The Brandy Bar + Cocktails

Happenings

Wed 8/30 – 4-9 PM – $5 white sangria special and Thurs 8/31 – 4-9 PM – Blue Moon cocktail specials

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Wed. 8/30 – 4-9 PM $5 sangria special! White sangria with sauvignon blanc, brandy, raspberries, strawberries, pineapple chunks, and apricot, orange & pineapple juices. Great way to end the last days of summer and introduce the warm days of early fall!
Thurs 8/31 – 4-9 PM – Blue Moon Cocktail specials:  Celebrate with us the next full moon with our “Moon Cocktails.”  A special full moon called the Blue Moon will rise Wed 8/30 to the east just after sunset.  It will be the brightest and largest moon of the year so not only is it a full moon but it is a Blue Moon meaning it is the 2nd full moon within a single calendar month. The Blue Moon is also a supermoon meaning it coincides with perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it’s closest to Earth. it will appear slightly larger than normal, about 7% bigger. Full Moons are called various names by various peoples, such as those given by: Native Americans “Snow, Storm, and Hunger Moon;” 

   In the 1930’s the Maine Farmer’s Almanac began publishing “Indian” Moon names for each month of the year. The tribes of the northeastern United States called this Snow Moon or Storm Moon (also Hunger Moon) because of the heavy snows that fall in this season and difficult hunting opportunities.

   The Purim holiday in the Hebrew calendar, marks the Jewish people’s deliverance from a royal death decree around the fourth century BCE, as told in the Book of Esther. It is celebrated by exchanging gifts of food and drink, feasting, and donating to charity. The Chinese Lantern Festival, is a traditional end of the Chinese New Year celebration held on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese Calendar. The full Moon (Purnima) is Magha Purnima, the last day of the month of Magha in the Hindu-Buddist calendars. Magha is the lunar month when the full Moon is in the lunar mansion that contains the star we call Regulus. For Hindus, Magha is a month for austerity, performing acts of charity, and ritual bathing at holy riverside locations. For Buddhists, this full Moon corresponds with Māgha Pūjā, the second-most important festival of the year & is also celebrated on the full Moon day of the third lunar month in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Sri Lankar It celebrates a gathering of the Buddha with 1,250 of his first disciples, which preceded the custom of periodic recitation of discipline by monks. On this day, Buddhists celebrate the creation of an ideal and exemplary community.

   In USA – vampires – a full moon (and being well fed) means their strength is at its fullest, whilst a moonless night could influence their desire for nourishment through blood; our werewolves – folks bit by a werewolf will turn into their wolf roots & howl at the moon. Well let’s ask ourselves – does the full moon really cause us to do strange things? Cocktail Specials – Bloody Moony – Brandy, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, etc.; Cherry Moon – Brandy, grenadine, lemon-lime soda; Eclipse Night – Copper & Kings Immature Brandy, CB Frost brandy, crème de cassis; Harvest Moon – Applejack, cinnamon bitters, apple cider; Super Moon – Brandy, Cointreau, cream of coconut, lime juice; Brandy by the glass special (with or without ice) Ginger, Coffee, or Plum.   

8/23 – $5 sangrias; 8/24 – Coffee cocktails; and 8/26 – 5-6:30 – Flowers & Fruits

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Wed 8/23 – $5 sangria special – These cool mornings and late evenings call for a nice red sangria, not too heavy but not too summery – red cabernet, fresh plums, raspberries, strawberries and maybe a sprig of rosemary for entertainment, with fresh fruit juices. A great combination of tastes!

Thurs 8/24 – 4-9 PM – Coffee cocktails – “Coffee – the favorite drink of the civilized world.” – Thomas Jefferson.  The history of coffee dates back to 850 AD, and possibly earlier with a number of reports and legends surrounding its first use. The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch koffie, borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish kahve, in turn borrowed from the Arabic gahwah. 

Ancestors of today’s Oromo people in a region of Oromia Ethiopia were the first to cultivate coffee plant and recognize the energizing effect of the coffee. There is also evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree from the early 15th century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen, spreading soon to Mecca and Medina. By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the  Middle East, Persia, Turkey, India, and northern Africa. Coffee then spread to the Balkans, Italy, and to the rest of Europe, as well as Southeast Asia despite the bans imposed during the 15th century by religious leaders in Mecca and Cairo, and later by the Catholic Church.   In the mid-1600’s, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam, later called New York by the British. Though coffee houses rapidly began to appear in the colonies, tea continued to be the favored drink in the New World until 1773, when the colonists revolted against a heavy tax on tea imposed by King George III. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would forever change the American drinking preference to coffee. 

Brazil became the largest producer of coffee in the world by 1852 where it remains. It dominated world production, exporting more coffee than the rest of the world combined, from 1850 to 1950. Since 1950 the playing field has widened due to the emergence of other major producers, notably Colombia, Ivory Coast,  Ethiopia, and, most recently, Vietnam, (which overtook Colombia and became the 2nd largest producer in 1999 and reached 15% market share by 2011.  A recent change to the quality of the coffee market is lattes, Frappuccino, and other sugary coffee drinks. With their rise, they became more popular causing coffee houses to be able to use cheaper coffee beans. The cheaper coffee beans are called Robusta and they contain more caffeine than the more expensive beans. The cheaper beans’ higher caffeine content is also a factor in their popularity.  Another myth is the high caffeine content in light, dark, and espresso beans. Though darker roasted beans have a more intense flavor, they have less caffeine than light roast. This is because when a coffee bean is roasted, it loses up to 90 percent of its water content.  Espresso has 63 mg of caffeine in a 1-ounce shot while regular coffee, has 12 to 16 mg of caffeine in every ounce, on average, but who drinks 1 ounce of coffee? So, 8 oz of regular coffee gives you 95 to 128 mg of caffeine.

Coffee cocktails: Amaretto Coffee – Amaretto, coffee, whipped cream; Espresso Martini – CB Frost, espresso, Tia Maria; Black Russian – CB Frost, Trader Vick’s chocolate liqueur,  splash of Kahlua; White Russian – CB Frost, Marco white chocolate liqueur, splash of Kahlua, heavy cream; Irish Coffee – Calvados, brown sugar, whipped cream; 1/2 price on Armagnac/Calvados flight

Sat 8/26 – 5-6:30 – FLOWERS AND FRUITS: Flower arranging 101.  JOIN US AUGUST 26th for a relaxed and fun evening that will combine your love of flowers with a special container to reflect your unique personality.

Jackie Honeycutt will furnish flowers she grows in her garden as well as cutting tools and other incidentals for your arrangement.  She will also give some design pointers to lead you through your masterpiece. You will need to bring your special container, jar, can, bag, whatever you feel best represents your “self.” If you do not have a container Jackie can provide a practical one for you. While “arranging,” we will be offering the “fruits” such as a special fruity sangria or other fruity cocktails from the Bar. The program is limited to 10-12 folks so please RSVP by August 23rd so we can be sure there are ample flowers.  Time: 5:00 – 6:30 PM and the cost: $20.00. You may sign-up on https://www.facebook.com/events/844223617053911/?ref=newsfeed

 

Wed – 8/16 – 7-9 PM – Songwriter Sessions & Thurs – 8/17 – 4-9 PM – Denominational Cocktails

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Wed 8/16 – 7-9 PM Songwriter Sessions featuring Mare Carmody, Tom Fisch, and Brodie Porterfield. An evening of original songs in the natural acoustics and listening room atmosphere of the historic Brandy Bar + Cocktails 

Mare Carmody is a voice of southern songwriting, having lived in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina.  Playing music has always been a way of life throughout her travels. Mare is currently part of the trio Carver Carmody & McIntire.

Flat Rock’s own Tom Fisch is a songwriter and singer of songs. His music has been described as a style deeply rooted in the influences of artists such as Doc Watson, John Prine, Pete Seeger, and John Denver

Brodie Porterfield is one half of the South Carolina-based duo, The Waterkickers.  His writing features  heartfelt narratives, accompanied by sophisticated guitar melodies.       

With hosts Mare Carmody and Charlie Wilkinson. Contact info: WNCSongwriterSessions@Gmail.com 

Thurs 8/17 – 4-9 PM – Prior to 1913 Henderson County did not maintain a public record of marriages, births, or deaths, leaving people still very much alive who did not have these documents. Without written evidence they often had to rely on the family Bible for proof of their births or marriages for Social Security, health insurance and other purposes. As the Bibles were safe havens for family records, burial plots in the church yard became sources of knowledge to be honored as well. Maintenance free perpetual care cemeteries, with their cookie cutter flat bronze plaques and pull-out vases are today’s preferred method of burial. Those “cemetery days” formerly set aside for the families to gather for cleaning and clearing the grounds around the graves of their departed loved ones are dying like their patrons. When removing debris on those occasions, family members would touch a headstone and read the name aloud, and other members hearing it would share some small tale or secret about the deceased’s life, and it would be logged into memory to be passed on by those present. It was a critical part of a family’s obligation to record the notable events in the life of its members by logging them in the safe recesses of this sacred file. The Bible would also safeguard lockets of baby’s hair, grants, deeds, maps, claims or other important documents, and when death became reality, its entries referenced grave sites in cemeteries where loved ones were buried. It became the vessel of things past – things that needed memory – for without it these things would fade into nothingness. The old headstones, carved of whatever stone was available, showed love and individual creativity. They were often of odd sizes and less uniform shapes, and their details were personal designs based on remembrance and tradition. Some were only inscribed with the essentials of birth, death, and maybe marriage, but others offered personal comments that gave their witnesses a hint of the deceased’s life sparkle while here. Such we found in the Old Salem Cemetery in Fletcher: Died in a RR Accident October 26, 1906, at 3:40 pm Engine No 622 with coal car. While firing this engine he was killed instantly at Hickory, NC

Denominational Cocktails: Presbyterian – Brandy, ginger ale and club soda; Catholic – Brandy, rum, orange & lime & lemon juice, grenadine;  Episcopal – Douglas Fir, CB Frost, Cointreau, lemon juice, sour mix, lemon bitters; Lutheran – Cognac, Cointreau, Chartreuse, lemon juice, bitters; Unitarian Universalist  – CB Frost, curacao, lime & orange juice, lemonade topper;  1/2 price fruit/infused flight

Reminder of Flowers and Fruits event: Flower Arranging 101, set for 8/26 – 5–6:30 PM, Check our Facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrandyBar