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 Melissa Howsam | Jan 31, 2023 | Eat, February 2023
A dozen distilleries worth the drive—or drink.
Let’s go distillery-hopping! Leaning into state spirit—ahem, literally—we poured together a list of some of NC’s distillers worth drinking (or taking a detour for) the next time you’re looking to mix it up.
From mountains to seaside, these small-batch craft spirits-makers produce a range of liquors running the gamut from unique sips worth sipping like Mayberry Spirits Distillery’s single-malt sorghum whiskies made in copper stills that would surely make Andy Griffith proud to swigs that’ll give you strong beliefs—we see you Conviction.
Upping the ante in drinking behind bars, the latter award-winning small-batch bourbon by Southern Grace is distilled in a former prison (!). Clearly you should sentence yourself to do some time in Mount Pleasant to drink in its 1929 prison while you get schooled on the campus and how they create that bastille bourbon—and extend your stay for some swills, natch.
At home, we’re digging the metamorphosis of Durham Distillery’s Conniption gin with the 2022-released butterfly pea flower-infused pretty purple-hued Kinship, the third edition to its famed lineup that will no doubt calm any conniption fit.
Over on the coast, clear things up with “all the taste without the bite” via veteran-owned Blue Shark Vodka—aka reigning winner of North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association Chef Showdown’s People’s Choice Award. Or end your day at End of Days Distillery in Wilmington and pick your poison among a slew of spirits.
Ultimately, whether you were born to rum or you’re just looking for some gin-tuition, this cast of statewide spirits promises to raise the bar.
Asheville
Chemist Spirits | gin, whiskey, bierbrand
Mount Airy
Mayberry Spirits Distillery | whiskey, gourmet flavorings and pure extracts, cigars
Mount Pleasant
Southern Grace Distilleries | small-batch whiskey
Wilkesboro
Call Family Distillers | moonshine, liqueur, whiskey, brandy
Kinston
Three Stacks Distilling | Social House Vodka
Washington
Hackney Distillery | 1000 Piers Gin
Greensboro
Fainting Goat Spirits | vodka, gin, whiskey
Durham
Durham Distillery | gin, vodka, liqueurs, RTD canned cocktails
Benson
Broadslab Distillery | moonshine, whiskey, rum
Manteo
Outer Banks Distilling | rum
Wrightsville Beach
Blue Shark Vodka | vodka, cigars
Wilmington
End of Days Distillery | small-batch vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, RTD canned cocktails
by Lauren Kruchten | Aug 31, 2021 | Eat, September 2021
We get to the bottom of the barrel of ABC’s apparent liquor shortage.
Where’s all the rum (and gin, vodka, bourbon, whiskey and tequila…) gone? You may have started to see a shortage of some of your favorite liquor bottles at North Carolina ABC stores and local bars and restaurants—as if the last year-plus hasn’t dealt us enough.
Some of these liquor shortages actually began at the start of the pandemic (perhaps it was all that quarantine drinking?), but have continued due to production delays and supply chain issues at facilities all over the country—and internationally as well. That, combined with a new statewide ABC ordering system that was implemented during the annual inventory shutdown in late June (which lasted about a week—during which suppliers are unable to place orders), resulted in impacted orders and sales for distilleries throughout the state.
Closeby, Durham Distillery’s American Dry Gin went out of stock in ABC stores in Durham for three weeks in late July and in Wake County for two weeks, remembers Melissa Katrincic, co-owner of Durham Distillery (makers of Conniption).
To add to this “perfect storm” of issues, glass, labels and lids (as well as truck drivers who distribute product—yet another staffing shortage issue) are all scarce as well, as are some ingredients that go into the liquor, including agave, rice, corn and wheat.
“Most distilleries nationwide were not classified as exempt employees,” explains Bryan Hicks, general manager of the Wake County ABC Board. “Work ceased on their end; however, customers still came to stores to purchase their products. Bars and restaurants were closed and people still wanted to drink. Demand eventually caught up with the supply, hence the problems some are seeing.”
Bringing insight on the hospitality impact, Dram & Draught co-owner Kevin Barrett says he has had to navigate the liquor shortage as well, experiencing issues sourcing bottles for his three locations, including the bar’s new location in Downtown Durham, which opened in late August. “We are having trouble getting random liquors, it’s hard to predict,” says Barrett. “It’s a raw materials shortage caused by a labor shortage caused by a global pandemic. It’s just another hurdle to get over these days.”
Hicks says that it’s been tricky handling the situation. Ninety percent of Wake County ABC’s business is retail, while the other 10% makes up “mixed beverage” (bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.). “Do we set aside a certain amount of liquor for mixed beverage?” Hicks contemplates. “We’ve tried to do our best to see what the demand is and balance it all out.”
Despite the struggles, Hicks says Wake County ABC is doing everything they can to keep the shelves stocked, requesting direct shipments and ordering more product from local distilleries in an effort to ease the stress at the state warehouse (and support local—a win-win!). “Customers may not find their favorite national product, but could always go for a North Carolina product as an alternative,” says Hicks. “Hopefully this will help booster distillers in Wake County, Durham County and statewide.”
So die-hard fans of certain brands may have to settle for something else temporarily (or drive out-of-state … worth it?!). Look, we’re not trying to create hysteria and make booze the next toilet paper, but we will say, if you find your favorite bottle on the shelf, why wait?
by Kevin D Barrett | Mar 20, 2017 | Eat, March 2017
Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on a pink sand beach on a three-and-a-half-mile-long island, someone is drinking a Goombay Smash while they stare off into crystal clear water. I can’t bring you to Harbour Island in the Bahamas, but I can bring a Goombay Smash to your backyard this spring.
The Goombay Smash is a common drink in the string of islands known as the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, but if you’ve never been there you’ve probably not heard of this tiki style drink.
By now, you probably have two questions:
1. Who, where or what is a Goombay?
2. What exactly is a tiki style drink?
When I first heard of the Goombay Smash, I thought maybe there was some old time Bahamians named the Goombays. You know, maybe it was mayor Goombay or governor Goombay, but I couldn’t find that bloodline in the intriguing history of the islands. Then I thought there might be a place called Goom Bay, but I couldn’t find that place anywhere on Google Earth.
It turns out a Goombay is actually a goatskin drum often used in a style of Caribbean music by the same name.
Now, for the sake of brevity, I’m going to offer my own definition of a tiki style drink. A tiki drink is a vehicle for delivering large amounts of rum to your liver usually accompanied by tropical juices.
It’s also the name of the first man on Earth according to Polynesian mythology, but let’s stay focused on the drinks and the livers.
In the Bahamas there are as many recipes for this drink as there are places that serve it. And I researched as many as humanly possible. I did it for you. I did it for this article. I didn’t do it for my liver, but we’re in the middle of a permanent feud anyway.
While visiting this little peace of paradise, I was also fortunate enough to work with a resort staff training them on cocktails and hospitality. This gave me a test lab to work out what I think is the best recipe for a Goombay Smash that stays true to its island roots.
This is a strong and surprisingly easy-to-drink cocktail. Be careful. The Myers’s Rum float adds a little extra kick. Do not operate any M. Night Shyamalan movies while drinking it. It will just make you confused and angry.
However, if you ever take a trip to Harbour Island in the Bahamas, make sure to stop by the bar at Valentine’s Resort and Marina and ask for the best Goombay Smash in all the islands. Tell them I sent you. In the meantime, bring some of the Bahamas to your backyard this spring.
Goombay Smash
¾ oz Bacardi Light
¾ oz Bacardi Gold
¾ oz Malibu Rum or Coconut Rum
¾ oz Nassau Royale or Orange Curacao
1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Pineapple Juice
½ oz Myers’s Rum
Mix all ingredients except Myers’s Rum in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 7-10 seconds. Strain into a pint glass with ice. Float Myers’s Rum gently on top of drink. Garnish with an orange slice and brandied cherry.
Kevin D Barrett is the owner of Dram & Draught.
