by Tracy Jones | Jun 30, 2019 | Eat, July/August 2019, Top Reads
Boozy popsicles are back in Raleigh bars…or in your own kitchen.
At 10th and Terrace at the top of downtown’s Residence Inn, they are made of puréed fruit, simple syrup and Kölsch beer from White Street Brewing Co. in Wake Forest; what better way to beat the heat while soaking in the best of summer than enjoying one of these beer-infused treats? To make the experience even better, they come served in a glass of Anna de Codorniu Cava, or more White Street Kölsch.
Here’s a visual.
Imagine a traditionally shaped peach popsicle with the slight pear and melon taste of a crisp, German-style beer, slowly melting into a stemless glass of chilled Cava, like a Bellini. Or place a pop in your Kölsch straight from the tap, foam flowing like a fruity root beer float. You can dip the popsicle like an Oreo in a cold glass of milk, or you can let it seep into your drink, slowly transforming the flavor of what you’re sipping on until all you’re left with is an empty glass and a wooden stick. Yes, please!
For a change of pace this summer, 10th and Terrace is also offering a (non-alcoholic) lemon-lime popsicle—there’s actual lime zest in the pop—placed in a mixed drink of vodka, hard lime seltzer, green tea simple syrup, lime juice and fresh mint. Rachael Pair, the director of operations at downtown’s Residence Inn, calls it the hotel bar’s “zen poptail” for those who want a treat that’s light and refreshing.
“We were looking for something out of the box to set us apart,” says Pair, who introduced the restaurant’s boozy popsicles last summer with Chandler Pearce, formerly a business development representative at Lonerider Brewing Company. “The popsicles let us get creative and let your taste buds soar. The motivation for creating the popsicles is like being a kid in a candy store.”
Currently, 10th and Terrace has four popsicle flavor options, with peach and lemon-lime as this summer’s new additions. Last year’s favorites, strawberry and Piña Colada, are back and all four will be available until the weather cools down, likely after the Hopscotch festival in the fall.
While 10th and Terrace was an early player in Raleigh’s boozy popsicle scene, it’s not the only place offering these spiked delights. North Hills’ 41 Hundred Lounge also offers boozy popsicles with ever-changing flavors, so it’s worth checking them out, too. Last summer, 41 Hundred Lounge sold frosty Margarita and frozen Old Fashioned popsicles filled with boozy gummy bears.
Whether you find them at a Raleigh bar, order a box online or spend hours on Pinterest looking up “poptails,” there’s no shortage of ways to find this frozen treat. We tried our hands at making easy, flavorful popsicles we thought would be accessible to boozy pop novices. We think, with enough trial and error, you can make any cocktail into a “poptail.”
After experimenting with six recipes, we landed on three we think are straightforward and delicious:
Coconut Key Lime Pie:
- 1 part Key Lime Pie Cream Liqueur
- 1 part coconut rum
- 4 parts limeade
Spiked Arnold Palmer:
- 1 part Firefly Sweat Tea Vodka
- 3 parts lemonade
- Splash of unsweet tea
Cucumber and Elderflower:
- 1 part Cucumber and Mint Kettle One Vodka
- 1 part Elderflower liqueur
- 4 parts lemonade
Of course, you can get as fancy as you like with the ingredients, but we recommend starting simple. Liquor doesn’t freeze easily, which is common knowledge, so the trick is to include a flavored spirit with enough juice to freeze the alcohol. Also, choose your mold carefully. A popsicle mold with a plastic pull top can be tricky when you’re trying to pull the popsicle out of the mold—while still frozen and formed, popsicles with alcohol don’t hold up to the yanking that a popsicle full of only juice likely would. If you want to try your own recipe, use an ice cube tray with a silicon bottom to pop out the ice cubes. If they’re fully frozen, you should be able to try something bigger. Stay away from bitter or overly sweet flavors. If you’re doing something fruity, try adding real pieces of fruit to the mix. Happy popping.
by Cameron Walker | Jul 17, 2017 | Buzz, July 2017 / August 2017
No happy hours. No liquor sold in grocery stores. There are few things as well regulated in North Carolina as alcohol, so when Trolley Pub Founder Kai Kaapro decided to expand his fledgling mobile business to the South, he was prepared for an uphill battle. Luckily, he came armed with a law degree and a business with drive.
If you’ve visited downtown lately, you’ve probably seen one of his open-air vehicles ramble by. Trolley Pub Raleigh is a fleet of (mostly) pedal-powered vehicles that seat up to 14 people for pub crawls around town. Riders bring their own beer and flex their muscles as they cycle through the city.
These BYOB booze cruises have turned into big business. Tours are often booked a month in advance, and the company recently expanded to include a bottle shop where passengers can stock up on libations before their tour.
Six years ago, the self-described accidental entrepreneur was in law school when he watched a YouTube video of a pedal-powered trolley in Amsterdam. He and business partner Andrew Cole found a craftsman to make a working prototype and opened the first Trolley Pub in Tucson, Arizona in 2011. They now operate in five states, including in four cities in North Carolina.
Kaapro moved to Raleigh in 2013, quitting his young law career to focus full-time on Trolley Pub. The 32-year-old mostly works behind the scenes, but every once in awhile, he hops back on the trolley for a tour around the city he now calls home.
What makes a great Trolley Pub driver?
You need the right personality. You have to have a certain amount of outgoingness and assertiveness to deal with 14 personalities who are out drinking and celebrating. You have to be able to assert yourself, but you also need to be fun. So that’s two conflicting traits, in a way, and we have to find people that can balance both. We’ve actually found that our best drivers are teachers! They know how to have fun and deal with people.
Has anyone ever gotten a little wild and fallen off the trolley?
We actually have a great safety record…and customers better wear their seatbelts or they’ll get kicked off!
So what happens if someone does act up?
We have different policies, but they first get some warnings. A lot of times, it’s just one or two people who aren’t obeying the rules, and the drivers will simply eject that person from the trolley. They can meet back up with their friends later on. It happens at least once a month here in Raleigh, where we have to cancel some portion of a tour. I’m always happy when it happens, because it means the drivers are doing their job.
Did you meet interesting people when you were conducting the tours yourself?
I once had a group of Russian visitors who didn’t speak any English. They were just blaring Russian pop music and having the time of their lives. I’ve met so many interesting people from all walks of life. Once, I drove a Mormon tour that brought Jello and snacks and we went to ice cream parlors. That was probably the most wholesome tour I’ve ever thrown.
Do you ever take the Trolley Pub tour for fun?
Yes! I’m my own best customer. I built a business in that classic line of thinking that I would create something I’d want to use. Even after all these years, I still love going out, entertaining people visiting town or celebrating with friends.
Tell us about getting Trolley Pub up and running here in North Carolina.
Every city we worked with has been different. Raleigh was the most welcoming city we’ve ever opened in and it was actually the easiest—thankfully—because it was early on. If we hadn’t been able to do it, we could have gotten discouraged! My legal background has been an advantage. North Carolina regulates alcohol and vehicles at the state level, but every city also has their own regulations over for-hire and carriers like limousines and taxis, so you have to work with both. In Raleigh, it really just took a few conversations with the city attorney and the police attorney; they agreed with our interpretation and were very helpful. Also, the downtown business community was very supportive. But opening in Wilmington took a year-and-a-half! We had to get an ordinance passed, basically, to make it legal there.
What have you learned while building your business?
The first two years were very difficult and the business took some time to grow. But we’ve always been very versatile when things didn’t work. It’s important to change your mindset and change your ambitions based on the circumstances. Don’t get stuck on one idea.
Like your idea to only use pedal power?
When we first opened it was pedal-only, and I would say the motor came by a very loud customer demand. I figured out pretty quickly that the exercise component of it wasn’t the main reason people were coming out to ride it. We found a handyman and some contractors and came up with a design to add a motor.
by Paige Luck | Mar 2, 2016 | Eat, March 2016
Craig Rudewicz, owner, creator and operator of Crude Bitters & Sodas faced a daunting hurdle when starting his business in 2012. Few people knew what bitters were or how to use them. Even the Wake County ABC Board didn’t know how to classify bitters—a product that’s 100 percent alcohol.
Today he offers cocktail classes teaching the “bitters” art and, at $6 a pop (sometimes free), they fill up fast.
Rudewicz began making bitters and mixers at home to avoid high fructose corn syrup and additives found in commercial products. His experimentation gave him leftovers, which graced his friend’s doorsteps.
Eventually, his at-home production grew to the point that he had three options: find more friends, stop making bitters or open a business.
He was the first bitters manufacturer in North Carolina—only after reading the entire ABC code book, finally finding his product classification at the very end. The question answered: Bitters are considered a food additive, similar to vanilla extract.
Rudewicz has a gift for finding that perfect balance of bold, light and the unexpected in his flavor combinations. Most bitters are historically used in combinations with heavier liquors, such as bourbon or whiskey. His desire to use bitters in lighter liquors, such as tequila or gin, drives both his flavor combinations and his popularity.
What are bitters?
Bitters, which began as digestive aids in the 15th century, are made by steeping a mixture of roots, spices, herbs or fruit in a clear spirit, like vodka. Today, a few drops of bitters are used in cocktails to enhance flavor. Crude Bitters also makes and sells “shrubs,” which starts with fruit covered with sugar and vinegar and allowed to soften. Mix a shrub with soda water and a natural soda pop is born.
Make your own?
Do it! Go to www.crudebitters.com for a list of cocktail classes offered three to four times a month. Crude Bitters and Sodas is a one-man show. Rudewicz does everything—production, packaging and marketing.
Spiced negroni:
1 oz Durham Distillery Navy Strength Gin
1 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Cappelletti or Campari
1/2 oz Crude Old Fashioned Tonicola
Stir with ice in mixing glass. Pour into coupe glass. Add 4 dashes Crude “Sycophant” bitters. Garnish with lemon twist.
Crude bitters classes
March 4 6:30 p.m. – Manhattans
March 12 4 p.m. – Manhattans
March 19 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. – Barrel Aged Cocktails
March 26 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. – National Cocktail Day #1
Register at crudebitters.eventbrite.com.
