dance This super-hip pub, which features coming back for s’mores. parties, Jose and Sons greets Raleigh with oversize storefront windows, white CARDINAL BAR a hearty “Hola, y’all.” subway tile, and an exposed wood 713 NORTH WEST STREET, RALEIGH ceiling, takes its beer seriously, with LANDMARK sixteen chrome taps of local goodness at FACEBOOK.COM/THECARDINALBAR 117 EAST HARGETT STREET, RALEIGH the ready at all times. It may be trendy, Located in a former taxicab offi ce, the FACEBOOK.COM/LANDMARKRALEIGH but it’s pet-friendly and has plenty of Cardinal doesn’t try to stand out as a Landmark is a friendly neighborhood outdoor seating. hangout for local beer, but somehow spot with a graceful wooden bar and the hot dogs make it special. Braised bartenders who’ll mix you a fi rst-class in local brews and served with simple cocktail, draw you a PBR on tap, and scrumptious toppings, these dogs are the remember your name the next time you perfect complement to a cold quaff and come in. A great place to start off your the ineff able communal essence every night—or fi nish it. good bar has. FOUNDATION 213 FAYETTEVILLE STREET, RALEIGH FOUNDATIONNC.COM This dark subterranean bar with exposed brick walls is known for stocking exclusively Southern-made whiskey and moonshine off erings and for signature drinks like the Basil Smash. The look is austere, but the vibe is warm, and the bartenders will create libations to suit your whims.

62 www.indyweek.com RALEIGH TIMES ORANGE/ THE CRUNKLETON 14 EAST HARGETT STREET, RALEIGH 320 WEST FRANKLIN STREET, CHAPEL HILL RALEIGHTIMESBAR.COM CHATHAM THECRUNKLETON.COM Housed in an old newspaper offi ce, COUNTIES Looking for a civilized establishment to the Raleigh Times no doubt served as contemplate the sublimity of a fi ne old a reporter’s makeshift long THE BAXTER BAR AND ARCADE bourbon or cocktail poured with loving before it became an offi cial bar. With care? The Crunkleton is your place, but Barack Obama’s PBR can encased in 108 NORTH GRAHAM STREET, CARRBORO that doesn’t mean you can’t get a frosty glass at the bar and a renovated upstairs BAXTERARCADE.COM Miller in a can. It’s forthrightly elegant dining room, Raleigh Times has moved Good old-fashioned fun for grown-ups, but never stuff y. through history with ease. Its sidewalk The Baxter is a locally owned arcade tables off er the best views for downtown with dozens of domestic and imported LINDA’S BAR & GRILL people-watching. beers. Of course, the bar’s appeal is 203 EAST FRANKLIN STREET, CHAPEL HILL really its collection of fi fty-fi ve arcade LINDAS-BAR.COM STANBURY games, from classic cabinets like Joust Linda’s is a friendly neighborhood joint 938 NORTH BLOUNT STREET, RALEIGH and Galaga to a glitzy variety of pinball for townies and grad students alike. Pile STANBURYRALEIGH.COM machines. into a wooden booth with some hungry With off erings like crispy pig’s head, BEER STUDY pals and tuck into a plate of sweet potato Stanbury is foodie heaven for serious tots or one of various “drunchies,” gourmands. And with that comes a 106 NORTH GRAHAM STREET, CHAPEL HILL variants on cheese fries that feed a table rough-and-tumble service industry BEERSTUDY.COM nicely. Craft beer is the bar’s focus, with set who sidle up to the bar for warm, This bottle shop teaches us the most a “local wall” of drafts that are one dollar attentive service (on a day off ) and a important lesson about beer: try it all off every Monday and Wednesday. vigorously curated menu of libations. and try it all with friends. Like our local Find all the fun tricks of the trade in each breweries, Beer Study is laid back and MILLTOWN glass, like stirred into bourbon or community-minded. Cozy seating at 307 EAST MAIN STREET, CARRBORO an array of amari. its tiny bar spills out onto a small (dog- DININGANDDRINKING.COM friendly) patio with picnic tables. (Its Pub fare is not the same as a pub feeling, WHISKEY KITCHEN brand-new second location in Durham is and the popular gastropub has them 201 WEST MARTIN STREET, RALEIGH worth a visit, too.) BOWBARR both. In a woody, no-frills atmosphere WHISKEY.KITCHEN with wooden booths and a lowish Imagine an industrial-chic beer garden 705 WEST ROSEMARY STREET, CARRBORO ceiling, the vibe is friendly, the lineup for whiskey lovers, and you’ll get a FACEBOOK.COM/BOWBARR of beers is huge and fi rst-rate (from sense of this seat-yourself spot in Nash Head to Bowbarr if you’re looking for Germany to California), and the kitchen Square. Whiskey-wise, you can’t lose that proverbial mood-lit hole-in-the- serves up a great burger. (try a fl ight), while the kitchen serves up wall that does everything right: the straightforward hearty Southern fare like bartenders look you in the eye and ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL CLUB cracklin’ biscuits, chicken potpie, and the pour a good drink as they keep the 108 EAST MAIN STREET, CARRBORO (unmissable) fried caulifl ower. turntable spinning with records that FACEBOOK.COM/OCSC.CARRBORO suit the moment. Plus, there’s a photo Carrboro’s neighborhood standard WILLIAM & COMPANY booth tailor-made for when you feel like has everything you’d want in a local: 616 NORTH PERSON STREET, RALEIGH posing, several drinks in. great beers on tap, a happening FACEBOOK.COM/WILLCOBAR CITY TAP clientele, and a jukebox that could’ve At the warm and welcoming William been stocked by God herself. But it’s & Company, the art of the cocktail is 89 HILLSBORO STREET, PITTSBORO THECITYTAP.COM the attentive staff and unmistakably on luscious display. Hang out on a cozy welcoming atmosphere that makes it couch and sip a craft cocktail from This is your best bet in Pittsboro for one of the Triangle’s can’t-miss bars. locally sourced spirits and ingredients a lively, good-time joint that caters to that include freshly squeezed citrus regulars and features a good selection of TOP OF THE HILL juices and house-infused mezcal—in local and national beers. Nothing fancy, 100 EAST FRANKLIN STREET, #3, CHAPEL HILL winter, they’ll even supply a blanket. Pro but they make a solid pub lunch with THETOPOFTHEHILL.COM tip: $3 tamales and tacos are often for some veggie options, and there’s regular sale behind the bar (the owners also own drink specials and outdoor seating. Presiding above Franklin Street’s the El Taco Cartel bicycle cart). most charged intersection, this distillery/brewery/eatery is a destination spot. Seasonal beers rotate in and out with stalwarts like Kenan Lager and its own acclaimed TOPO organic spirits. And there’s a (reservable) back bar, too, with cask ales on tap, foosball, TV sports, and darts.

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS listings 63 WEST END WINE BAR ALLEY TWENTY SIX THE BAR DURHAM 601 WEST FRANKLIN STREET, CHAPEL HILL 320 EAST CHAPEL HILL STREET, DURHAM 711 RIGSBEE AVENUE, DURHAM WESTENDWINEBAR.COM ALLEYTWENTYSIX.COM THEBARDURHAM.COM Looking for a place to enjoy a mood-lit From the colorful array of top-shelf You can definitely be yourself at this glass of red for a first date? This subtly bottles to the bartenders wearing white LGBTQ-friendly spot known for a lit spot offers a range of seating and shirts and bow ties and the ice cubes cut welcoming ethos and an eclectic spaces for a conversational, not-too- just so, details matter at Alley Twenty approach that keeps things lively with loud portion of the evening—you know, Six. But serious doesn’t mean snobby. dance parties, karaoke, hookah nights, before all the craziness. (Its sister bar is Also, they make their own tonic, and it drag shows, and lots of drink specials. in Durham.) might be the best you’ve ever tasted. BAR VIRGILE WOODEN NICKEL ATOMIC FERN 105 SOUTH MANGUM STREET, DURHAM 105 NORTH CHURTON STREET, HILLSBOROUGH 108 EAST PARRISH STREET, DURHAM BARVIRGILE.COM THEWNP.COM ATOMICFERN.COM With its warm and capable drink The Nickel is Hillsborough’s unofficial This newly minted Durham social club is slingers, enviable collection of spirits, local. A cramped, lived-in space in all the one of the least pretentious bars in town. and imaginative seasonal cocktails, best ways, with a worn wooden central The average price for a beer hits around this clean, well-lighted place is ideal for rail dividing tables from the bar, the $4; you’ll rarely pay more than $6 for a enjoying a libation, an assortment of Nickel invites the meeting of kindred cocktail or glass of wine. They’ll do it all: delicious house-made bar snacks, and spirits. It proudly serves “good eats and mix a Jack and Coke or a Negroni, spin maybe even some live jazz. swill” that’s a few cuts above basic bar indie vinyl or dirty hip hop. Come as you food. (Think local fried pickles.) are and mingle with a multifarious set of CRITERION regulars until you become one yourself. 347 WEST MAIN STREET, DURHAM DURHAM FACEBOOK.COM/PAGES/ BAR BRUNELLO CRITERION/403692419777753 COUNTY 117 EAST MAIN STREET, DURHAM The richly polished wood bar and BARBRUNELLO.COM vintage booths provide an inviting 106 MAIN This stylish wine bar offers a discerning atmosphere in which to enjoy a 106 EAST MAIN STREET, DURHAM wine list at a range of price points. Take capacious list of beer offerings and 106MAIN.COM in a flight of wines (try the orange ones— an array of whiskey, scotch, and rye really) or nibble on a charcuterie plate or This is your no-frills neighborhood joint, selections from a cushy barstool. a selection of olives. Life is good. like a slightly grungy Cheers, where you THE DURHAM HOTEL can count on an eclectic beer selection, 315 EAST CHAPEL HILL STREET, DURHAM daily drink specials, generous pours, and MUSADINE WINE FROM BEJAMIN THEDURHAM.COM a friendly person behind the bar. Known VINEYARDS AT THE UNWINED as a service-industry hangout, so you WINE SHOP IN MONCURE The Durham delivers the upscale hotel- know the vibe is chill. PHOTO BY D.L. ANDERSON bar experience you’d expect—gorgeous drinks, elegant food, pretty people. But quite unexpected is the view from the rooftop bar, which will dazzle you and offer a moment to savor.

MOTORCO PARTS & LABOR 723 RIGSBEE AVE, SUITE A, DURHAM MOTORCOMUSIC.COM The food arm of the Motorco music venue, Parts & Labor, makes innovative, well-priced eats inspired by global street food. With that comes an array of local beers and a simple, fun cocktail menu that makes for an easy- going booze component to a laid-back brunch. The Bloody Mary (with bacon!) and the riff on the simple (a grapefruit beer mixed with tequila) are must-tries. Outside seating is ideal for people-watching. SURF CLUB 703 RIGSBEE AVENUE, DURHAM FACEBOOK.COM/SURF-CLUB-142940632485331/ Catering to the craft-beer-loving, darts- and pool-playing crowd, Surf Club is ideal for those who like to drink and play simultaneously. It’s a complex of sorts, with various side rooms and am extensive outdoor section with picnic tables and large-scale amusements like bocce and shuffleboard.

64 www.indyweek.com Drinking Problems NO BRUNCH BOOZE BEFORE NOON, NO HAPPY HOUR, AND OTHER NORTH CAROLINA ATROCITIES By Curt Fields

A CHALKBOARD OUTSIDE specials on food, not drink. That’s allowed. a restaurant catches my eye. It The only exception for drinks is when an touts brunch and mimosas. I love establishment off ers the discounted price brunch. I love mimosas. So in I go. for the full business day. That’s why you may “Oh, you have to wait on the occasionally fi nd spots touting half-price bottles mimosa, hon,” my waitress says. of wine on a typically slow midweek day. You “It’s only eleven. We can’t sell also won’t see “half-price drinks for ladies” or mimosas before noon.” similar promotions, which are also forbidden. That was my fi rst encounter You can always have happy hour at home, of with North Carolina’s labyrinth of course. That will necessitate a trip to your local ILLUSTRATION BY BY ILLUSTRATION CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS liquor laws. Talk about a Sunday ABC store, which is controlled by the Alcoholic morning coming down. Beverage Control Commission. When you go It still perturbs me that a true Sunday brunch to pick up your favorite bottle of spirits, you’ll can’t get started before noon, but I can live pay a price set by a suit in a Raleigh offi ce. Also, with it. After all, there’s a sizable voting bloc— if your favorite spirit happens to be from a less maybe not in the Triangle, but defi nitely in mainstream distillery, it may not be available. the state’s more rural regions—that believes The stores are allowed to stock their shelves you should be in a pew, not on a bar stool, on only by selecting from a list created in that same Sunday mornings, and legislators will be careful Raleigh offi ce. If it’s not on the list, they can’t to appease it. Otherwise, what prohibiting stock it. To get your drink of choice, you can alcohol sales before noon on Sundays actually request a special order—as long as you prepay accomplishes is somewhat puzzling. and buy at least a case of it. Alternatively, you That’s only one of North Carolina’s laws could take a road trip to a state (helloooo, South that aff ect your drinking. Another rule you Carolina) with privatized liquor stores, which may encounter when going out is a request at tend to have more interesting selections, a more the door that you join the “private club.” State invested staff , and better prices. If that sounds law dictates that to sell spirits to the public, good to you, check out privatizenc.org. you must either have a kitchen and an inside Happily, not all regulations work against dining area for at least thirty-six people, plus you. One 2005 piece of legislation, commonly do at least 30 percent of your sales in food referred to as the “Pop the Cap” law, got rid of and nonalcoholic beverages, or be a private a statute that limited beer sold in the state to club. This one really won’t impede your 6 percent . It cleared a path evening’s fl ow, however. You join immediately for more styles to be sold, creating a fertile by fi lling out a card with your name and environment for the growth of the state’s now- address. Occasionally, you may have to pay booming craft beer industry. a small lifetime membership fee—usually $1 Of course, as inconvenient as the state’s to $5. If the place only sells beer and wine, no drinking laws can be to navigate, circumstances “membership” (or food sales) is required. could be worse. Lest we forget, it only became Yet another anachronistic law means happy- legal in North Carolina for a restaurant to hour pricing is prohibited. If you do see a place prepare and sell its own mixed drinks in 1978. advertising “happy hour,” it’s off ering you So, maybe things aren’t so bad.