BevCon 2016

The Cocktail Bandits, were so excited to attend the first ever BevCon!! It took place at the Hyatt Place on  August 21st through August 23 in Charleston, South Carolina. BevCon is a 3 day conference for beverage professionals by beverage professionals focusing on ALL THINGS DRINKABLE: coffee, soda, juice, beer, wine and spirits.  It’s more intimate than most food and wine festivals, and is only for people in the beverage industry. This meant that classes were more in depth and business focused. Each day we learned about something or someone new in the industry, which is what this conference was  all about.

Day 1.
The first day of BevCon, we took a morning Rum excursion around Charleston Harbor. It was incredible. Paul Yellin, from Cane’s Rhum bar curated some tasty bites to pair with our cocktails as Rum author, Robert Moss, gave us  rum knowledge. It was a perfect way to start off the conference.

The opening event happened at High Wire Distllery, is where Angel Postell, the founder of BevCon spoke about the mission of this event. After the greetings and salutations, we were able to sample different foods and drinks, all while listening to live music. It was a hot day, but everyone managed to have a good time.

Day 2
Day two was the beginning of the seminars.
The very first seminar was about the definition of “craft”. This was an interesting panel that was comprised of 5 different business owners, all talking about what craft meant to them. A few of them wanted to get rid of the word, but the others appreciated the term because they felt their product is indeed craft. It was an interesting discussion.

The next seminar was called “Getting Inked”, which was a panel of influential media people such as Kat Kinsmen, F&B writer for Extra Crispy and Hanna Raskin, the F&B writer for Post and Courier. They were educating us bar professionals about different ways to get published. Some of their tips were; ‘to NOT overload Media inboxes with random press releases and to make sure whatever you want published has some relevance to the author or editor writing topic.’  What we found most interesting about this panel, was that there were NO social media influencers involved. It will be interesting to hear from the SOCIAL MEDIA perspective next year. Since that such a huge outlet for the Food and Beverage industry now.

The final seminar we attended on day 2, was a class called, “How Far You Can Twist a Classic?” This class discussed how a classic cocktail, the French 75, can be modernized, but still remain a French 75. Kat Kinsmen led this session, she has been on the hunt for French 75’s for the last 5 years! She has tried numerous renditions of this classic beverage and wanted show us two very different ways that 1 cocktail can be created.

 

She invited two Atlanta bartenders, Tiffanie Barriere, and Jenique Keyatta Holder-Mincey to create their versions of the French 75. Tiffanie created her CLASSIC cocktail with Cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup, then topped with champagne. Jenique’ created her French 75 with a twist.  She used gin, lemon juice, guava, and then topped it with champagne. Both were delicious and it proved that it is more than one way to create the same drink.

BAR TAKEOVERS

After the classes ended on Day 2 and 3, there were about 10 bar takeovers each night. We couldn’t make it to all of them, for obvious reasons, but we did go to Canes Rhum Bar, McCrady’s Tavern, Bar Mash, The Ordinary, The Grocery and Proof. Our favorite bar takeover was at The Rarebit with Tiffanie and Jenique. We had a great time with them, their cocktails were amazing, they played awesome music and the bar was packed! We danced there until they closed the spot!

Day 3

Day three was packed with seminars just like the other two days. What we enjoyed about the last day was the tasting room at the end of the day. This was not a conventional tasting session. There were over 30 different beverages to sample; and most of the special sips came from small companies. We were honored to sample some of the most exclusive brands.

FINALE
The final Bev Con event took place at the Windjammer on IOP. There was good food, cocktails and music ALL NIGHT! Angel Postell and her crew did an amazing job putting on the FIRST BevCon event in Charleston. We appreciated being around some of the best and brightest in the industry.

 

If you missed out on this fantastic event it will be back August 20-22, 2017. We will be back. We hope to see you there!

Top Ten Charleston Cocktails

What is a Charleston Cocktail?

When we asked bartenders, as well as Charleston cocktail lovers to define a “Charleston Cocktail” – we got very similar responses from almost everyone. They stated that the most popular cocktails in Charleston are “porch pounders”.

Porch Pounders are crisp, refreshing beverages made with a few simple ingredients. Perfect for a hot summer day on the porch or at the beach.

Here are our top 10 Charleston Porch Poundin’ cocktails.

1. Peninsula Tea- (Cocktail Bandits Original)

• Firefly  Sweet Tea Vodka
• Tippleman’s Ginger Honey Syrup
• Topped with Blenhim Ginger
• lemon

This is one of the first cocktails we curated for a public event. This cocktail is made with all local SC products and is extremely light and refreshing.  Anything made with Charleston tea is perfect anyway. Learn more about Peninsula Tea in our book, Holy Spirits! Charleston Culture Through Cocktails

2. Green Gimlet-  (Feathertop)

• Gin
• Genepy
• Cucumber
• Lime
• Matcha Tea
• Thyme

This beautiful, green gin cocktail is so smooth. The crisp, cool flavor of the cucumber is perfect for any warm occasion. Bartender Ryan Jones, of Feathertop says that it has been a hit since they have opened and we have to agree!

3. Charleston Daiquiri- (Rarebit)

• Dark rum
• Banana liquor
• Local honey
• Lemon

Rarebit’s bartender, Ramon Caraballo, came up with this super simple, yet bright and beautiful cocktail. The rum and banana liquor pair perfectly together and are the perfect suggestion for any hot, humid day in Charleston.

4. Double Standard- (Cocktail Club)

• Gin
• Jalapeno
• Lemon
• Honey Simple Syrup

This gin cocktail, made by Ryan Welliver of Cocktail Club, is a great balance of sweet and spice, its the beverage to order on a nice Charleston summer eve.

5. Shoulder Monkey- (Darling Oyster Bar)

• Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whiskey
• grilled pineapple & sage syrup
• Orgeat
• Lemon

• Grilled Pineapple

Its rare to find a scotch cocktail in Charleston and even more difficult to find one that is palatable in this heat. This beautiful scotch and sage cocktail from The Darling is extremely easy on the eyes and taste buds.

6. Instant  Vacation –  (Canes Rhum Bar)

• Mt. Gay Rum
• Ginger
• Felernum
• Orange Juice
• Lemon Juice

This drink should be called an “Instant Staycation” because that is how it feels when you take one sip of this fabulous cocktail.  Rum was the first liquor that was drank in Charleston and this cocktail explains why people love it!

7. Arnold Palmero – (492) – vodka

• Vodka
• Ramozzotti
• Yerba Mate’
• Strawberry
• Lemon

The Arnold Palmero is a play on the classic sweet Tea and lemonade drink called the Arnold Palmer but this cocktail has a bit of a kick. Bartender, Megan Deschaine, says the Yerba Mate’ gives you a burst of enegy and the strawberry purée creates the beautiful color.

8. Bubbly Bliss – (Cocktail Bandits original)

• Striped Pig Gin
• Strawberry puree
• Lemon juice
• Agave
• One Hope Bubbly Wine

Created for a fun photoshoot with @charlestonweekender, this champagne drink is a simple, fun and fruity DIY cocktail that can be made for a girls day at the pool. Find more Cocktail Bandits recipes in our book!

9. The Barn Raiser- (S.N.O.B)

• Honey-Infused Bourbon
• Orange bitters
• Blenheim’s Ginger Ale
• Orange bitters

This cocktail embodies everything about Charleston in the summer. This cocktail is simple, effective, and full of bourbon! Oh and we love anything with Blenheim’s Spicy Ginger Ale.

10. Foraged French- (The Westendorff)

• Sorrel Infused Hat Trick Gin
• St. Germain
• Cava
• Mint
• Lime
• Basil

The Westendorff was extremely creative with this cocktail. The Sorrel infused Gin combined with the St. Germain liqueur gave this cocktail delicious floral notes. It felt like sipping spring/summer.

We had a great time visiting and listing our top Charleston cocktails for the summer! Now, go try one of these “Porch Pounders” for yourself and enjoy this amazing city! CHEERS!

 

This article was originally published in the Post and Courier

www.postandcourier.com/article/20160926/PC12/160929556

The Teal Drop Cocktail on LCL

The Bandits had a great time on Lowcountry Live this morning. We had the honor of partnering with the Center for Women and creating a Teal cocktail in honor of #wearteal day for GYN health and awareness. Encourage women in your life to learn more about her body.

For our craft cocktail, we came up with a simple, pretty cocktail called the “Teal Drop.”

THE TEAL DROP

1.5 oz vodka

.5 oz pineapple juice

.5 oz Blue Curaçao

Shaken and poured into glass

Topped with O and O Hooch

Garnished with lime

 

 

Use the link below to watch the full clip!

http://abcnews4.com/lowcountry-live/c4w-cocktail-bandits

Miss Naturally Crowned Charleston

Miss Naturally Crowned

On June 24th, History was made in Charleston, South Carolina. “Miss Naturally Crowned” was the First Natural Hair beauty pageant to come to the American Theater.  Nine beautiful, black, natural women walked across the stage that night. We were so thankful to be in attendance, and happy to be a part of it.

Jessica and Maureen, have been putting on this event in Columbia for the last three years. They decided to create a pageant to fund a natural hair beauty supply store that they want to open in Columbia. They started the “Miss Naturally Crowned” franchise in December of 2013 and received an overwhelming response. It’s become one of the most creative, unique events to happen in the natural hair community. These besties/co-owners created a platform where women of color could be celebrated for naturally being themselves; that’s pretty rare and amazing to us. They also empowered women of color to be proud of who they are. We love that and were so thankful that they decided to bring this concept of Charleston, and allowed us to be proud judges of this special pageant.

This pageant, was about more than just being beautiful. Being a natural woman was very difficult for a lot of us in the beginning. It’s so empowering to see young women embracing who they are and the curls that grow out of their head; is simply beautiful. All the contestants were professional, educated and highly motivated. All nine have serious goals,  hopes and dreams but don’t want to be judged by their hair. One great thing about this pageant is that the winner was able to take the prize money and apply it to their business. Quite the incentive considering most of the women who participated are entrepreneurs.

This year’s winner is Miss Paige Green. Paige is a social worker at her day job and the owner and operator of Paige’s Sweet Treats as well. She received $1000 to invest in her personal business. We were so inspired by this event and can’t wait to attend Miss Naturally Crowned Charleston, 2017.

 

www.naturallycrownedcharleston.com

The Hacienda Patrón Experience (Part 2)

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The Patron Tequila making process has several steps.

1. AGAVE SELECTION: Patron has a long relationship with growers in Mexico. They always make sure they’re provided with the best agave available. Once agave is selected, a jimador (Mexican farmer who harvests agave) will strip the leaves, leaving the pina. (Core or center of agave.)

2. AGAVE COOKING: the pina is cut into smaller pieces and placed in small brick ovens to provide a balanced, more consistent, cooking process. It takes 79 hours per oven. In this process, agave turns to deep red color, and is ready to be crushed.

 

3. CRUSHING THE AGAVE: once the agave is cooked the tequila is crushed in two ways. 

• Roller Mill machines squeeze the the cooked agave. This process separates the mosto (agave syrup) from the bagasse (agave fiber).
•  Tahona Process crushes the agave plant by using a heavy volcanic stone Tahona wheel and stone mill. This process keeps the mosto with the bagasse. Patron is the largest Tahona tequila producer in the world. They have 10 tahonas working CONTINUOUSLY.       

4. FERMENTATION: The agave juice is fermented for several days on wooden vats. The temperature of the juice rises as the yeast is converts the sugars into alcohol. Patron has their own proprietary yeast that they use. In the Roller Mill process, the mosto is fermented with the bagasse. In the Tahona process, the mosto and bagasse are fermented together.

 

5. DISTILLATION: in the roller mill process, the mosto is distilled in large custom copper pot stills. It goes through 2 distillations. Because it’s not distilled with the bagasse, it’s has a fruitier flavor. In the Tahona process, the bagasse is distilled with the mosto in the first distillation, but not the second. This creates a more herbaceous flavor. These custom made copper pot stills, produce unique distillates that become Patron Tequila.

Patron Silver is created by blending the second distillations for the roller mill process, and the Tahona process.

6. AGING: There are 5 categories for age in the tequila process.

•  Silver/Young – has not been aged.
•  Gold – can be aged or unaged, or a blend. PATRON does not produce gold.
•  Reposado – (rested) means it has been aged 2-11 months.
• Añejo – (aged) means it has been rested for 1-3 years.
•  Extra Añejo – means it’s aged for a minimum of 3 years.
• BLENDING: Patron Silver is aged in 5 different barrels to produce Patron Reposado, and Anejo: French Limousine Oak, Hungarian Oak, American Oak, French Allier Oak, and American Bourbon barrels.

It was so cool to see all of the barrels aging. You could smell the sweetness of the tequila!

8. BOTTLING: Bottles are inspected by hand before being shipped to the distillery. Each bottle is individually numbered, wrapped in tissue, and hand boxed. It’s was interesting to see the ladies working inside the bottling room.

 

When we exited the bottling room, Jose took us to their waste management building where they have a customized, reverse osmosis system to clean all of the contaminated water. The discarded agave fiber from the tequila production process is also transformed into usable compost that Patron donates to their agave farming partners. They use it in their own farm on the plantation as well. Patron has been recognized in Mexico for their great work in reducing waste.

We concluded our amazing day by having dinner at the Hacienda. Don’t know if it’s a “thing” in Mexico to serve 6-8 course meals, but they sure knew how to feed us. They had bartenders make us delicious cocktails, gave us Cuban cigars to smoke, and even gave the whole crew some parting gifts. It was one of the best experiences we have ever had.

 

WHAT WE LEARNED:

We learned that the Patron Company is about more than just tequila and money; it was about a community and growth. The Hacienda employed a good percentage of the town of . Jose told us that husbands, wives, kids, some entire families worked at Hacienda Patron. We learned that they have educational opportunities while working for the company as well. We were able to see their beautiful garden and some of that food goes to the employees too. It was comforting to see a brand, like Patron, take care of their employees, bartenders, and even people like the Bandits: imbibers of tequila! We had an amazing experience, and if you ever have the chance to go to Hacienda Patron…. DO IT! Cheers!

The Hacienda Patron Experience (Part 1)

 

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If any of you know the Cocktail Bandits, you know that our first love is tequila. It is the reason why we created the brand. For the last 3 years, we have been studying/tasting different tequilas, learning about the tequila culture and making our own fun tequila cocktails. We were praying for a way to get down there to learn more and were so thrilled that our prayers were answered when the USBG- Charleston as well as the Hacienda Patron Academy gave us the opportunity of a lifetime! They invited us to Mexico!

 

For 2016, the #HaciendaPatron and USBG partnered up and are inviting top USBG bartenders from around the U.S. to visit their distillery. The mission: to learn the whole tequila process, and show why Patron is a great tequila company in Mexico.

Day 1

When we first landed in Guadalajara, we were greeted by Chris Spake, the Director of Brand Education at Patron. We then traveled to the Westin Hotel, which was fabulous and our view of Guadalajara was amazing. Once everyone was settled we all loaded back on the bus, and went to this popular market area called Tlaquepaque Centro. There were shops, outside vendors, restaurants, and other tourist-like attractions. It’s was beautiful. 

We were excited to find a pulqueria, (tavern that sells pulque) so we all stopped in to get a drink. Pulque is a milky, foamy, alcoholic beverage native to Mexico that is made from agave sap; very similar to tequila and mezcal, but lower in alcohol content. It tasted like a sour beer and came in different favors like strawberry and even mascarpone.

 

Later, we went to this beautiful restaurant, Casa Luna, and they prepared an 8 course dinner for us! They showered us with wonderful live music, delicious food, and great Patron cocktails. The highlight of the evening was when they opened the top of the restaurant and we could see the stars. It was unbelievable! After dinner, we all returned to the hotel, to get rest and prepare for the next morning.

 

DAY 2

The next morning, we woke up to a decked out, Patron Charter Bus that took us 2 hours away to Atotonilco el Alto, the home of Hacienda Patron. As soon we were getting closer to Patron, we saw these huge fields of agave plants. There were also other tequila distilleries in the area.

 

Jose Antonio Rodriguez Castillo from Patron was there to greet us and inform us on what we would should expect before we went to see the distillery. He was extremely knowledgeable about the full Patron tequila making process.

He explained that tequila is made from 100% blue agave. Agave is a succulent plant, that takes about 6-8 years to grow and be used in tequila production. Its extremely important in Mexico because it is the base and most important ingredient in tequila, and tequila production is essential for their economy.

Jose also talked about Master Distiller, Francisco Alcaraz, who has been in the tequila industry for decades. He created the first batch of Patron in 1989. Francisco’s handcrafted method for tequila has always used 100% agave. The unique thing about Patron was that the distiller used a centuries old method called the “Tahona”, and blended it with the more modern tequila making method called “Roller Mill.” We were excited to see both methods and tour the distillery.

 

 

Satisfy Your Thirst SC -Lowcountry

Our last region for that Satisfy Your Thirst tour was the Lowcountry. The Lowcountry consists of Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and Ridgeland. The area is so beautiful, and historic; it really makes you appreciate this beautiful state as well as this amazing tour. We were able to find some really cool spots to check out on the app.

SOUTHERN BARRELL BREW CO.

Our first stop in the Lowcountry for the SYT SC tour was at Southern Barrel Brew Co. It is Bluffton’s first brewery, beer garden, and Tavern. Their menu is always seasonal and local, and most of it includes their fresh beer that’s brewed every day. They say that their “food is crafted with beer in mind”, and we have to agree. Their bar food was amazing and have a great selection of beer. We had a few flights and realized that most of their beers we IPAs: light, and hoppy.

Southern Barrel got its name from the region (Southern), and the process where beer is aged in wine, or whiskey (barrels) to get a unique flavor. All of their beers are brewed and canned in-house. They have only been open for a year so it will be exciting to see how they evolve. They conduct tours daily, so check out their cool new brewery and all they do at www.southernbarrelbrewingco.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ISLAND WINERY

In Hilton head, we found this cute winery and had to include it on our tour. It is called Island Winery, and it’s been in the lowcountry for over 10 years. The owners have a vineyard in New York and decided to bring to concept to Hilton Head because there were no wineries there.

 

They use a variety of grapes for their wines. They get grapes from 12 different states, crush them, and then bottle the finished product here in South Carolina. We appreciate the fact that they are also experimenting with other fruit; making wines with blueberries, peaches, and, of course, muscadines. They even have a margarita wine, (don’t ask us how), but it is one of their best sellers, and it tasted great. Their tasting room was beautiful and the staff and owners were very hospitable and knowledgeable. Please visit this little gem at www.islandwinery.com, and let them Satisfy your thirst, SC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAUFAUSKI ISLAND RUM COMPANY

The The last, and most memorable location of our satisfy your thirst tour was Daufauski Island Rum Company, on Daufauski Island. This island is 20 minutes away from Hilton Head Island. We had to take a ferry to get there and it was so worth it.

The island was beautiful. We were greeted by Mrs. Chase, (wife of owner) and she walked us up to her golf cart. That’s right. They only drove golf carts on this island, there are no cars. We love how everyone greeted each other as they passed driving down the road, the Island is only 5 miles long , and 2 miles wide.

When we got to the distillery we saw that it was a massive space. We later found out that Tony Chase (owner), along with others on the Island, built the distillery themselves. We thought that was incredible! Tony told us about how all of the ladies on the island got together and would cook lunch for them everyday until they completed finished the project. We loved that teamwork. He proudly states that every piece of material he used to build his distillery is from USA. You can also say that about his rum. Tony was an army kid and wanted everything to come from the States, so he made sure EVERYTHING, the equipment, ingredients, and all of his products come from U.S.A. and we appreciate that.

Tony is a purist. His rum only uses natural products. He uses Demerara Sugar because it’s brown and produces a rich rum flavor. His spiced rum uses actual cinnamon and isn’t super sweet. The favorite of the day was a vanilla rum that was steeped with a real vanilla bean from Florida.

We were in awe of the history of Daufuskie Island. It was on of the first Islands that slaves inhabited, and they still have remnants of the old slave homes made out of oyster shells and paste. Because it’s so far away from the mainland, the Gullah culture is still very prominent there. It’s a beautiful place and we learned about much more than rum. It was the perfect way to end the Satisfy Your Thirst tour. We recommend everyone check out the island and the distillery at www.daufuskierum.com.

This tour was an amazing, eye opening experience. We learned so much in the 10 days we traveled around the state. We saw juiceries, wineries, breweries, and distilleries that are SC made. Now to get ready to apply what we learned to our own cocktails for ATL Food and Wine.

Satisfy Your Thirst SC Tour – Columbia

Columbia was the next stop of our SYT SC tour. Columbia has fewer places on the app but they have a growing beverage community that will be as big as Charleston or Greenville very soon! Their up and coming beer scene is something the we are excited about!

OLD MILL BREW PUB

The SYT SC app led us to Lexington, SC to a distillery that was washed away last year from the horrible flooding from Hurricane Joaquin. We were so lucky to go there because we found a great pub nearby called Old Mill Brew Pub. It is an awesome micro brewery that made a few beers in house, but also carried an enormous local and regional beer selection.

Their master brewer Matt Rodgers, who calls himself, the “Beerded Farmer”, has the largest hops farm in SC. He has had it for 10 years and told us that he gives his hops to local brewers in SC, most times, for free. Matt will be opening his own brewery later this year and we can’t wait to go back to Columbia and try out his beer. This location was not on the app, but they create and support SC made beer. It was a perfect alternative and was very close to the distillery that had washed away. They even had some Moonshine from the distillery. We appreciated all of their hospitality.

 

 

 

 

RIVER RAT BREWING

The next stop on the Satisfy Your Thirst app was River Rat Brewing. River Rat Brewing got its name from the three rivers that run through Columbia, and “river rats” were the blue collar workers that work in the canal, over 100 years ago. In 2013, with those workers in mind, River Rat wanted to create a brewery that made “craft beers that would satisfy anyone after a long day’s work.” That’s exactly what they did.

They have some very delicious beer and we loved their story. We were allowed to tour the brewery to see behind the scenes as well. River Rat has a great outside area, and it’s really close to the University of South Carolina. There were a few students out back with their dogs. We loved this place and think that it’s a great stop if you’re ever In the area. Tour the brewery at info@riverratbrewing.com.

 

 

 

CONQUEST BREWING

A few miles down the street, we stumbled in to another craft brewery that was on the SYT SC app, called Conquest Brewing. Conquest Brewing is focused on making really great craft beer. If Game of Thrones had its own brewery; it would be Conquest. The names of all of the beer are “mid evil-ish”, and all of their taps are swords. So cool.

The evening that we went there, Conquest was having their weekly trivia night. It was very communal setting, the “brew tender”, named Wilson, was a classmate of ours and the host of trivia. He ordered pizza for everyone, and we had a few flights to sample. After everyone was fed, Wilson gave us tour around the back and got the chance to see the area where all of the brewery magic happens. It’s a cool place, that is owned by locals, drank by locals, and loved by locals. For more info on Conquest Brewing: www.conquestbrewing.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOUTHERN SQUEEZED JUICERY

Before leaving Columbia, and after enjoying all the delicious beer, we had to find a juicery. We found one that was very close to our hotel called Southern Squeezed Juicery. Southern Squeezed is owned by a husband and wife team and located downtown. They were the first juicery in Columbia, and their mission is to “encourage a clean, healthy lifestyle by providing great tasting, nutrient-rich juices that nourish the body.” Their juice is amazing.

Katie, the owner, told us that they give all of their fruit and veggie pulp to farmers to feed their chickens; and the farmers give them fresh eggs to sell in the store. We love that type of community support. Check out more about Southern Squeezed Juicery at www.southernsqueezedjuicery.com

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Satisfy Your Thirst SC Tour – Greenville

The upstate was a pleasant surprise for us on this tour. We did not know that so many cool and innovative things were happening there, in the food and beverage scene. There were a plethora  of locations on that Satisfy Your Thirst app, but in the small time we had were only able to go to eight different places. Let's get started!

DISTILLERIES

DARK CORNER DISTILLERY

The first location that the app led us to once we got to Greenville, was Dark Corner Distillery. Dark Corner got their name from the corners of the four states; Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia it was notorious for illegal moonshining back in the day. Roxy and her husband started this distillery to create moonshine.

They also distill the first bourbon that was ever created in South Carolina,  and currently have a new whiskey line exclusively marketed to women called Whiskey Girl. It is the lightly flavored whiskey made with the female palate in mind. They also makes few flavored white whiskeys, which are unique because they are not aged in oak barrels to get that dark brown color. They are currently building another facility in Hilton Head that should be opening soon. You can check out more about Dark Corner at their website at www.darkcornerdistillery.com.

 

 

 

 

SIX AND TWENTY DISTILLERY

The next up on the Satisfy Your Thirst Tour was Six & Twenty Distillery in Powdersville, South Carolina. Farmer and David, are some amazing guys who pride themselves in being a “grain to glass” production. That basically means that everything that is used in their spirits, is grown in our beautiful state. They make whiskey, gin, vodka, and bourbon. They actually have a bourbon that has 5 grains from the upstate, Midlands, and the Lowcountry.

Their entire distillation process is done at their distillery… Even the bottling. We even had the privilege of tasting some of the mash, which is the fermented grains juice that is made before distillation. These guys are fun, smart, and really enjoy but they are doing. And that’s what it’s all about! Please visit them on their website at www.sixandtwentydistillery.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BREWERIES

UPSTATE CRAFT BREW CO.

Upstate Craft Beer Co. was an amazing microbrewery and an even better experience. Their concept is pretty cool too and it’s the only establishment of its kind in South Carolina. They are “Greenville’s unique brewpub combining a nano brewery, taproom, home brew shop and U-Brew on premise.” Customers can come in, consult with a brewmaster, make their own craft beer recipe, let it ferment for a few weeks, then keg their beer and take it home. Home brewers can purchase materials for their own beer projects at home.

 

They are also doing some really cool things with the beer, using unconventional  ingredients like beets! We tried a beet beer and it was a beautiful color and a very interesting taste. We can’t wait to go back and make our own beer recipe. They experiment often and change their taps on a regular basis. Their bar food was pretty tasty as well. Those guys are doing some great things there and we love their story. They were just some young guys that wanted to work for themselves and provide opportunities for others in the process. We are inspired and excited to see what else they come up with! Visit their place and check out their website. www.upstatecraftbeer.com.

 

 

THOMAS CREEK BREWING

The next brewery that the Satisfy Your Thirst app led us to in the upstate, was Thomas Creek brewery. Thomas Creek is the second oldest sustainable brewery in the Carolinas, it is 18 years old. Thomas Creek is also a home to smaller breweries. The product is made in warehouse with the brewmasters recipes. Thomas Creek brewing is an example of how an idea can become a huge production. This small business also shows us how to bring the family together, because the father/son duo has never been closer than they are now. They are a well know brand that continues to cultivate and innovate, not to mention make fantastic beer. Their flagship beer is their Red Ale, but they also have cool flavors like peanut butter.  The facility is nice, but the people are even nicer. Please go check this awesome place at www.thomascreekbeer.com.

 

 

 

 

 

SWAMP RABBIT BREWERY

Swamp Rabbit Brewery is located in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. They pride themselves on creating craft beer that ” captures the local heart and soul of their community.” It’s a cool fun place, that serves delicious beer, has wonderful outside seating, and a food truck was on location if anyone is hungry. A fun fact about Swamp Rabbit is that they have LED lights that shine on the stills at night, they change colors too! They were so cool! We love that the Satisfy Your Thirst app led us to this laid back, chill, community gem. They don’t mind giving a tour of the space either. To visit, and/or learn more about their story at www.theswamprabbitbrewery.com.

 

 

JUICERIES

Thankfully, the SYT app showed more than places where one can get any creative. They have also told you about other places that way I can taste drinks that do not contain alcohol. In the upstate there are a number of creameries that supply milk and dairy to the rest of the state but, we didn’t have a chance to check them out we did however, get the check out two great juiceries: KUKA Juice, and Southern Pressed Juicery.

 

 

KUKA JUICE

KUKA Juice was such a cute place in the upstate. Samantha let a sample all of the juices and told us that they were the first cold pressed juicery in South Carolina. They got the name from the goddess of health and joy when they went to Colombia for an excursion a few years ago. Her name was KUKA mama. They saw how healthy and fresh everything was there and wanted to bring that type of juicing back to South Carolina. They started off selling juices at the Farmer’s market, and now they have their own store.

A fun fact about KUKA Juice is that Sam is also dating the master distiller from Dark Corner Distilling! We love that connection! To learn more about KUKA Juicery please check them out at www.kukajuice.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOUTHERN PRESSED JUICERY

Southern Pressed Juicery, located in downtown Greenville, is a 100% organic, raw, coldpressed juice shop; with superfood smoothies,energy bowls, and plant-based foods. They offer a cleanses, smoothies, and health food options that will make you feel better from the inside out. SPJ makes pure juice; they don’t process or pasteurize and never add anything extra. We tried about five different juices, and everything was so fresh and clean. They also use a few of their juices for cocktails! We absolutely love that! It was the perfect way to Satisfy Our Thirst after a long day of “drink touring.” Lol!! Please check them out at www.southernpressedjuicery.com

Our time in Greenville with the SYT tour finally came to an end. Now we’re taking our talents, as well as our thirst off to Columbia!! Cheers Greenville! Until next time…..

Satisfy Your Thirst SC Tour – Charleston (cont)

FIREFLY DISTILLERY

Our next stop, on the Satisfy Your Thirst Tour, was our beloved Firefly! Firefly Distillery was founded on Wadmalaw Island, 30 minutes away from Charleston, South Carolina. The owners and founders, Jim Irvine and Scott Newitt came up with the insane idea to build a distillery in the country. They lobbied in Columbia, SC and got laws changed so that distilling and production was affordable and legal in the state. They decided to name their distillery Firefly because fireflies are magical and they’re a nostalgic staple in the south.

Firefly became the world’s first sweet tea vodka, and South Carolina’s first distillery giving the state the opportunity to distill and curate more spirits. They even get their tea from Charleston Tea Plantation; the oldest and ONLY tea plantation in SC.

Firefly produces several types of spirits. They have vodka, rum, whiskey, moonshine, an array of cordials and now a bourbon. We were blessed to be able to sample the bourbon that will be coming out February 2017. Yumm! We also had an amazing time “working” on the production line; but we’ll leave that hard labor to the professionals!

When you visit Firefly Distillery, you will be able to learn about the distillation process and to meet Scott and Jim. They also have a number of tours available if you want to check out their fabulous operation. You can check it out at www.fireflyspirits.com.

 

DEEP WATER VINEYARDS

The next location on the Satisfy Your Thirst tour is Deep Water Vineyards… which used to be Irving House Wines, owned by Firefly Distillery. The new owners Andrea and Jesse  told us that they always wanted to have a vineyard. When they moved to the south, a few friends saw that the property was for sale and dared them to purchase it from Irving House. So they decided to take that chance, moved their family to Wadmalaw Island, and actually have their own vineyard. They said that it’s an exciting, new, overwhelming experience…. And, sometimes, they feel like they’re in “Deep Water” with this new venture.

Deep Water also has a deeper meaning for the co owners/couple. They feel like the name embodies their view of life; jump in the deep waters and know that you have done something bigger than yourself.

 

Jesse and Andrea are currently in the process of re-branding all of their wine. We are excited to see what they do with the yummy muscadine wine that they produce. The muscadine grape is the only TRUE native grape in the U.S. and Deep Water is Charleston, South Carolina’s ONLY vineyard and winery.

The wines vary in color, flavor, and sweetness. We can’t wait to go back and see what else they have done with the space! They have daily tastings at the vineyard. Please check out their amazing story and schedule a take a look at their tour times at www.deepwatervinyard.com.

Now, on our way to Greenville…. Cheers and #satisfyyourthirstSC!