Wed 5/27/26 – 4-9 PM Brandy Alexander Special – join us for that very old-fashioned cocktail called the Brandy Alexander, but we have added the choice between the traditional chocolate liqueur version and our Strawberry Brandy Alexander version – Courvoisier, chocolate liqueur or strawberry brandy, and heavy cream. A fantastic dessert cocktail!
Thurs 5/28/26 – 4-9 PM – Wow… The Fraser Magnolias are budding, ready to bloom, with their dark green, leathery leaves and cream-colored flowers, with that distinctly clean citrus smell. Although this Magnolia Grandiflora is not native to Appalachia (native to the bottomlands & moist wooded areas in the central & southeastern coastal plains) they are hardy and grow well here. Fossil records suggest that the genus existed from the Cretaceous period (145-66 million years ago), making the Magnolia the first flowering plant. Before this time only conifers and cycads graced the earth, which themselves came after historic distribution, prior to the last age, would have been across most of mainland Europe and the rest of the northern hemisphere. Although since the last ice age its native range has predominantly been Asia and eastern America.
There are 130 species of the genus magnolia, but only 8 of the species are native to the United States. Six of these species can be found in the southern highlands southwest of Virginia, NC, and into the piedmont area of north Georgia. Of the six species, four grow locally, two have been introduced, and one is rather rare, so the only magnolia trees that we are likely to see tramping around the woods are the Fraser magnolia (Magnolia fraseri), the cucumber tree (M. acuminata), and the umbrella magnolia (M. tripetala).
All three of these common native species lie within the Appalachian belt and have deciduous leaves, blooming in late April – May, and into June. But our local “cucumber tree” is the Magnolia Acuminata with its unripe fruit that appears in the shape of a cucumber and develops into a deep dark red colored berries used by florists as decoration. These are 4-8 inches long and 3-4 inches broad with the individual carpels splitting open to release the bright red seeds, truly beautiful if you see them in the fall woods. The leaves of the Magnolia Acuminata are deciduous, simple and alternate, oval to oblong, 12inches plus long and 6-10 inches wide. Unlike the Magnolia Grandiflora, the flowers are not showy but are typically small, yellow-green, and borne high in the tree.
Magnolia cocktails: The Magnolia – Douglas fir brandy, lemon juice, heavy cream, grenadine; Magnolia Blossom – CB Frost, cranberry juice, orange juice; Grand Magnolia Mimosa – Mango brandy, Cointreau, orange juice, Champagne topper; Cucumber tree- CB Frost, Douglas fir, simple syrup, cucumbers, lime juice; Fruit/infused flight ½ price
Wed 6/10/26 – 7 – 9 PM – NC Writers Network hosts authors, Jeff Davis and Jane Sperry Jones as next in the series “In the Company of Writers” – please put on your calendars!