Loud Lemon vodka lemonade cocktails have arrived to turn up your summer.
Move over, hard seltzer—there’s a new canned drink in town, and its ridiculously refreshing taste has us shouting from the rooftops. Loud Lemon vodka lemonade cocktails have officially hit Raleigh’s ABC shelves, just in time to help beat the summer heat and create some sweet memories along the way.
“The name was perfect for our approach to life,” says founder and CEO (and Durhamite!) Jeff Outlaw of the vibrant line of ready-to-drink libations. “I wanted a brand that could be enjoyed by anyone when they’re celebrating life or great times with friends.”
Boasting a bold, colorful design, the fruity sips offer creative twists on the classic vodka-lemonade combo—think unique flavor profiles like Strawberry Watermelon Smash, Island Jam (pineapple, blood orange and guava) and Summer Hummer (lime and orange) that perfectly capture the feeling of endless summer in a can.
“If you are in the alcoholic lemonade space and the name of your brand is Loud Lemon, you better be amazing,” says Outlaw. “Our approach to our varieties are what we call internally ‘flavor genius’ with a mix of familiar flavors, as well as novel proprietary flavors.”
The tasty ’tails pack a punch at 8% ABV and are crafted with high-quality ingredients, including real juice and premium vodka, making them just the drink to whip out when you want to impress but aren’t in the mood to be a mixologist.
“North Carolina is known in food and beverage for appreciating craftsmanship and quality, and supporting new brands, so I think our trial in the state will probably out-index other states just because of the makeup of the North Carolina consumer,” Outlaw shares. “It’s really a benefit, in our history, to have a state that has such a growing and intellectual population.”
Bring these boozy creations along for your next poolside sip sesh, beach day or backyard BBQ—with Loud Lemon in tow, you’re sure to embrace anything that’s on deck for this summer with a little extra zest. loudlemon.com
Dram & Draught raises the bar (and tells you how tipsy you’ll be) by adding ABV to its menu.
We’ve all been there… mixed drinks, as delicious as they are, can catch up with us pretty quickly (here’s looking at you, hangovers). But what if we told you that you could choose the perfect cocktail based on your evening plans—be it casual drinks with your boss and colleagues or thirsty Thursday with your squad?
Enter Dram & Draught. While Raleighites already know it for its selection of whiskeys, wines, handcrafted cocktails and draught beer, it’s now become the bar in town that also lists the ABV (alcohol by volume) of each drink on its menu (!). This means customers can better pace themselves throughout the evening (or, let’s be honest, have an idea of how quickly they’ll start feeling tipsy).
“I spoke to a friend of mine about it before we did it… and she was like, ‘I would love to know that because sometimes I go out and have three drinks, and I’m fine, and sometimes I go out and have three drinks, and I can barely stand up. And I don’t know why,’” says Dram & Draught founder and co-owner Kevin Barrett.
As far as Barrett is aware, Dram & Draught is Raleigh’s only bar that includes ABVs on its menu. But it is starting to become a trend around the U.S.
Barrett and co-owner Drew Schenck got the idea from Sother Teague’s podcast, The Speakeasy, where they learned Teague, who is also an author and the beverage director of New York’s Amor Y Amargo cocktail bars (as well as the founder of BATCH, a new app for spirits professionals and enthusiasts), includes drinks’ ABVs on his menus.
“I know a good idea when I hear one,” says Barrett. “You can have an Old-Fashioned or a Manhattan or something boozy, then have a couple lower-alcohol drinks, then go back to the Manhattan… and that way you can just extend your night.”
Oh, and for those of you looking for vegan-friendly drink options (since some cocktails include egg whites), you no longer have to question the bartender. Dram & Draught also started adding a (V) next to all vegan-friendly bevs on its menu—and let’s just say we’re very spirited about it.
They say not to go chasing waterfalls… but you’re definitely gonna wanna book it to Zebulon to chill at downtown’s newest neighborhood watering hole, The Fall Line, named after the elevation inland at which waterfalls begin to appear in creeks and rivers (Zebulon is located where the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions meet). Opened by local entrepreneurs Cyrus Stacey and Mike Lombardo (the latter owns DTR go-to Lucky B’s), the lowkey sip spot keeps things simple with a standard wine and beer list—plus mixed drinks and slushees—and rotating food trucks in a humble indoor/outdoor space. Cheers! thefalllineznc.com
Experience the Chapel Thrill in the best way possible—with a good cuppa joe. Located right on Franklin Street, this pop-up shop founded by a trio of UNC students is focused on uniting the Chapel Hill community via craveworthy cups (think coffee, espresso, tea) to a backdrop of local artist displays, plus tunes during its live music hours. The perfect blend, if you will. bluehousecafech.square.site
Hey there, hot stuff. This new java joint at RTP’s Alexandria Campus is “unlocking the DNA of coffee” by meeting all your coffee needs—from lattes to cold brews (made with Counter Culture beans). And if coffee just isn’t your cup of tea, there’s also hot, iced and chai tea opps to boost your spirits and gratify your taste buds. Morning bevs meet their match with breakfast pastries and egg bites, while lunch is made easy (and tasty!) with wraps, salads and bistro boxes (think of it like an adult Lunchable that’s totes acceptable to bring back to the office)—all served with a whole latte love. growcoffeenc.com
Live life on the sweet side at The Sweetest Thing’s new shop at MacGregor Square, where owner Melanie Brown is devoted to “baking” the world a better place one pastry at a time—everything from cakes and cupcakes to cookies and brownies. Not to be left out, gluten-free foodies can have their cake and eat it too thanks to the one or two GF ops on offer in the dessert case on the daily. So when you need a pick-me-up, stop by anytime from 10–6 Tuesday through Saturday and get chip-faced—no judgment! thesweetestthingsnc.com
“Uncork the culture” and decomplicate wine with Melanated Wine and Spirits, the first Black- and woman-owned wine brand in the Bull City. Founder Lashonda Fort-Modest knows you shouldn’t wine while drinking vino, so she’s upping the fine-wine fun factor by making it easier to sip and shop for varietals. Don’t know what you dig? Book a tasting to see which wines entice your taste buds. Need a sipping buddy? Check Melanated’s event calendar (think poetry nights, and paint and sips…) for opps to meet fellow wine lovers. Glasses up for #MelaNation! melanatedwine.com
WEB EXCLUSIVE Put a little pep in your step with these 5 spring sips around town.
It’s time to get in the spirit because today is National Cocktail Day! And lucky for us Raleighites, many local bars have just released (or are going to release) their spring cocktail menus this week. What better way to celebrate the warm weather?! Cheers!
Though they’re known for their beer (brewed in house!), Wye Hill makes some killer cocktails—and the ones they’ve crafted up for spring are sure to shake up your patio imbibing sesh this season. Once in a Melon, a Raleigh favorite, is back (!), and it’s brought some friends (see the Smash & Grab feat. fresh honey, lemon and strawberry reduction). We know where we’ll be when it’s sunny and 70 degrees…
As we say a bittersweet goodbye to winter, this popular DTR sup spot has you covered with warm-weather cocktails that are as fresh as a spring breeze (iykyk). Take the Tipsy on Spa Water made with vodka, cucumber, kombucha, hibiscus tea and lavender bitters (can also be made alcohol-free). If the name isn’t enticing enough, maybe the kombucha will pique your interest.
Poppy into STIR for two new March specialty cocktails: the Slackjaw Jack and the Not Your Trinidad. The Slackjaw Jack—a spin on a 1930s martini—allows you to live out those Great Gatsby dreams, while the Not Your Trinidad is a gin-based twist on an Angostura Sour. And while these drinks are delicious on their own, they also happen to pair perfectly with STIR’s oysters. Shell yeah!
You know a cocktail’s gonna be great when it’s got a good name. (As a matter of fact, we wouldn’t blame you for ordering Tazza’s delicious ’tails just from the names.) Case in point, the Girl Talk, a refreshing blend of Tito’s vodka, aperol, grapefruit oleo, lime and tiki bitters, and calling all Euphoria fans, the eponymous Euphoria, a balanced blend of white rum, gin, Licor 43, blue curaçao, lemon, coconut and orange cream bitters. Just to name a few.
Dram’s spring cocktail menu drops at the end of March, but if we know anything about this beloved watering hole’s seasonal sips, we know they’re ure to be iris-istible. Peep their Instagram for a sneak peek and save the date for March 31 to start swilling them all!
Getting your spirits from out of state? You’re likely breaking the law.
Fancy spirits you can’t find in NC delivered straight to your door? Whether it’s that ever-elusive bottle of Blanton’s or that Spicy Ranch Water you had on Broadway in Nashville—or even if you just wanted to send your out-of-state bestie a bottle of our local Conniption gin… turns out, you’d be breaking the law.
Perhaps you’ve seen the likes of websites such as Drizly, Frootbat and the like promising to have “the drinks come to you.” … Sounds simple enough? Well, things that sound too good to be true usually are.
According to the hundred-plus-page North Carolina ABC Laws spelled out in Chapter 18B of the NC General Statutes, shipping or receiving any malt beverages or liquor to residents without a valid wholesaler’s permit is illegal. (Vino lovers—don’t sweat that wine subscription though. Wine can legally be shipped from out of state to your in-state address in specified amounts.)
And before you go rolling your eyes and turning the page because you just drive a state over for those bottles and brews—well, our liquor mule friend, that makes you a criminal too above a certain quantity. Who knew?
We’re as shocked as you—which is why we thought it best to break it all down. The more you know…
WHAT CAN I DO?
It is legal to have wine shipped or delivered—both in state and out of state—in limited quantities.
A winery may ship no more than 2 cases per month to any person in NC. A case of wine constitutes 12 standard 750ml bottles—thus 24 standard bottles per month.
It is legal to transport liquor or malt beverages* over state lines by car, boat or plane in limited quantities. But a person may bring no more than 4 liters of spirituous liquor (a standard size bottle is 750ml) and 80 liters of malt beverages (aka 9 cases).
WHAT CAN’T I DO?
It is illegal to have any person or business out of state mail malt beverages or liquor to you in NC for any reason.
It is illegal to mail/ship any beer or liquor to anyone outside of NC for any reason.
The newest whiskey sensation, Smoke Wagon shows 10 states it cannot legally ship to—but despite our laws, NC is not listed as one of them.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE WEBSITES…
Self-billed as “any bottle, anywhere,” Massachusetts-based Frootbat is an online purveyor for “the world’s finest whiskey, wine and liquor, all in one place.” Likewise, Liquor Bar Delivery out of California delivers “carefully crafted and exceptional liquors.” And the web is rampant with another dozen-plus sites just like them that will drop-ship any bottle you crave tomorrow. So what happens when you live in NC where it is both illegal to have that liquor shipped to you and illegal for you to receive it? Well, turns out, best we can tell, nothing.
We put on our investigative caps and talked to Raleigh residents who are using these sites to see what red tape or rejection they’ve encountered, if any. During the month of February, two bottles of ever-elusive Blanton’s and Buffalo Trace whiskeys were purchased via two separate orders from Frootbat. Upon remit, the customer was sent immediate receipt and tracking details with a simple note that someone 21 years of age or older needed to be home to sign for the package. In essence, it was as easy as Amazon Prime—signed, sealed, delivered. The order was easy; the shipment was fast; arriving from F-Bat Inc. Irokos.
Over on Liquor Bar Delivery, the same experience unfolded upon ordering a $60 bottle of Rabbit Hole Rye, a bottle impossible to find here (and it’s worth noting it was marked at the going price in every other state—compared to exorbitant prices on the black market). With the seemingly standard hefty $25 shipping fee, the bottle was delivered as promised in the one- to five-day timeframe.
So we wondered, are these sites an anomaly? Turns out, not so much. Distillers are shipping too. Relatively new Smoke Wagon whiskey is not yet available for purchase in NC. But while bellied up to the Dram & Draught bar recently, we were told by a bargoer sipping on the latest whiskey sensation—who was oblivious to our efforts on this story—that he liked the whiskey so much that he went to their website and ordered it to his residence with no problem.
Interestingly, Las Vegas-located Smoke Wagon seems to think they are doing their due diligence, as upon “add to cart,” you see a message stating “orders cannot be fulfilled” in the following states: “Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Vermont.” Thus, deeming NC one of the states the site is “legally” shipping to. So what gives?
Well, not all websites will mail you spirits all willy-nilly. Popular website Drizly, which promises to “let the drinks come to you,” asks you to select your location, and once you select Raleigh, liquor is off the table. Malt beverages can be purchased, but are brought from a proximal location and delivered to you within 60 minutes (um, score). So, given the product is being delivered within the state, this is legit.
But… Drizly does give you the option to send liquor as a gift. And since Drizly is based in California, you are arguably buying that liquor outside of NC and shipping it to a destination outside of NC (say from California to that bestie in New York).
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME?
If you violate these laws, you are guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. What will happen to you? Well, we’re not sure.
So we asked the NC Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) how this is happening and how it’s being enforced—and if it’s not, why the arguably outdated law in hypertech times remains on the books. As of press time, we haven’t gotten an answer, but we’ll let you know when we hear back. In the meantime, “drink responsibly.” abc.nc.gov
