Women’s Month Cocktail Crawl
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. This tour aims to highlight some of the women bartenders in the Holy City bar scene.
The group will visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Every cocktail will feature a premium spirit made with Appleton Rum or Aperol. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue. The tour is guided by Charleston’s Beverage Ambassadors, The Cocktail Bandits. Event is sponsored by Campari.
Purchase tickets using the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-month-cocktail-crawl-tickets-576487408357
History & Rum workshop
We have partnered with Historic Charleston Foundation to host two beverage workshops to educate on the diverse the diverse history of spirits and some simple tips for crafting cocktails at home.
Charleston’s unique connection to the Spice Islands.
Our first workshop focuses on the rich history of rum sugar can cultivation and Charleston’s unique connection to the Spice Islands. Rum has been a staple in Charleston culture since this city’s settlement. The sugar cane based spirit was enjoyed by settlers and sailors alike while also being used as a bartering tool. Charleston beverage ambassadors, The Cocktail Bandits, will lead the group through an informative and educational Rum tasting and craft cocktail demonstration. Attendees will sample a variety of Rums including Appleton Estate and Wray & Nephew.
Ticket link below:
https://2032.blackbaudhosting.com/2032/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=d976e840-db30-445b-974e-38dd07bc393a
Taste of Black Charleston
The Black Expo is back in the Lowcountry. They have a weekend full of events starting with the Taste of Black Charleston on Friday, March 10th at the International African American Museum. We will be there shaking up cocktails featuring Jack Daniels. Come see us!
Women Crush Wednesday
Come join us for an International Women’s Day Celebration! We will be on a panel of female entrepreneurs at 6pm, a female vendor market from 7-9pm AND an acoustic set by Taylor Jarvis of @themidnightcityband
A portion of proceeds will be donated to @mysistershouseinc a local charity that helps break the cycle of domestic violence. Check out their website to see what donations they are looking for, as they’ll be accepting them at the event!
Essences & Aromatics
Explore your senses. Understand the nuances of scent and the history of cologne making while crafting your very own aromatic Gin cocktail.
Fragrances have the potential to transport you to a foreign land or recall a distant memory. Blend your own signature scent that captivates any room and inspires imagination. Fragrance demonstration lead by Tijon Charleston.
Charleston Beverage Ambassadors, The Cocktail Bandits, will explore and explain the similarities between blending oils and blending spirits. Additionally, attendees will craft their own aromatic and herbaceous Gin based cocktail. Gin is made of a variety of herbs, spices and botanicals.
Purchase tickets using the link below:
Black Bartender Bar Crawl
Get to know some of Charleston’s top bartenders during this tour celebrating Black History Month and Black Bartenders in the Holy City.
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. This tour aims to highlight some of the Black bartenders in the Holy City bar scene. The group will visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Every cocktail will feature a premium spirit made with Ciroc, Ciroc VS or Deleon Tequila. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue. The tour is guided by Charleston’s Beverage Ambassadors, The Cocktail Bandits. Event is sponsored by Diageo.
Purchase tickets using the link below
Mexico for the Win!
Mexico may very well be my favorite country to visit. I look for any excuse to visit and am delighted by the new discoveries I make during each trip. This voyage was at the invitation of our friends at El Tequileno. This brand is based in Tequila, Mexico, the birthplace of the iconic spirit. Unlike other trips to Tequila country, this distillery is located in a more remote, more rural part of the city.
As such, El Tequileno and Casa Salles hotel have created resort-like accommodations for guests. Complete with a gourmet restaurant, craft cocktail bar, full spa and my favorite feature, a sparkling swimming pool.
While this location is perfect for a vacation, I was there to study and hopefully pass my Level 1 Spirits exam hosted by WSET. The Wine & Spirits Educational Trust is an internationally recognized organization of spirits educators. The instructors are trained to explain the nuances of each spirits category in an understandable and consumable way. Our instructors, Peter Smolarz and Gina Castillo were engaging and informative.
I was most impressed by the diversity among the exam takers. Our class consisted of bartenders, chefs and beverage professionals from Mexico and the United States. Some attendees needed help with language translation that our WSET educators were able to accommodate. Very impressive.
After the studying and test taking was complete we received a guided tour of El Tequileno distilling operation. The brand stays true to its roots, following family tradition by using the same tried and true methods since their 1959.
But El Tequileno isn’t stuck in the past. We had the pleasure of trying the newest edition to their brand portfolio, Reposado Rare. This aged Tequila has been rested in American Oak barrels for 6 years. This limited expression essentially created a new age statement for Tequila. Way to lead the pack.
In an industry full of celebrity brands, El Tequileno is staying true to form while pushing the limits of product innovation.
Served Up Neat
If one asks for Bourbon “neat”, he or she is expecting their serving of spirit undiluted or mixed with anything else. This preparation permits the guest to enjoy the full flavor of the spirit. One can taste the bitter and the sweet properties. This service allows for an appreciation of harsh aromatics followed by a sweet, floral finish.
When discussing necessary yet controversial topics, we prefer to speak directly to the issue as opposed to beating around the bush. When we got approached by Facebook to design a podcast to discuss topics of interest in the food and beverage space, we vowed to keep it real, to speak plainly, to serve these topics ‘neat’.
We decided to take this opportunity to dispel common misconceptions surrounding the African American beverage consumer. It is widely accepted that people of color have a less refined palate and limit themselves to a select few spirit options. We deign to figure out where these myths came from and how to better educate Black bar patrons and those who serve them. We reached out to some of the most knowledgeable, well-traveled and well-sipped individuals in the industry for their expert opinion on specific sectors of the industry. They provided first hand accounts of career obstacles, discrimination and triumph.
We kicked off the six parts series with our dear friend and the first Black man to obtain a distiller’s license in the United States, Jackie Summers of Sorrel Liqueur. Jackie spoke to the barriers he broke on his journey writing about beverages as a lover and purveyor of liqueur.
Next, we spoke to Jamaal Lemon, native Charlestonian and beer historian. Jamaal frequently contributes to ‘Good Beer Hunting’ and recently released his own brew in collaboration with Edmund’s Oast Brewery located in the Holy City. ‘8 and All’ is an American Strong Ale that sheds light on Charleston’s dark colonial past which often neglects to mention the contribution of former enslaved Africans. Powerful stuff. Jamaal, a 2022 James Beard nominee, explained how breweries can be an unsafe space for Black people in our episode entitled, ‘Black people don’t drink craft beer’.
https://www.facebook.com/fbaudio/?link_hash=vmepdrqsgeyp&story_token=370093184495692
We kept it country in our next audio room discussing the African American connection to Moonshine. Pitmaster and Rocket Scientist, Dr. Howard Conyers educated us on the long held tradition of smoking meat and distilling spirit in secrecy. Dr. Conyers, himself a distiller of fine moonshine, spoke to the absence of any celebrity Black pitmasters and Black distillers; it’s no coincidence. Access, finances, and media perception has kept Black faces and Black names from history. Dr. Conyers encouraged listeners to honor tradition and continue the legacy.
https://www.facebook.com/fbaudio/?link_hash=zlkcxkbegsss&story_token=1250556202130115
The following conversation would involve the complicated yet misunderstood grip Hennessy has on the Black community. We spoke with Hennessy brand ambassador and Chicago native, Alexis Brown. As a boxer and seasoned bar professional, Alexis spoke of her journey to becoming an ambassador for an internationally recognized brand and explained how African Americans were exposed to and fell in love with Cognac, specifically Hennessy.
https://www.facebook.com/fbaudio/?link_hash=oubtyvbhbcgk&story_token=392095335699854
As attendees and speakers at beverage conferences all over the country, we often find ourselves among a small group of African Americans. It can be a lonely and isolating experience. We spoke to Ashtin Berry for her perspective as a host/organizer and creator of Radical Xchange – a bi-annual conference centered on the African American contribution to food and beverage ways in this country and beyond. Berry, a self proclaimed hospitality activist, has an endless list of accolades that include being named Humanitarian of the year and The Future 50 by WSET has seen the industry grow while simultaneously ignoring the needs of its essential workers. She shares tips on making the bar space more equitable and inclusive for people of color.
https://www.facebook.com/fbaudio/?link_hash=fcayecceotke&story_token=377573807178461
We concluded our series with a discussion on wine. Our friend and sommelier, Cha McCoy, joined us for a spirited discussion on the myths and barriers preventing Black people from drinking fine wine and preventing servers from offering fine wine options to Black patrons. Cha, who has studied wine in three different continents, has served wine to patrons of all backgrounds and ethnicities. She detailed that the problem has more to do with what we think a fine wine drinker looks like as opposed to what the market actually reflects. Representation matters!
https://www.facebook.com/fbaudio/?link_hash=ajcmprxxozcf&story_token=204475845101587
So if you’re thirsty for some straight talk, no chaser then check out all six episodes of Served Up Neat’ on our Facebook Channel. Listen responsibly, of course.
Bar & Restaurant Expo 2021
Vegas is known for its over-the-top entertainment and star-studded performances. Nothing is too big or too exaggerated for Vegas. This city provides the perfect backdrop for the Bar & Restaurant Expo (BRE). In the land of infinite possibilities, BRE permits innovators in the food and beverage space to exchange ideas, review new product designs, and discuss pioneering service methods.
Unlike other food and beverage expos, BRE gives equal importance to bar and restaurant operations as it does marketing and customer relations.
We were invited to contribute to three panel discussions. Taneka was joined by Mia Mastroianni and Tim Angelillo on the panel discussing ‘2021 Beverage Trends to Know to Drive More Sales’. Johnny’s session, ‘Your Go To Strategy for Working with Social Media Influencers’ gave a few tips on adjusting your expectations and realistic compensation for influencer marketing. She shared the stage with Vance Henderson, David Rev Ciancio and Jabin Troth.
After our ‘Marketing to Minorities’ seminar.
Jointly, we hosted a session detailing the importance of marketing to minorities. The session was well attended and led to a spirited question-and-answer session.
True to form, the expo floor was sprinkled with celebrities from the music and entertainment world. We bumped into Jenny McCarthy, E-40, and 50 Cent. Each eagerly sharing their spirit with pride. Equally eager and proud were the producers of Ready-to-Drink (RTD) cocktails in a can, a new and fast growing beverage category. These low ABV, easy to drink carbonated beverages, have captivated consumers of all persuasions with no sign of slowing down.
MY FAVORITE THINGS
- World of Tea – I love a properly brewed cup of tea. Due to the pandemic, the World of Tea Expo was hosted in conjunction with BRE. Tea purveyors from all over the world showcased their particular blend of tea. Most teas were served unsweetened; this allowed the drinker to taste the nuanced flavors of tea as opposed to sipping sugar water. It was amazing. Add The World of Tea Expo to your beverage event calendar.
- Live Demo Stage – Chefs and bartenders alike are invited on the main stage to show off their skill. Talent can share their story and culinary theory in an environment where they feel most comfortable– in front of a stove. Bonus – audience attendees receive samples from the demonstration. There’s nothing like tasting a dish after you watched its preparation and learned its origin story.
- Vegas is Unpredictable – Buckle up and prepare for the unknown. Be open to trying new things. Embrace the wild and the untamed spirit of Sin City. Take full advantage of the networking opportunities inside and outside of the expo. You never know who you will meet at the bar down the street from the expo.
Trappy Hour 2021
The awarding winning live hip hop event is back and even Trappier. Meet us at The Royal American on December 1st for the Winter edition of Charleston’s favorite Sunday night party.
Trappy Hour features performances by local artists with 75% of the music played throughout the night coming from Charleston independent artists. Shejay TO will be creating the vibes for the evening. Doors Open at 8PM.
Enjoy delicious Espolòn Tequila + Reb Bull cocktails all night! #GentleLadySips
