In Capulet’s sea of divine cocktails, its houseblend gin shines.
The Exchange’s highly anticipated Capulet Cocktail Club recently bowed with a bang, instantly winning over Raleighites with well-balanced cocktails from mixology mastermind Zack Thomas. But beyond the menu’s celestial lineup lies an off-menu gem deserving of its own spotlight. Enter Capulet’s houseblended gin, forming the backbone of many of the ornate Italian-inspired destination’s signature gin-based ’tails.
Like a restaurant’s housemade oil or spice mix—designed to bring balance across dishes—Thomas’ custom concoction combines three of the Capulet crew’s favorite bottles: Conniption Navy Strength and two that remain under wraps. He hints that one leans heavily juniper, while the other brings a brighter citrus profile into the mix.
Altogether, the resulting house gin is “layered, expressive and resilient… balancing citrus lift, botanical depth and proof-driven structure—and performing consistently across stirred and shaken drinks,” he says. No stranger to the gin game, Thomas pulled inspo from his days of blind-tasting the spirit, tuning his palate to how different flavor indicators and styles behave when stirred and served up, or shaken with citrus.
While some bars blend rums for Tiki or tropical cocktails, blending gins is far less common, says Thomas—and allows Capulet to make its spirit a deliberate expression and not just a single-bottle default. “We wanted to do it for our house identity,” he explains. “It tastes like us and not like a brand [patrons] have had somewhere else before… appealing to all cocktails and giving us a unique expression of the spirit.”
Giving the already notable cocktails a further leg up, the house blend features prominently in standout sippers like the Quattro Bianchi—a 1980s-era Long Island Iced Tea riff layering gin with rum, tequila, Cointreau and tart soda—as well as the Ghost Light, a floral gin martini with Luxardo and jasmine, plus standards such as a Negroni or G&T.
A defining detail in Capulet’s already buzzy cocktail menu, the one-of-a-kind gin blend doesn’t just raise the bar—it underscores the team’s commitment to making every pour unmistakably its own. And the proof is in the glass.
Soaring high after Peregrine’s blockbuster debut, co-owner Patrick Shanahan—also of Watts & Ward fame—is having his moment. … And he’s only just getting started.
Dipping his toes back into the bar world, the painter, photographer, filmmaker and entrepreneur will unveil not one, but two new cocktail bars in partnership with longtime friend and fellow filmmaker Robby Opperman: Capulet Cocktail Club at The Exchange, and a new Japanese-American concept in the former Fox Liquor Bar space in DTR—with the beverage programs led by local mixologist Zack Thomas.
Building on the success of RM’s Best New Restaurant, Shanahan’s channeling his cinematic instincts into Capulet, set to debut Dec. 16. The name an ode to Romeo and Juliet’s Juliet Capulet, the romanticized space fuses Ancient Rome and modern disco, evoking themes of opulence and rich textures. Picture a deep red-tiled double horseshoe bar sitting underneath a soaring ~30-foot dome, rich jewel tones, velvet curtains, and antiques throughout, dotted with private booths, a fireplace and a small stage for live performances. Outside, a lush garden a la an Italian courtyard blooms with flowing fountains, Roman sculptures and its own bar.
From left: Patrick Shanahan, Zack Thomas, Robby Opperman| | Photo courtesy of Capulet Cocktail ClubFerdinand | Photo courtesy of Capulet Cocktail Club
“It’s almost as if you found a Roman ruin redecorated in the ’70s,” muses Shanahan… “an Italian fashion house hidden away in a garden for hundreds of years for people to stumble upon.”
Getting back to his filmmaking roots, the vario-medium storyteller approaches the project much like he would a movie—crafting a set through lighting, sound and design. “The nice thing about films is it’s a mix of all artistic styles in one place: music, visuals, art, fashion. All those have really inspired me.”
Cocktails at Capulet will lean Italian via a curated vino program, bottled beers, amaro-driven drinks and spritzes, plus a full European spirit selection. “I’m excited to get back into the world I know—the cocktail world,” emphasizes Shanahan.
Together with Peregrine, Capulet adds another destination to The Exchange—not to mention Midtown’s first bona fide cocktail bar. “I’m hearing what’s coming and I just want to be a part of that and help develop what this little section of Raleigh could be,” says Shanahan. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and having a little corner of Raleigh that I could really leave a mark on and do something special is exciting for me.”
Come early next year, the mastermind will also debut his DTR concept in the former Fox’s basement. Like a “cultural handshake,” the new bar blends shared artistic values of both Asian and American cultures—complete with a Japanese kissa (aka listening lounge), live-band karaoke, plus an extensive sake, whiskey and highball program.
Building off the basement’s bones Ashley Christensen laid, Shanahan’s design nods to the clean lines and natural materials of midcentury minimalism, with a bar top echoing furnituremaker George Nakashima’s work. “I’ve had so many good nights at Fox, and I’m honored to [take over] that spot,” he emphasizes. “When you walk down, you’ll be transported into a whole new realm.”
With two bold concepts on deck, the multihyphenate isn’t just expanding his footprint. He’s reshaping Raleigh’s bar scene—curating immersive worlds where storytelling takes center stage. Both are unmistakably Shanahan. And both will be impossible to resist.
