The Gourmez

Alley 26 320 East Chapel Hill St. Downtown Durham Website $9 to $12 per drink 4 pm to 2 am (May I take this moment to say I love a bar that posts a closing time?) To my disappointment, Alley 26, Durham’s newest upscale bar, is not located in an alley. It takes up actual [...]

Little Fŭk’ər The Borough Downtown Raleigh $6.50 I’ve been to the Borough twice now, and I love it as a casual night spot to relax with slightly trussed up comfort food and a good drink list. This is my second time drinking the Little Fŭk’ər as well. It’s made with bourbon, red apple Schnapps, butterscotch [...]

Nonfiction Bragging: Guest Post for the LoMo Market A few weeks back, I did some cocktail experimentation for the LoMo Market, and I didn’t have the chance until now to link you all to the post on it. It was a lot of fun, and I love when I get the chance to prove I’ve [...]

Welcome to the second half of our Charlottesville weekend trip! My local friend had recommended a slew of restaurants for a nice dinner out in Charlottesville, but Ben rejected them all, settling instead on L’Étoile (817 West Main Street). Because it had been his birthday a few days earlier, he got to choose, and I [...]

North Carolina Sour Foundation (Past Reviews) Downtown Raleigh $10 What a lovely drink to look at! The picture doesn’t do the contrasting colors justice. The North Carolina Sour is a pretty one with its bottom half orange from the combination of Carriage House apple brandy and lemon and the top half full of McRitchie Ring [...]

b. a. b. c. Revolution, Downtown Durham Restaurant Review $9 The b. a. b. c. is a delicious cocktail made by the talented folks over at Revolution. Many people love their drink list, but it’s been hit and miss for me. File the b. a. b. c. under hit. It’s made with bourbon, mole bitters, [...]

Veev is a liqueur made mainly from the acai berry. The back of the bottle waxes poetic on the heart of the Amazon, the adventurous benefits of acai, and the pleasing addition of other exotic (their word, not mine) fruits. I won’t be quite as mysterious as they are—those other fruits are prickly pear and [...]

Durham Spirits Company 311 E. Trinity Avenue Website Single Classes run $49 to $59 Durham Spirits Company is a new venture by Katie Coleman, a chef and culinary instructor at The Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham with years of international training. She opened Durham Spirits Company to offer cooking and mixology classes, and I had the [...]