Trappy Hour
The world renowned Cocktail Bandits along with The Royal American presents Trappy Hour on Sunday January 20th • Trappy Hour features performances by local artists with 75% of the music played throughout the night coming from Charleston independent artists. Doors Open at 8PM.
Enjoy delicious Espolòn Tequila cocktails all night! #TRAPPYHOUR
https://www.facebook.com/events/295242454434062/
Spirit Free Cocktail Competition
Brown Forman Beverages and Ben’s Friends have partnered together to host a Spirit Free Cocktail Competition!
Check out attached one sheet for more details and information on how to ENTER!
Entries due by 1/2/2019!
Find more information:
https://www.facebook.com/events/345842319550266/
https://bensfriendshope.squarespace.com/charleston
Merry, Bright, and Boozy
2018 has been a big year for Cocktail Bandits.
We curated unique experiences like Trappy Hour, lectured at SC State and the College of Charleston, and traveled the world expanding our palette. We also released our debut publication, Holy Spirits! Charleston Culture Through Cocktails, giving us a new way to educate and connect with our fans.
Holy Spirits! Is featured in local bookstores all over Charleston. Check out the full list here.
Buxton Books hosted our holiday book signing.
Buxton Books prides itself on stimulating “creativity and conversation” and it did so that night with engaging trivia and stimulating discussion. Holy Spirits! occupies the shelves alongside gripping historical accounts, powerful autobiographies, and Oprah-approved reads as a powerful statement of progress and innovation within the Charleston Food and Beverage scene.
During the signing, Cocktail Bandits served their crowd-pleasing Peninsula Tea. A simple cocktail made with Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka.
No holiday party would be complete without gift-giving.
Motherland Essentials brought us a self-care kit complete with a soy wax candle, natural soap bar, green tea, body butter, and bath soak. Check out her products because self care is not optional.
Cocktail Bandits wishes you a Merry, Boozy, and Bright holiday season. We can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.
Holiday Cheers Cocktail Class
Making a great cocktail starts with great ingredients.
We began the evening by sipping on pomegranate martinis and sampling finger foods provided by Hotel Indigo as we learned how to choose high quality liquors. We sampled three different expressions of Goza Tequila: Blanco, Anejo, and extra Anejo
We began by tasting the Blanco. Blanco Tequila is used most often for mixing and is considered the simplest form of Tequila. The Anejo and Extra Anejo expressions of Tequila are aged much longer and as a result have deeper and more complex flavors. Both the Anejo and Extra Anejo are created to be enjoyed on their own and are great for sipping with ice.
You can learn more about Tequilas in our book, Holy Spirits!.
Next, we started mixing
In the spirit of the Holidays, we learned to mix up Spiced Apple Margaritas using Goza tequila. Get the recipe below and try it for yourself!
Spiced Apple Margaritas
1.5 or 2 oz Goza Reposado Tequila
1.5 or 2 oz Apple juice or Cider
1/4 oz of lime juice
Bar spoon of agave syrup
Topped with Tonic
Garnish
Cinnamon/salt/sugar
Lime wedges
Star Anise
To make this cocktail, add Goza Tequila, cider, lime juice and agave to mixing tin. Fill tin with ice, shake passionately. Strain mixture into rocks glass full of ice. Slowly add tonic soda until glass is full. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon over cocktail. Lovingly add lime and star anise garnish. Take #GentleLadySips
With the right tools, it’s easy to create great cocktails at home
Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. In class, we learned about the essential elements of building your own bar and even got some freebies to take home. Every home bar needs a mixing tin, jigger, strainer and bar spoon. Learn about these and more in our book, Holy Spirits!, an essential part of every home bar.
Books and Booze Book Signing
Learn how to mix up drinks like the pros with this two hour, hands-on introduction to cocktail basics. Attendees will learn how to measure, shake, stir and pour proper drinks. Each attendee will have the opportunity to make and enjoy one cocktail, all while learning a brief history of the drinks being made.
Certified experts and recipe book authors, Taneka & Johnny, Cocktail Bandits will teach you to shake your own original craft cocktail using recipes from their newly released book, ‘Holy Spirits!’ Guaranteed to surprise and delight every palate!
Snacks provided by Hotel Indigo. Sponsored by GOZA Tequila.
Lowcountry, High Cuisine Recap
Lowcountry high cuisine was part of the Southern Style Now Festival.
The Festival celebrates Southern style and draws design enthusiasts and industry professionals alike. The recently renovated Charleston home was full of delicate finishes and awash in natural light. The beautiful, Victorian-era home was the perfect backdrop to a stylish and inviting event.
The Cocktail Bandits served their signature cocktail, Peninsula Tea.
Peninsula tea is made with Firefly Vodka. Firefly was an early supporter of the Cocktail Bandits and are located on Wadmalaw island, just 30 miles south of Charleston. The Cocktail Bandits love to incorporate local brands and ingredients into their cocktails.
The cocktails were a delightful complement to a spread of seafood, barbecue, and desserts.
Lowcountry, High cuisine featured talented chefs Melissa Ann Barton of Mod Squad Martha, Danetra Richardson of Swank Deserts, and Jovan Sage of The Farmer and The Larder. Each dish was familiar and deeply comforting.
Lowcountry High Cuisine was hosted by Michiel Perry of Black Southern Belle, a digital lifestyle brand that captures the essence of the Southern Black Woman. Check out their tips for casual southern entertaining here.
SC State Social Media Mavericks Forum
The Communications Program at SC State University will host “Social Media Mavericks”, a forum for our students that will bring together professionals who are successfully leveraging new or social media to achieve goals. The forum will be on Friday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon in SC State’s Crawford Communications Building, Room 208 (this is formerly Crawford Engineering) in Orangeburg. The campus community is invited. Claflin University students and faculty will also be invited.
This post was submitted by a community member. Submit your event today on cocktailbandits.com
Charleston Coffee Cup Recap
The Charleston Coffee Cup celebrates the budding Charleston craft coffee culture.
This year, the Cocktail Bandits were invited to judge the Latte Art competition. Local baristas competed in the timed competition to make the perfect Latte art.
The competition required speed, skill, and a steady hand.
Baristas create latte art using expresso and steamed milk called microfoam.
Local coffee roasters and coffee shops participated in the event offering samples and tips for enjoying your perfect cup of coffee. The event was a valuable source of information about craft coffee in Charleston.
The Four Steps of Coffee Tasting
1- SMELL
Smell your coffee before tasting it. Your nose can detect thousands of smells that enhance flavor. Cup your hand over the coffee. Hold the cup close to your nose and inhale.
2- SLURP
Next, Slurp the coffee in your mouth. Slurping splashes the coffee across your entire palate and lets subtle flavors and aromas reach your nose.
3- LOCATE
Where and how are you experiencing the flavors on your tongue? On the tip or sides of your tongue? What is the weight and mouthfeel of the coffee?
4- DESCRIBE
How would you describe the tasting experience of the coffee? How is the aroma, acidity, body, and flavor? What food flavors or other experiences could you compare this coffee to?
Fork&Knife, a sponsor of Charleston Coffee Cup, provided these tips.
Charleston Cocktail Week
Join us as we celebrate Charleston Cocktail Week Oct 28-31
Sunday
Cocktail Week Charleston celebrates its inaugural opening day by partnering up with Breakthru Beverage and The Alley and throwing an All You Can Eat, Drink, And Bowl Brunch on Sunday, Oct. 28th. The ticket price includes shoes, lanes, food, and custom cocktails created by The Alley bar team. Plus a ton of swag and other surprises…did someone say Raffle?
Come celebrate (responsibly!) with us as we kick off the USBG Charleston Cocktail Week with a Sunday Funday.
Proceeds of ticket sales and raffles benefit local charities.
See y’all there!
With its newest lineup of Aged Spirits, Bacardi is now featuring a 4 year, 8 year, and 10 year flight of premium rums that represent their dedication to creating the best rums available. Additionally, the newest member of the collection, Bacardi Reserva Rum will also be flowing during this dinner. Hosted at the beautiful Restoration Hotel, Chef Jordan Moore will pair each of his dishes with individual tastings of each Bacardi Spirit, along with interactive conversation with Chelsea Nightengale, Food and Beverage Director of The Restoration Hotel, and Pedro Irizarry, local Bacardi representative. Expect four courses of delicious pairings (with a little Tiki Love) for this dinner!
Monday
Join us at Charleston Distilling Co. as we discuss in detail the creation of each of their spirits, from the idea stage through final distillation and bottling. A light lunch and a tour of the facility is included, as well as some specialty cocktails featuring their products! Feel free to peruse their gift shop as well as interact with those that create the spirits themselves!
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Tuesday
This whiskey laced dinner will be held at Prohibition, this year’s Charleston Choice winner of Best Cocktail Menu and Best Downtown Bar. With the kitchen manned by the talented Chef Greg Garrison, expect an amazing multicourse meal paired with custom cocktails using Jameson Caskmates, IPA, Stout, and Black Barrel. In addition to a spirited paired dinner, each guest will get to sample the brand new Jameson feature, only just released!
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What can we say about Lynn that hasn’t already been said? National Brand Educator for Heaven Hill Brands, former beverage director for several award winning establishments in Chicago, and named one of the “Top 20 Most Fabulous Bartenders in the World”, Lynn has done it all! YET she still has time to educate the masses in such an easy-going and friendly way that everybody has a great time learning and understanding the nuances behind each product she presents! And if ANYONE can make DUBONNET a relevant product in today’s “what’s the newest bourbon/rum/gin, etc” market, Lynn can! Once perceived as “something my grandparents drank in the 50’s and 60’s”, and pretty much a forgotten or neglected cocktail modifier over the last 50 years, the facts are that Dubonnet is actually one of the top selling apertif brands in the US!
Intrigued? Each ticket includes a sample tasting of Dubonnet Rouge and a cocktail (or 3), as well as a tasty lunch provided by our friends at Burwells and an educational seminar with Lynn. See you there!
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If you’re a tequila fan, you don’t want to miss this dinner! Hosted by Patrón, we would like to invite you to taste an extensive array of very limited and special Patrón tequila tastings, including the Roca and Gran Patrón line. Signature cocktails will perfectly paired and curated for a multi-course dinner prepared by the kitchen team at Burwells. You don’t want to miss this!
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Wednesday
This USBG Charleston Cocktail Week Finale will be of EPIC PROPORTIONS!
Featuring 8 tents filled with custom cocktails from some amazing spirit brands, all decorated in different themes, beer and wine from our friends at Gallo, food from the kitchen of Scarecrow Catering, music from DJ Bryan Mahanes, and lots of swag from our gracious sponsors. Wear your best costume and bring your best dance moves as we party the night away.
Tickets for this event are all inclusive, and proceeds will go to Charleston Children’s Museum, as well as other local charities. Activities will be held in the alley between South Seas Tiki Bar and the Children’s Museum, with the entrance on the Ann Street side of the alley.
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY…. we all want to have fun, but if you think you’re not able to drive, please use the code the complimentary Uber discount, provided with your ticket. Charleston Visitor’s Center Parking will be available at a discount from 7pm.
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Afrikan Konciousness Koalition Festival
At this annual festival, we share together about our Afrikan diaspora. We encourage community engagement, supporting black businesses, enlightening each other on various topics all while having hot topics speakers – fun activities – games – and best of all trunk or treat for our kids in their chosen costume! We hope to see you there!
Eventbrite – akk.eventbrite.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/events/1902024083178195/
This post was submitted by a community member. Submit your event today on cocktailbandits.com
