by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 5, 2023 | Eat, October 2023
Sip into the season via fab fall brews around the city.
Trophy Brewing | Pumpkin Spice Milky Way
Pumpkin spice and chill with an awardworthy autumn beer in hand feat. your fave spices of the season—allspice, cinnamon, fresh ginger, clove, nutmeg and vanilla bean—for a roasty and toasty drink that’s the alcoholic version of hot cocoa and a decadent pumpkin pie.
Funguys Brewing | Apply Cheesecake
How do ya like them apples? Belly up to this mom-and-pop brewery setting its sights on “flavor-forward ales and lagers” and an easygoing atmosphere to kick back and enjoy a fall brewski. If you’re feeling fruity, order up a can of Apply Cheesecake—highlighting apple, vanilla, and cream cheese notes. Much needed endorfuns: found.
Gizmo Brew Works | Oktoberfest
If you like your beer sweet with a bit of bite, that’s what you’ll find with Gizmo’s lager-style-but-ale-brewed Oktoberfest bev packing all the flavor sans the heaviness. Cheers!
Crank Arm Brewing | Becky With the Good Bike Pumpkin
Becky’s got more than good hair. … Crank it up for Crank Arm’s lineup of fab fall bevs—especially if you pref a bit of pumpkin for your palate via a taste of the spoke spot’s pumpkin pie ale. Fall vibes, officially in gear.
Raleigh Brewing | Holiday Bash
You’re gonna wanna tap this winter warmer touting pumpkin pie and mulled cider tastes from now till Christmas—and beyond. Pro tip: Best enjoyed outdoors on a crisp fall evening.
Wye Hill Brewing | Spitzenqualitat
Prost! Crack open a cold one (or two) of a golden German-style lager brewed in the same style as modern Bavarian festbiers on the on the fab Wye Hill patio. Un-beer-lievable!
by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 2, 2023 | Eat, October 2023
From the minds of Dram & Draught co-owners Drew Schenck and Kevin Barrett—along with partner Philip Duff—comes a duo of bottled liquors to the market.
Don’t walk, but run—er, rum?—for your fix of two world-class gin and rum bottles debuting Nov. 1. The carefully curated liquors include Moonbird Gin and GOATz Rum. Each distilled with an array of different botanicals and minimal sugar, the bevs are smooth enough to shoot straight, yet balanced enough to mix into a cocktail. Rum drinkers, daiquiris with GOATz come highly recommended (!).
“We distilled 10 botanicals separately, then blended the gins together to create the exact flavor profile we wanted,” explains Drew Schenck, co-owner of the new bottled bev enterprises. “That’s different—with most gins, you add flavoring or you have a gin pot… and what you come out with can vary based on the strength of the oils, peels or the botanical.”
Adds co-owner Kevin Barrett: … “We developed Moonbird Gin to be versatile. [Whether it’s] gin and tonic, a martini, or a Negroni… this gin stands up.”
Truly world-class, both spirits have amassed a fair share of passport stamps throughout the creation process. As for GOATz, the rum is distilled in Barbados, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, then barrel-aged in Amsterdam and bottled in Schiedam, Holland.
“We’re very proud of the GOATz Rum,” says Barrett. “It’s delicious; [it has] a ton of flavor without overdoing the sugar or vanilla. Just like with Dram & Draught, we looked at what was out there and did our best to make something we liked even better.”
The Moonbird Gin is also distilled and bottled in Schiedam, which, fun fact, is best known for its gin—and ~100 years ago boasted a whopping 400 distilleries. Now, there are only four—one of which was used to distill Moonbird.
To boot, the GOATz and Moonbird bottles themselves are not to be ignored. Both designs are baked on ceramic, making the bottles durable and collectible. “You can drop it in water, come back in 100 years and clean it, and it’ll look just like it does,” elaborates Schenck.
Available across 34 states for home delivery this month, the bottled pair are set to shake up the spirits scene. Want these bevs in Raleigh? Request it at your local ABC store. We’ll toast to that! spiritofthedao.com
by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 2, 2023 | Buzz, October 2023
Orange you pumped for pumpkin season? Whether you prefer to carve, decorate or eat/drink all the pumpkin-flavored things (pumpkin spice lattes for the win!), it’s prime season to appreciate all the plump produce offerings via our lineup of local farms, restaurants and coffee shops plugging a plethora of pumpkin goodness. … Ready to squash this quiz or what?!
1 NC boasts a scad of local farms with sustainable sustenance all year long—but homegrown eats always taste better in-season. Per Got To Be NC, when are pumpkins at their prime in our state?
a. August to September
b. September to October
c. October only
d. November only
2 Cinderella’s carriage just got a massive upgrade. Last year’s NC State Fair touted a winning pumpkin
weighing in at…
a. 1,161 pounds
b. 1,461 pounds
c. 1,661 pounds
d. 2,001 pounds
3 Say boo! Jack-o’-lanterns trace back to Ireland—where people carved which veggies in place of pumpkins?
a. Apples
b. Rutabagas
c. Potatoes and turnips
d. Butternut squash
4 Amping up those fitness goals this fall? Good news: Pumpkins are highly nutritious and packed with fiber, potassium and vitamin C—NTM the fruit also packs a high H20 content. What percentage of water makes up most pumpkins?
a. ~90%
b. ~85%
c. ~80%
d. ~75%
5 Patch you later! NC farmers grow 2,500+ acres of pumpkins each year—yet most of the pumpkins purchased locally hail from which No. 1 producing state?
a. Illinois
b. South Carolina
c. Georgia
d. Florida
6 All about sugar and everything pumpkin spice? The uberpopular autumn ingredient goes way back. … When was pumpkin spice first referenced?
a. 1575
b. 1675
c. 1775
d. 1875
7 Oh, my gourd! Each state prefers its pumpkin spice presented differently—whether it’s included in bread, lattes or tacos (?!). Per Google, which pumpkin spice food did North Carolinians search for most this year?
a. Pumpkin spice lattes
b. Pumpkin spice Oreos
c. Pumpkin spice popcorn
d. Pumpkin spice loaves
8 If drinking a PSL is wrong we don’t wanna be right… Fun fact: Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte was the first to hit the market how many years ago?
a. 10
b. 15
c. 20
d. 25
9 Want a slice of the action? In High Point University’s annual pie poll, pumpkin pie has taken the spot for top flavor for the past two years. (Fingers crossed for the three-peat!). Which flavor took second place in 2022?
a. Sweet potato
b. Pecan
c. Apple
d. Chocolate
Answers: 1. B; 2: B; 3. C; 4. A; 5. A; 6. B; 7. D; 8. C; 9. B
by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 2, 2023 | Eat, October 2023
Local bees are bringing homegrown honey to The Exchange
Now buzzing: Honey is soon coming home to The Exchange Raleigh via Buddha Bee Apiary’s Raleigh-bred beehives. Adding to the development’s MO to amplify wellness and nature, the hives are set for a soft launch in an off-the-beaten-path pollinator garden this spring featuring custom-painted beehives by Durham artist Sara Bordner. Building more buzz, find renowned bartender Brian Van Flandern—famed for developing the bar program at New York City’s three-star Michelin restaurant Per Se—mixing up a lineup of craft cocktail recipes incorporating the fresh honey. … Try your hand at mixing up one of the bevs via the recipes below—it’s sure to be the bee’s knees!
EXCHANGE OLD-FASHIONED
• 2 oz. Woodford Reserve bourbon
• 1/2 oz. Exchange honey syrup
(1:1 honey + water)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 Luxardo maraschino cherries
• 1/2 thick-cut orange wheel
Add first three ingredients to a mixing tin and muddle thoroughly. Add a large ice cube, shake vigorously and double-strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with the orange wheel skewered with cherries and serve.
SOCIAL FIZZ
• 3 oz. Champagne
• 1/2 oz. Tanqueray gin
• 1/2 oz. peach puree
• 1/4 oz. fresh lime juice
• 3/4 oz. Central Park honey syrup
(1:1 honey + water)
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers peach bitters
• Peach slice for garnish
Add all ingredients to a Champagne flute, leaving the Champagne to pour last very slowly. Use a long spoon to pull the ingredients from bottom to top. Garnish with a peach slice and serve.
by Anna Beth Adcock | Oct 2, 2023 | Eat, October 2023
Local coffee cart brews up a brick-and-mortar.
Dulcet dulce found. Beyond merging melodies and mocha—NTM an array of other craveworthy coffees—around town via specialty on-the-move espresso cart Quarter Note, husband-and-wife duo Andrew and Amy Bang are brewing up a new brick-and-mortar Jan. 10 in Glenwood Place, near Ladyfingers and Sushi Mon (!).
Dubbed for the couple’s love of music and coffee, natch, Quarter Note nods to how notes play a pivotal part in both rhythm and brews. The upcoming storefront thus stages a lively coffee experience via a bright and airy atmosphere, plants, and subtle nods to the couple’s music theme. “We want people to come, feel welcome and stay for a while, or grab something quick and go,” says Amy.
Featuring Texas-based Porch Culture Coffee Roasters, the biz also spins up its own homemade syrups and chai. “We also love quality, and that’s something we really strive for,” adds Amy. Sounds like the perfect blend!
