Juneteenth Cocktail Crawl
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. To celebrate Juneteenth and Black Excellence, this tour aims to highlight some of the Black bartenders in the Holy City bar scene. The group will hop aboard a party bus to 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 Jack Daniels and Herradura Tequila. Each cocktail is paired with a delicious snack to compliment the cocktail and reflect the vibe of each venue.
Purchase tickets using the link below:
PRIDE Month Cocktail Crawl
Charleston has some of the most talented and innovative mixologist in the Southeast. This tour aims to highlight some of the LGBTQIA bartenders in the Holy City bar scene.
The group hop aboard a party bus to visit four different bars to enjoy four unique and custom cocktail created specifically for the tour. Each cocktail will highlight one of our featured spirits: Jack Daniels, Chambord Liqueur or Herradura 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 and will include special guests entertainment and gift bags. Event is powered by Brown-Forman.
Purchase tickets to the event using the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-month-cocktail-crawl-tickets-633327328087
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
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!
Diner en Blanc Charleston – 2017
Just a picnic with a few hundred of your favorite friends. You bring all the fixings and the organizers of this secret dining event bring all the fun…
The concept is simple:
1. Assemble your dining party.
2. Assign tasks. (someone needs to bring the table, the chairs, flatware and of course, food.)
3. Wear white.
4. Meet at Unknown location.
Attendees are challenged to curate a meal and table-scape that lends itself to the ‘All White’ theme. Guest are required to wear all white, even their shoes. Outfits range from elaborate ball gowns to casual seersucker suits, very Charleston.
Some fashionable ladies used unique white headpieces to stand out in the crowd. We saw flower crowns, white beads, and even full masks. The creativity was impressive.
We danced until the last song; drinking One Hope wine and celebrating with new and old friends.
Top 3 Faves
- Amazing Black Diamond Band
- Couple coordinated outfits, so cute!
- Unexpected location in the heart of Charleston
www.dinerenblanc.com
http://charleston.dinerenblanc.com/
www.onehopewine.com
www.moet.com
Vita Images
Honoring ‘The Peanut Man’
Mount Pleasant resident and entrepreneur, Anthony Wright brought entertainment back to food service. Tony made appearances at local area football games; singing his signature tune while slinging boiled and roasted peanuts; all seasoned with his original and secret recipe.
The Peanut Man was not only a voice for his community but also a voice of an era. Mr. Wright pioneered the concessions market showcasing the diversity of peanuts and creative ways to market your brand and products using charm and personal know how.
Gone too soon and will be missed, we paid tribute to the legend with this cocktail, Tony Montana
Tony Montana 1.5 oz of Tequila .5 oz of Lemon Juice 1 Barspoon of boiled peanut juice Add ingredients to mixing tin. Shake passionately. Strain cocktail into chilled martini glass. Garnish with boiled peanuts. Imbibe respectfully.
Dish + Martini Glass www.westelmcharleston.com
Cocktail Photography by John Mi’kal Goforth
You are missed!
www.tonythepeanutman.com
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!
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
Gentry Bourbon Launch Party
Every trip out to Boone Hall Plantation sets the stage for a majestic evening. The scenic drive down the antebellum dirt road is a picture of Southern perfection.
We were greeted by JD Madison, the man of the night’s smiling face for a quick photo session. After which we made a beeline to the bar for the signature cocktail. The newly released Gentry Bourbon is an homage to the JD’s grandfather who fostered his appreciation for the spirit.
JD prefers to drink Gentry Bourbon neat but suggest that new bourbon drinkers add soda or ice to better approach the aged spirit. Sermet’s, Mr. Madison’s King Street restaurant provided a bevy of bites including a bar complete with chocolate dipped pretzels, cookies and bacon!
We suggest sipping your Gentry Bourbon while nibbling on a piece of fine chocolate to pull all the sweet oaky note from the whiskey, in #GentleLadySips
CHSFW10 – Gwynn’s VIP tent
Every night of #CHSFW10 included a stop by the Gwynn’s VIP tent. Our good friends at Momentum PR worked the room all week. Those ladies made sure all the Charleston fashion lovers were comfortable and enjoying the festivities.
The only tent with food featured crabcakes and shrimp salsa from Lowcountry Bistro, 82 Queen and Swig & Swine. Dj Big Hair played lots of reggae music as fashion lovers enjoyed the open bar’s selection of Vodka, Bourbon and Champagne.
At the rear of the room hung a large screen where the runway show would be displayed. Great option for someone who wants to enjoy the party but isn’t that big into the fashions.
