The Brandy Bar + Cocktails

Wed 9/7 – 4-9 PM $5 sangria special – sauvignon blanc, brandy, pineapple – orange – mango, fresh fruit juices (no simple syrup!) As our last days of summer move in and we are looking at a glorious fall, we need an end of the summer sangria.

Thurs 9/8 – 4-9 PM – Riffs on the old fashion cocktail:  Join us for a selection of riffs on the old fashion (one of our best-selling cocktails). The old fashioned is the cocktail of choice of Don Draper, the lead character on the Mad Men television series, set in the 1960s.  The use of the drink in the series coincided with a renewed interest in this and other classic cocktails in the 2000’s.  

The original old fashioned recipe would have showcased the whiskey available in America in the 19th century: Irish, Bourbon or rye whiskey or brandy (especially Wisconsin prefers brandy).  Eventually the use of other spirits became common, such as a gin recipe becoming popularized in the late 1940s. Common garnishes for an old fashioned include an orange slice or a maraschino cherry or both, although these modifications came around 1930, sometime after the original recipe was invented. While some recipes began making sparse use of the orange zest for flavor, the practice of muddling orange and other fruit gained prevalence as late as the 1990s.  Some modern variants have greatly sweetened the old-fashioned, e.g. by adding blood orange soda to make a fizzy old-fashioned, or muddled strawberries to make a strawberry old-fashioned.

Our selection of old fashions:   Don Draper’s Old Fashioned – Copper & Kings American Brandy, sugar (just enough sugar to cut the burn), club soda; Bart’s Old Fashioned – Copper & Kings American Brandy, oranges, bourbon soaked cherries, sugar, Woodford Reserve spiced cherry bitters;  Espresso Old Fashioned – Laird’s applejack, absinthe rinse, Aromatic bitters, espresso; Benton’s Old Fashioned – Fat-washed Copper & Kings American brandy (bacon fat), maple syrup, angostura bitters;  Freehand Old Fashioned – Brandy, pineapple juice, simple syrup, coffee liqueur, Angostura bitters, orange bitters.  1/2 price Armagnac & Calvados flight. 

If you are not an old fashion person, then try one of our great brandy cocktails from our wide array on our daily menu OR If you have not tasted our wide selection of brandy, then consider one of our flights as a great introduction.  Remember the only difference between whiskey and brandy is whiskey is made from grain and brandy is made from fruit (exception being our Douglas fir which, I guess, is a kind of fruit).

Wed 8/31 – 4-9 PM – $5 sangria – End of the summer red sangria: shiraz, blackberry brandy, blackberries, plums, fresh fruit juices. Not too sweet a balance.

Thurs 9/1 – 4-9 PM – Mystery cocktails:   The local mystery of the “Hanging of George Cunningham.” In the early formation of the county when folks were traveling long distances, they would build campfires and sometimes would be joined by other travelers who would talk, exchange views, sing, play the banjo or fiddle. And sometimes card playing, gambling and a jug of potent corn whiskey would be passed around. One night such a camp was on the banks of a small settlement called Swannanoa. Late in the afternoon of June 6,1874, George Cunningham found such a site and a man sitting by it. The stranger introduced himself as Daniel Sternberg from Kansas. Sternberg fetched from his saddlebags a deck of cards and a jug of corn whiskey which they began to consume while playing cards. As the game continued young George continued to win until he had won all of Sternberg’s money. Then Sternberg put up his gold watch which George won as well. Early the next morning Sternberg’s body was found below the camp with his head crushed. Later in the day the Buncombe County Sheriff caught up with Cunningham’s wagon and placed him under arrest for murder. The gold watch was found in Cunningham’s possession which he claimed was won fairly. Cunningham told the story of Sternberg calling him a cheat and trying to take the money back. Cunningham was furious and picked up an ax and threatened Sternberg who picked up a split rail and swung it at Cunningham, hitting the ax he held. When Sternberg grabbed for the ax, Cunningham hit him in the head. Cunningham said, “I hit him in the head with it and killed him.” He pled guilty to self-defense, was tried and sentenced to hang. Eyewitnesses say that when the trap was sprung, the body dropped to the end of the rope, but  George Cunningham’s feet were touching the ground. The doctor who was present to pronunce the death rushed to the body and announced in a loud voice that could be heard by all present:” The man is dead! He’s dead!” The rope was cut at once and the body immediately put in a coffin, placed on a wagon and the driver lashed the horses into a gallop.  A man was seen to jump off the wagon and run through the woods The lid was replaced, and the wagon continued its journey.

   In 1959 the descendants of Cunningham petitioned to have his grave in Patty’s Chapel Cemetery opened, and on July 7, 1959, everyone gathered around the open grave, witnessed by Dr. David Pierce, Professor at UNC-A (local historian & author of several books). After 85+ years of internment, careful examination revealed no remains of bones, teeth or hair. There was found a large quantity of oak wood covered in bark well preserved. This was thought to be evidence that the stories of an oak log being substituted for the body, might in fact be true. Dr. Pierce declared “There seems to be no evidence that a man was ever buried in this grave.”

Mataket Mystery – CB Frost, Rum, Coconut cream, cranberry & orange juices; Baltic Murder Mystery – CB Frost, crème de cassis, club soda topper; Satan’s Whisker – CB Frost, gin, sweet & dry vermouth Cointreau, orange juice, orange bitters; Agatha Christie Mystery – Cognac, Cointreau, sour mix; The Mystery Cocktail – Make a guess – well balanced, not sweet nor tart; Fruit/infused flight 1/2 price

Wed 8/24 – 4-9:00 PM -$5 sangria special – sauvignon blanc, brandy, apple, pear, grapes, fresh fruit juices. A sangria that has a hint of the end of Summer but a looking forward to Fall. 

Thurs 8/25 – 4-9:00 PM – Plantation cocktails. Where and when was the first plantation system(s) born?  The migration of the Scotch-Irish (also called Ulster Scots) and eventual colonization in the New America was a continuation of England’s expansion that began with King James II and his father, King Charles I of England, who established the first plantation systems in Ireland circa 1583 for the “Munster Plantation” and circa 1600 for “Plantation of Ulster.” This initial expansion through a plantation colony strategy is now acknowledged by historians as the practice ground for the colonization of other non-western countries. The lowland Scots migrating into Northern Ireland and mixing with the Northern Irish population became known as “Ulster Scots” or Scotch-Irish.” The British strategy called for the military to make initial entry into Ireland and secure it from the Gaelic-Irish who had grown increasingly violent. They then called for the establishment of homesteads to those properties seized at no cost or low cost to the homesteaders. Situated near the depressed Western Lowlands of Scotland, a short journey away by sea, the Plantations were known as “the bridge between the two countries.” Scotsmen moving into Ireland built up profitable linen and woolen and other craft productions; these came to concern the English, who increasingly questioned any issue that might lead to rebellion and independence. Thus, they established policies that persecuted the Ulster Scots in religion, politics and business. The younger sons and daughters of these Ulster Scots became less accepting of the British tyranny than their parents had been, and began to migrate to American in small numbers by the late 1600s.

In 1685 King James II began demanding acceptance as head of the church, and those not accepting were persecuted and some deported to the American Colonies. Political tensions had been mounting in Ulster and finally led to the crucial exit from Ireland of numerous Scotch-Irish. The greatest exodus occurred from 1718 until 1728, with more than 4,200 souls headed for the colonies. When famine struck Ulster in 1740, the rush to emigrate reached 12,000+ annually. The decision to leave the old world for the new world, although born out of desperation and strife, would prove to be positive and advantageous for the bold adventuresome Ulster Scots in America. A great book Albion’s Seed Four British Folkways In America discusses the traditions & culture they brought with them and later woven into their American lives. 

Plantation Cocktails: Plantation of Ulster – CB Frost, gin, Cointreau, basil, lime, simple syrup, club soda; Brandy Bar Plantation – CB Frost, rum, pineapple & lime juice, Absinthe, grenadine, ginger beer; Old Plantation – Pineapple brandy, rum, simple syrup, lime juice, ginger bitters; Planter’s Cocktail – CB Frost, rum, pineapple & lime juice, grenadine, club soda; Damnation on the Plantation – CB Frost, rum, orange & pineapple juice, cinnamon bitters; and 1/2 price Worldly flight