Get your toes in the water and bum out of the sand. NC-born brand Shibumi—of wind-powered sunshade fame—just launched its brand-new first-ever beach chair, and just in time for Raleighites’ annual summer trek to the coast. Boasting the same signature blue and teal colors of the popular shades, the lounger is designed with comfy breathable fabric, multiple recliner settings, padded backpack straps and two accessory ports—and promises to withstand years of sand and salty air. So, perf for that *fabulous* Sharpay Evans feeling (IYKYK). shibumishade.com
Your next backyard hang is about to get a whole lot cooler. You’ll have to actually leave your own backyard, but it promises to be so worth it. Enter Crooked Hammock’s upcoming West Raleigh location at mixed-use development GlenLake, which broke ground at the end of April. The Lewes, Delaware-founded brewery and restaurant (also with a nee-2021 buzzy locale in North Myrtle Beach) is set to deliver a vibrant eat, drink, lounge, play destination next year.
“I promise you’re going to love it,” says Highwoods Properties senior VP Skip Hill. “It’s gonna be really fun—the coolest brewery, restaurant and entertainment venue that Raleigh’s gonna see here in less than a year potentially.”
And it was a match made in heaven from the jump. The designated land was originally going to be an office building, but after the Highwoods team happened upon and fell in love with Crooked Hammock, they rezoned the site. “We struck gold when we met these guys,” recalls Hill. At the same time, Crooked Hammock was looking at Raleigh and stumbled across GlenLake, immediately setting their eyes on the prize.
Photo by Ian Weston, courtesy of Crooked Hammock
“We love Raleigh as a community—the size of it, the community nature of it, the outdoor environment nature of it is just such a perfect fit for Crooked Hammock,” emphasizes Managing Partner Josh Grapski. “Then as we found this office park and GlenLake, the surrounding community and the unbelievably positive demographics that fit who we are, we just knew we wanted to be here.”
Not only is Crooked Hammock a big win for Raleigh, it’s a gamechanger for the entire West Raleigh/Crabtree area, which currently lacks anything of this caliber. And Grapski says it could be the biggest and best Crooked Hammock yet.
At 8,600 square feet, the location will serve up the perf pours place to “live life in full swing,” as their motto goes. Of course, the backyard will be the star of the show—complete with hammocks (naturally), cornhole and other games—flowing seamlessly into the bar/dining room space via big open garage doors. “It’s like you’re having a cookout at your house and people are coming in and out,” teases founder Rich Garrahan.
On the beverage side, Crooked Hammock will have a craft brewery on-site churning up fresh permanent and seasonal beers, seltzers, and hard teas—with wine, creative cocktails and NA bevs also on offer.
Photo by Ian Weston, courtesy of Crooked Hammock
This isn’t just about what’s on tap—the food’s a major player too, with high-quality fare that rotates ~10 times throughout the year featuring popular ops like burgers, nachos, pretzels and dips (think spinach-artichoke, avocado and crab). “We’re really proud of our entire menu,” maintains Garrahan. “We think the community here is really gonna love it and embrace it and enjoy what we’ve been working so hard to create.”
Ultimately, the sky’s the limit at Crooked Hammock, offering a “place for anyone to just get away from the everyday,” adds Garrahan. “Whether it’s work stresses, family stresses or just your own personal stresses, coming to the Hammock and cracking open a cold beer and hanging out and laughing with friends and family is really the spirit of what we’re all about, the foundation of our brand and our culture.” In short, Crooked Hammock isn’t just bringing a brewery to town—it’s bringing a vibe and igniting the community… and West Raleigh is about to be better for it. crookedhammockbrewery.com
Step aside, espresso! Meet the next-gen vibrant bev trending on your feed: matcha. Oft billed as grassy, earthy and unique, the Japanese green tea powder is having a matcha minute—and die-hard drinkers can’t get enough of the cult-favorite combo of green powder and creamy milk (plus potential syrups and flavor swirls to boot). Whether you’re matcha-curious or a full-blown devotee, here’s where to get your fix.
Organic Idle Hour Frothy, smooth and as green as the most lush field of grass you’ve ever seen, Idle’s matcha lattes are made with Kyoto-sourced Arteao organic matcha, creating an umami-rich flavor that comes with a dose of health benefits. Wellness for the win! @idlehour_coffee
Trendy Iris Coffee Lab Jazz up your traditional morning routine with Iris’ Jasmin 17 perfume-inspired Jasmine Mini Matcha, an aesthetically pleasing drink layered with carefully sourced whisked-to-order matcha, jasmine syrup, salt cream and shaved lemongrass—aka a win for the ’Gram and your taste buds. @iriscoffeelab
Flavorful Sweet Thyme Cafe Not your average matcha, Norwood Gardens’ hidden gem cafe has various syrups on offer to sweeten its green goodness—from basil and blueberry to white chocolate. Craft your own flavorful concoction, or treat yo’self to rotating monthly flavor combos like vanilla + rose.@sweethymecafe
A Lotta Matcha 42 & Lawrence Options upon options are avail at this sleek spot—from a classic matcha latte to the strawberry, blue or snowcap sipper. Matcha newbies, those flavors are a surefire way to get past the grassy taste. @42andlawrence
Dairy-Free Lucky Tree No dairy, no problem. Get your fill of the good green stuff with ops like almond, coconut and oat milks (cow’s milk is of course on offer as well). Take it up another notch with honeysuckle matcha sweetened with housemade vanilla and honey. @luckytreeraleigh
SHE’S SO JULIA. After feeling the, ahem, pressure from the music industry and social media—not to mention personal pressures—Julia Wolf’s newly debuted, aptly dubbed album Pressure harkens back to her roots. And now the Long Island-born, LA-based artist’s taking that raw, gritty vulnerability on tour, with a stop at Durham’s Motorco Music Hall June 22.
Released on the heels of her viral hit “In My Room,” which reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts and amassed over 21M streams on Spotify alone (!), the “honest, sad, angry and personal” record (as Wolf describes it) features Evanescence-inspired vocals and an amalgamation of sounds—from emo and shoegaze to metallic and electronic.
“The album’s been a long time coming,” muses Wolf. “So I’m excited for it to finally come out. I’m really getting back to the core of what had me fall in love with music in the first place—and just those influences and sounds.” Leading up to her show, we caught up with the genre-bending artist for an exclusive chat during rehearsal break.
Julia Wolf Pressure Album Cover
Preshow ritual? I’m definitely always taking a shot before—I love a good dive bar.
Peak “pinch-me” moment? Drake reaching out and wanting to work together is just unreal, especially with the past two years being an endless loop of dead ends and everyone trying to shove us down. It’s just so cool someone like him is actually wanting to get to know us and believing in what we’re doing.
Biggest lesson since your last drop? I really need to trust my gut when it comes to the music, lyrics and message I want to put out there—because when I first decided to switch genres, you would not believe the amount of pushback. But I just had to make that choice because I wasn’t resonating with the old stuff anymore. It taught me to trust myself, be less afraid and say the things I want.
Latest album’s takeaway? The old me was really afraid of vulnerability. I always used to think it would make me seem weaker. But I think, with this album, I made it a point to be as honest and truthful as possible with the lyrics, and I want people to feel understood and better about being vulnerable and not see it as a weakness, but rather empowering. Because that’s how it felt writing it—it was quite cathartic, and I just hope people resonate with it.
This Q&A has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
No summertime sadness here. If you miss the frozen poolside slushies, ice cream cones and shakes of your childhood (ah, the memories!), harken back to the glory days with an added adult spin via these booze-forward bevs and desserts that’ll have you feeling cool in the best way.
These spirited shakes will definitely bring all the boys (and girls!) to the yard—from the coffee liqueur and Irish cream-fused Mudslide to the Reese’s Skrewball Shake’s star-studded blend of Skrewball whiskey and Reese’s to the orange and whipped vodka-based Orange Creamsicle sipper—all of which have us chanting “damn right, it’s better than yours.” mojoesburgerjoint.com
Boozy Slushies | Standard Beer + Food
One frozen sip on Standard’s sun-drenched backyard patio and you’ll forget you’re not at the beach. Pick your potion from the vibey tropical painkiller (Goslings dark rum, orange, pineapple, coconut and fresh nutmeg) or the frosty dry-hopped twist on the classic G&T.standardbeerandfood.com
Frozen Frog | Wolfe & Porter
A swig of this frozen elderflower French 75 and you’ll be channeling Kristen Wiig’s iconic “oh, that’s fresh” (Bridesmaids fans know). Sweet, vibrant and screaming summertime, the sipper is just 8 bucks on Fridays—weekending for the win! wolfeandporter.com
Spiked Shakes | The Cowfish
Fusion isn’t just for the food—and it’s in full force with these seriously craveable boozy shakes. Savor summer with the Smirnoff vanilla vodka-spiked Peanut Butter Nana Time or go all in with the No Sleep Til Brooklyn—basically an espresso tini on steroids with Myers’s dark rum, Kahlua, malt, concentrated coffee and chocolate espresso beans.thecowfish.com
Frosé all day is back via Trophy’s fan-fave frosé at its Morgan Street and Maywood stomping grounds—just begging to be matched with a must-have ’za for a lingering alfresco hang. Not in the, ahem, spirit? Soak up some summer on Morgan Street with a Starry Eyes THC seltzer-based frozen paloma. trophybrewing.com
Boozy Shakes | Alamo Drafthouse
Ditch the popcorn (or go all out with both) for the too-cool-for-school movie theater’s spiked milkshakes, from The Grasshopper’s blend of Arrow crème de menthe and crème de cacao to the Whiskey Banana Split’s boozy-meets-fruity concoction of Wild Turkey Longbranch bourbon, Liber & Co. pineapple, dark chocolate, roasted banana and strawberry purée. So chill, indeed.drafthouse.com
