This is technically the INDY’s first themed “drinks” issue, though of course plenty of liquor and local lore has burned its way through the paper’s archive. We can appreciate the experience of cracking a cold one, so to speak—sampling local hops at a festival, maybe, or marking an anniversary with a bottle of red at a downtown restaurant, or clinking mocktail glasses at a new bar with an old friend, or indulging in the neighborly joy of a porch beer on a muggy North Carolina eve.
Of course, the thread running through all these things is the pleasure of celebration and companionship. In this issue, read up on the locally-owned bourbon company taking great care with Black history, a new alcohol-free bar making space for indulgence without intoxication, and the magnetic bartender around town who’s seen it all.
You’ll also find our writer’s recommendations for drink joints across the Triangle: Spots to plot a game night with friends, order a booze-free drink that doesn’t disappoint, impress your date, or steal away to read a book. We hope these recommendations will serve as both a celebration of our local watering holes (and the people who work at them) and a resource to help you get to know your community better. Cheers!
– Sarah Edwards, Culture Editor
Blurbs by Jasmine Gallup, Lena Geller, Sarah Edwards, Justin Laidlaw, Sam Overton, Chase Pellegrini de Paur, and Jane Porter
5 Best Game Bars
A rare trifecta of games, booze, and food makes Boxcar Bar + Arcade is a popular destination in downtown Durham. The game catalog is extensive: Galaga and Donkey Kong for the old school nerds, skeeball, pop-a-shot, and NBA Jam for the jocks, and Super Smash Bros on Nintendo 64, a group party classic, located smack dab in the middle of the room so your domination over your friends has an audience. Grab a slice of pizza and a beer and enjoy a bit of people-watching as you ponder which high score to take down. –JL
GAMERS GEEKERY & TAVERN | Cary
Gamers Geekery & Tavern offers a welcoming, social space for both beginners and experienced tabletop gamers. With a rotating draft list, it’s easy to find a new favorite brew, and a varied menu of basic but filling offerings means plenty of snacking as you while the night away. -JG
THE KITCHEN TABLE AT RELISH | North Raleigh
Foodies may flock to Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar, but they’re missing out on an equally delicious (and much less crowded) option right next door. The Kitchen Table at Relish has a more limited menu, but the best thing on it—a plate of truly heavenly pimento cheese fries—is still available. That’s not to mention the cafe’s craft cocktails and wine list, an outdoor patio open year-round, and the spot’s crowning glory: a collection of more than 400 games, conveniently categorized by difficulty level and accompanied by “gametenders” to explain the rules. -JG
THE GATHERING PLACE | Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill’s newest game bar was put at risk by a rezoning dispute in November, but as of today, it’s still going strong. The Gathering Place was a welcome addition to the quirky, one-of-a-kind businesses lining Franklin Street, especially for tabletop gamers. The bar’s sturdy wooden tables, metal music, and racks of board games combine to create a grungy basement vibe that welcomes freaks and geeks alike. With 30-some taps, it’s also easy to find a drink to love, whether it’s a craft beer or cold brew coffee. -JG
If you’re craving something a little different, Moon Dog Meadery is the place to go. Trying the local meadery’s craft creations is always a joy, whether you’re enjoying an old favorite like Nektar of the Dogs or a new brew like the spicy-sweet Hawaiian Hellhound, with pineapple and habanero. If you’re not in the mood for mead (although, why wouldn’t you be?) there is also a bottle shop with more than 200 brews. The meadery’s substantial collection of board games is always available to play, but there’s no fee for them on Mondays and Thursdays. -JG
10 Best Date Bars
Named for a ship commissioned by Raleigh’s eponymous pirate, Sir Walter, the Ark Royal makes for a perfect date spot. The drinks are colorful enough to keep the conversation flowing, and the space is roomy enough to post up away from the crowds. A date—whether it’s a first or fifty-thousandth—is an adventure and so is the Ark Royal. The Tiki lounge’s exotic drinks utilize ingredients from different cultures and regions around the world, blended into perfect cocktails of spices, spirits, and sweeteners. If a good time is what you seek, the Ark Royal is your El Dorado. -JP
JOHNSON STREET YACHT CLUB | Raleigh
Dates are all about having fun as you get to know (or just hang out with) someone, and sometimes, that’s going to require an activity or two. Cue the boat-themed dive bar Johnson Street Yacht Club, home to the rooftop patio, the all-women artist jukebox, and the hella fast slide. Get your heart rate up as you travel from rooftop to deck. Play a game of pool in the darkened dive bar, or just lounge on the sunny boardwalk in hammocks with a slushie or frosé in hand. You’re on island time. -JP
Watts & Ward has a reputation as a speakeasy, but it’s also the perfect place to bring your partner for a night out. With low lights and plenty of cozy armchairs, it’s usually a cinch to find a quiet place for conversation. The bar will likely be crowded, but Watts & Ward’s strong and well-crafted cocktails are worth the wait. If you enjoy live music, visit during the summer, when you can snag a picnic table outside and listen to a local band. -JG
What’s more romantic than a hot dog? Seriously, if you haven’t gotten a dog from Accordion’s behind-the-bar rotisserie and shared it—Lady and the Tramp-style, maybe?—with a hottie from Hinge, you’re missing out. On a somewhat related note, Accordion is also a great laid-back date spot if you’re seeing someone who insists on bringing their dog everywhere (or if you’re that kind of person), as the bar has a spacious outdoor patio. -LG
Queeny’s is designed to be an inclusive space: It’s queer-owned and emphatically queer-friendly and, to accommodate restaurant workers tying up late-night shifts, the bar is open on Mondays and serves food until 2 a.m. This means that not only is it a good date spot for all kinds of couples, it is also a safe and supportive environment if you’re meeting someone for the first time. Get there a few minutes early and snag the loveseat in the corner; it’s great for people-watching. -LG
If you’ve been romantically linked with someone in Durham—nay, anyone in the greater Triangle area—you’re bound to run into them at this unpretentious dive. Yes, that ex, that whirlwind wedding date from ten years ago. (With anecdotal exception: Once, a date ended lackluster drinks by pausing at the men’s bathroom and saying “Well, this is me”—I haven’t seen him since.) It speaks highly of Surf Club, then, that despite these odds it’s still a top-notch date bar. Bocce, darts, and reasonably priced beer are all at hand. In the summer, sprawling outdoor picnic tables make for breezy rapport; in the winter, tucked-away booths make for intimate conversations. Either way, you’re bound to linger. -SE
Kingfisher feels like a rare Durham spot where it’s possible to have a prolonged intimate conversation: It’s lively but not too loud, fancy but not unbearably stiff, and the rotating list of seasonal cocktails offers plenty of conversational fodder. Plus, the downtown spot is well-positioned to keep the date going—it’s right by the Roof at the Durham (good for a late-night jazz stop or, during baseball season, fireworks viewing) and right below Queeny’s (good for the burger and fries usually necessary after liquor). -SE
ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL CLUB | Carrboro
OCSC—described in this paper a few years ago as a destination for “cheap beer, stiff highballs … a clean, cozy place to meet and talk; to celebrate or grieve; to waste a few hours or unwind a few years”—is not a place to lock in and lose yourself to a first date, but it is a place where life happens and atmosphere abounds. Go to OCSC with a lover or love interest and you’re bound to riff with a regular, shoot some pool, and feel like you (and your date) are a part of something bigger. -SE
Tucked away on the corner of Rosemary and Henderson, through an unassuming door and up a staircase, sits Chapel Hill’s favorite dive bar. Dimly lit and smattered with an eccentric array of art and multicolored lights, Zogs is the perfect low-key date spot: grab a couple of pool sticks, open a tab for the $3.50 “mystery ciders,” peruse shelves of seemingly infinite games, or slide into a booth for the night. Cajun curly fries and pork rinds are a plus, and alongside the snacks, you can order a surprise piece of weird local art off the menu. -HK
Just next to Zogs is another bar with dim lighting, but Tru is more of a “wine, sandwiches, and outdoor seating” date environment. A beloved lunch spot for many—with no upcharge on extra avocado, mind you—by nightfall, Tru transforms into a romantic but casual cocktail bar. The long white tables on the upstairs deck welcome a low-pressure chatting environment, comfortably seating a pair of two or a group of 10, and ordering food and drinks is as easy as scanning a QR code. For a smooth, stress-free Chapel Hill date, Tru is the obvious choice. -HK
5 Best Spots to
Go Read A Book
EPILOGUE BOOK CAFE | Chapel Hill
Part lounge, part bookstore (new and used); Franklin Street’s Epilogue Cafe is the perfect place to take a book for some much-needed alone time. Curl up on the couch with a glass of red and ponder the facets of humanity or sit dreamily by the window with a latte and dream of fantastical lands. –JL
People who read books at bars typically fall into one of two camps: Those who don’t want to be asked about what they’re reading and those who do. At Da Kine’s, a laid-back non-alcoholic kava bar with mixed seating and an indoor-outdoor setup, bar readers of both ilks are duly accommodated. If you don’t want to be bothered, you can curl up on a couch with a calming brew and bury yourself in your book, alternately, if you’re hoping your literary taste will lead to a conversation with a stranger, you can post up at the bar or on the patio. -LG
This casual space in downtown Raleigh is a must-visit for any coffee lover. The cafe serves the usual caffeinated fare alongside drinks for those with more unique tastes, including cortados, Vietnamese iced coffee, and a nitro cold brew. At night, baristas become bartenders, and the menu opens up to include espresso martinis and warm winter cocktails. The cafe’s outdoor tables are the perfect place to enjoy a novel in the summertime, but you can also post up with a book at booths inside during chillier months. -JG
On a recent trip to The Daily Beer Bar, an older gentleman was posted up on a barstool with a Miller High Life and bowl of peanuts as he jotted reading notes and I thought something like: “Goals.” The Daily Beer Bar—which offers hearty sandwiches alongside an abundant snack menu, coffee, and wine—tends to draw solo scribblers and solitary lunch-break diners. The cafe has a comfy couch in the back, plenty of beer on tap, and a record always spinning. If the thought of hanging out alone with a book in public is intimidating, this downtown haunt will welcome you with open arms. -SE
The stretch of Franklin Street near 15-501 does not seem the likeliest location for a romantic, European-feeling oasis, but Caffé Driade proves that anything is possible. Order coffee, wine, beer, or tea (there are a plethora of loose tea options) at the bar and traipse down a wooded, ivy-strewn path to find a seat. Driade is on the pricier end, but sometimes, to block out the world’s noise and really lose yourself in a book, it’s necessary to set aside a few hours and treat yourself. At Driade, a castle in the air is always close. -SE
3 Bars With
Over-the-Top Drinks
COPA | Durham
La Diosa Negra
After the La Diosa Negra’s main ingredients—spiced rum, coffee liqueur, orange bitters, and Haitian vanilla—are muddled and stirred, the drink is topped off, tableside, with a thick cloud of Cuban cigar smoke that bartenders have trapped inside a mason jar. The smoke is as delightfully theatrical as it is key to the drink’s flavor. -LG
THE BLIND PELICAN | Holly Springs
Kratos Ultimate Bloody Mary
You know you’ve got a good Bloody Mary on your hands when the menu description sounds something like the 12 days of Christmas, and the “Kratos” at The Blind Pelican fits the bill: the 64-ounce drink comes loaded with two lobster tails, two pounds of snow crab legs, a shrimp skewer AND a pound of peel and eat shrimp, oysters, bacon, and a six-ounce filet mignon. -LG
MEZCALITO | Durham and Apex
Cantarito Loco
Pretty much every drink at Mezcali-to could be labeled as over-the-top, but the Cantarito Loco—specifically, the 13-liter Cantarito Loco, which comes garnished with an Edible Arrangement’s worth of fruit and is served in a clay cup that could accommodate a Japanese Maple—is unmatched in extravagance. The Tajin-rimmed cocktail combines tequila, grapefruit soda, fresh citrus juice, and sangria. -LG
5 Best Bars With
Nonalcoholic Beverages
Umbrella proudly touts itself as Raleigh’s first non-alcoholic cocktail bar, featuring an extensive drinks menu and a few small bites. The beverages aren’t just fancy juice concoctions, either—Yerba Mate, lion’s mane mushroom, and Drømme Calm are among the mixers present alongside more typical culprits like ginger beer and lemon juice. You can also shop the bar’s small but robust selection of non-alcoholic spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails, should you like to experiment at home. –SO
If you’re looking for a classy evening with your S.O. or a group of pals, look no further than this swanky cocktail bar tucked away on Chapel Hill Street. Alley Twenty Six’s menu currently features five upscale mocktails—one appropriately named “No Thanks, I’m Driving”—for the sober member(s) of your group. If it’s a nice night, sit in the narrow alley next to the restaurant for a cozy-yet-classy feel. -SO
Located about a block away from Raleigh’s Glenwood South district, Killjoy is the perfect alternative for those who saw their ex at Tin Roof a few too many times. The cocktail bar takes sobriety seriously, urging alcohol-sensitive customers to order directly through a manager. Order any of their Instagram-worthy mocktails and curl up in a plush chair for what’ll become one of your best sober nights out—plus, most of the non-alcoholic drinks clock in at $7 or cheaper. -SO
Where else can you find a bar inspired by a tarot deck? Taking design and drink ingenuity from the Rider-Waite Tarot, Arcana truly puts effort into making the space inclusive and welcoming, and it shows. You can sip from the “Garden of Babylon,” an herbal mocktail, or try the carrot-based “Peter Cottontail.” For those looking for spiritual guidance (in addition, perhaps, to your non-spirits-nightcap), a tarot card reader is at the bar most evenings. -SO
UNLIKELY PROFESSIONALS | Raleigh
Sure, it looks like another trendy gift shop, but Unlikely Professionals is anything but. In addition to their swanky, Western-themed storeroom filled with trinkets large and small, the downtown Raleigh spot offers a beer and wine bar with nonalcoholic options. Plus, the space offers one of the biggest selections of non-alcoholic spirits and ready-to-drink mocktails in the area. -SO
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