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 MEAD Matthew Poindexter 42 IT’S NOT ALL SCUPPER NONG AROUND HERE Victoria Bouloubasis 44 GOLDEN GRAINS Jeffrey C. Billman 46 BEER & THERE Corbie Hill 51 CIDER HOUSE RULES Curt Fields 52 PUB GRUB Iza Wojciechowska 58 HOP TO IT Victoria Bouloubasis and David Klein 61 MAKE THE ROUNDS Curt Fields 65 DRINKING PROBLEMS A DRINK CALLED MEXICO BURNS, WITH EQUAL PARTS CYNAR, APEROL, AND MEZCAL, 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 Brewing 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 liquors among the nearly twenty states (p. 8), a full roundup of our most that have a stringent control on interesting wines (p. 42) and liquor 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 GIN AND THREE LIQUEURS 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 cocktail. 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 cocktails 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 bar for just $200 (p. 26). INDY restaurant 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 vodka 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 Bloody Mary. 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 Brandy 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 liqueur, Conniption Navy Strength gins, 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 New York 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 drinks 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.