Dry January Mocktail Crawl review
We hosted our first Dry January Mocktail Crawl on Wednesday, January 24th. We visited four different bars to explore spirit free options in the Holy City. Check out a recap of the event from Kalyn Oyer writing for Post & Courier.
Charleston Vikings
Scotch on the beach may sound like a naughty cocktail name but it actually describes our afternoon with Highland Park Scotch and the United States Bartender’s Guild. We boarded a bus and headed over to the Windjammer on Isle of Palms. I’m embarrassed to say it was the first time we’ve had our feet in the sand all 2017.
We sipped frozen pineapple and whisky coladas while a few fellas played giant beer pong with trash cans and beach balls.
After a lunch of pulled pork and fixin’s, we teamed up for a battle of the sexes.
Fueled by Highland Park mules, our team of all girl boozy lovers were challenged to build a sea vessel using only cardboard boxes, duct tape and trash bags.
We’ve faced worse. We carefully thought and comfort in mind, we secured a 4 sided floating craft complete with team flag and drink holder, we needed it to toast our victory.
The boat built by the guys team took on water and quickly capsized under a wave. Never modest about triumph, the ladies team was sent home with a bottle of the Single Malt Scotch.
Inspired by another victory, we create a cocktail in honor of our accomplishment.
Maiden Voyage
1.5 oz of Highland Park Scotch
.5 oz of Hoodoo Chicory Liqueur
1 oz of Orange Juice
1 barspoon of Gent’s Spiced Orange Syrup
Hibicus and Sea Salt rim.
Add scotch, liqueur, syrup and orange juice to mixing tin full of ice. Shake passionately. Pour mixture into glass rimmed in hibiscus salt and filled with ice. Take #GentleLadySips
www.highlandparkwhisky.com
www.gentsgingerale.com
Photos by Arielle Simmons: http://ariellesimmons.com
Good Business Summit 2016
A day of business talk that felt more like a community discussion – Good Business Summit 2016. Local business owners converged at the Sottile Theater to learn, network and share ideas. Topics discussed included: diversity in the workplace, creating a corporate culture and community change.
We shared a panel with Brothers & Craft on storytelling through social media. The squad of fashionable and actual brothers, know a thing or two about marketing and brand building. They explained how their brand has collaborated with major agencies Ford Motors and hit reality show ‘Duck Dynasty’. Taneka and I shared our top tips for engaging with followers and creating unique content.
As we and other guest speakers revealed, there is no ‘secret’ to success other than hard work and a willingness to learn. The team at Lowcountry Local First should be proud of their 3rd annual conference that grows yearly and attracts keynote speakers like Matt Stinchcomb from Esty.com and Dave Dawson with The Urban Electric. Co. Next year is bound to be more informative and interactive.
Photography by Foxworthy Studios Photography
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
Tea Time with Cocktail Bandits
Take a tour from eastern China all the way to Wadmalaw, South Carolina in this afternoon session on tea and Charleston culture. Learn about the history of tea and how it ended up a staple in Charleston homes. Taste craft cocktails from the Cocktail Bandits and find out new ways to enjoy an old favorite. Plus local Tea Time treats will transport you to England and back! #CharlestonTea
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!
Satisfy Your Thirst SC Promo Tour – Charleston
STRIPED PIG DISTILLERY
Our first stop on the Satisfy Your Thirst PROMO tour, was Striped Pig Distillery located right here in North Charleston, South Carolina. We were excited about this location, because this was the first distillery the we visited when we became the Cocktail Bandits.
Striped Pig is about three years old, and they make several different spirits: rum, vodka, moonshine, whiskey, a spiced rum and our favorite, Gin! Johnny Pieper, one of the owners and master distiller, is our favorite person ever! He started because he saw a need in the Charleston market for local booze production and he wanted to fill that spirit void in the city. That’s when he partnered with a few other gentlemen, built the distillery, and named it Striped Pig. The striped pig was a false advertisement from a rum seller before prohibition period. It was painted on a flag to get customers interested into seeing it. They would pay a few coins in see the “striped pig” and would be rewarded with a glass of rum. Striped Pig Distillery was to engage its customers the same way and reward them with top notch spirits.
Striped Pig is now sold all over the country, as well as internationally. Striped Pig has a grain to glass process. They get their seeds from Myers Farm in Bowman SC, and the complete the mash creation, fermentation, distillation, and bottling in house. You can visit Striped Pig Distillery on Thursdays and Fridays; from 3 PM to 7 PM, and Saturdays from 12 PM to 5 PM. Please go check them out and tell them that the Bandits sent you! You can check out their website at www.stripedpigdistillery.com. Now on our way to the next stop on the SYT tour. Cheers!
HOLY CITY BREWING
Holy City Brewery was our next stop on the Satisfy Your Thirst SC promotional tour. Holy City was created by 4 young men who worked a rickshaw company. During the slower months of tourism, they decided to home brew beers. Eventually, they opened Holy City brewery in North Charleston and it has been a popular hub every since.
They have a lot of seasonal beers and they also have their staples which are a hoppy Pilsner and a Pluff Mud Porter that is a personal favorite. They have a kitchen now and the food is phenomenal “bar food”. They even have wings that are tossed in a Pluff Mud BBQ sauce. It’s AMAZING!! If you have never been to Holy City Brewing, please visit for a tour and check out their website at www.holycitybrewing.com. Now… Off to the next location. Cheers!
Bubbly Amor With The Cocktail Bandits
Looking for love or just a great cocktail!?! Read our recipe for Bubbly Amor on Candy Shop Vintage’s blog! Link below!
Source: Bubbly Amor With The Cocktail Bandits
30 Days 30 – Pink Dot Beauty Bar
Pink Dot Beauty Bar contains some of the best makeup available and host some of the most talented makeup artist in Charleston. It was a pleasure working with Rebecca Wash and Demi Washington as they used care and took us both out of our makeup comfort zones.
Both artists took us out of our comfort zones applying bold lips and super full lashes.
Pink Dot Beauty Bar offers great cosmetics and their staff is always on hand to offer advise. They also sell custom jewelry and beautiful accessories.
Photography b Basil & Bubbly Photography MUA by Rebecca Wash and Demi Washington Sponsored by Avion Tequila and Southern Wine & Spirits
