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New cocktail menu grants the power of choice.
There’s no denying it: Americans—Raleighites included—are drinking less, and the NA bev scene in Oak City is flourishing. With mocktails, THC seltzers and the like becoming increasingly mainstream, a new local menu is catering to the ~damp~ experience.
Enter The Haymaker’s first-to-market “pick-your-proof” cocktail menu, letting imbibers sip the same flavors with a Goldilocks-style buzz factor: full-proof, half-proof or zero-proof in most every bev. (Some ’tails—like an old-fashioned—simply can’t be concocted half-proof unless it’s a half pour, notes the bar’s new owner, Glenn Shriver.)
Shriver—who recently reopened and revitalized the Fayetteville Street cocktail bar after a short hiatus—says the idea is simple: Meet drinkers where they are.
“One of the issues coming up for people who are drinking less is that going out and getting drinks is part of being social, even if it’s not about the alcohol,” says the mixology veteran. “They just end up going home, but we want people to stay and talk and meet strangers.”
Translation: The menu adapts to the bargoer’s preferences—not the other way around. And the price point reflects that proof point: $14 for full-proof, $11 for half-proof and $8 for zero-proof.
The Haymaker isn’t alone in embracing the shift. Other local bars like Dram & Draught, Killjoy and Watts & Ward have long been pouring a mean mocktail—proof that Raleigh’s spirits culture is expanding well beyond the traditional buzz.
Bottom line: Whether you’re boozing a lot, a little or not at all, a beverage—and a good time—are now on the menu for everyone.
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