Wed 7/5 – 4-9:00 PM $5 sangria specials – white wine, brandy, fresh mint, cucumber, coconut water – a light fresh touch for a hot summer evening!
Thurs 7/6 – 4-9:00 PM – Post July 4th cocktails 
In excerpts from a letter found in the local Murray family history from Colonel John Johnston (undated), we have a firsthand account of the true patriotism found among the colonists as they fought for their freedom: “….all our family are clear for independence and have all been active, and always ready on every emergency: and seem not to shock at the noise of a gun, or the whistle of a bullet. The cause we imbark in is glorious and under the persuasion of that no man’s heart can faint: our death will be crowned with laurels. Providence has favored us with remarkable instances of His goodness to us. In a remarkable battle fought at Charleston Bay, six men-of-war and a large army of land forces attached an island called Sullivan Island about four miles from town: where was a battery to face the ships and small intrenchments with a few men, where they attempted to land their forces. And the ships battered the breast works for nine hours without success and the forces attempted to land twice without success: and the ships got so damaged that they could hardly get off… Victory depends on unanimity and resolution and a steady resigned will to Providence: from which I would advise the wife and lover of every Freeman of America to be encouraged and fear not the alarm of war, for Providence is bound to protect them that trust in Him as well in battle as in bed.”
We celebrate Independence Day on July 4th of each year but, speaking for myself, I’m not sure we truly appreciate the hardships and sacrifice that went into it. We checked out a brief timeline for America’s struggle and wanted to share: On September 5, 1774 – October 27, 1774, the First Continental Congress, met in response to the Intolerable Acts, met in Philadelphia. All thirteen colonies except Georgia were represented. They composed a “Declaration of Rights and Grievances,” which detailed “grievous acts and measures” imposed by the Crown to which “Americans cannot submit.” On April 19, 1775, the “shot heard ‘round the world’ at the battles of Lexington and Concord, began the American Revolution. On July 5, 1775, one year before they would declare independence, the Second Continental Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition to England. The king refused to even look at it, and instead issued the Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition, declaring the colonies to be in “open and avowed rebellion.” King George III addressed Parliament to declare that Great Britain would not give independence to the colonies: “The object is too important . . . to give up so many colonies which she has planted with great industry, nursed with great tenderness… On May 10, 1776, Congress passed a resolution calling on the colonies to form their own local governments “where no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs have been hitherto established.” On November 15, 1775, in a letter to a fellow Continental Congress delegate, John Adams described the basic structure of what would become the American government, including the separation of powers: “A Legislative, an Executive and a judicial Power, comprehend the whole of what is meant and understood by Government.” The ideas presented in this letter had a profound influence on the state constitutions of Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, and ultimately, the federal Constitution. On July 2, 1776, Congress declared independence from Great Britain and two days later July 4, 1776, adopted the Declaration of Independence. Copies of the Declaration were then sent out to the new “Free and Independent States” to print and distribute. Well so much for the history lesson, now let’s drink and celebrate the freedom we have fought so hard to keep! Post July 4th Cocktails: Margherita Italiana – CB Frost, Aperol, Cointreau, lime juice; Star Spangled Berry – Applejack, grenadine, lemon juice, muddled blueberries; Dona Carmen – Pisco, grapefruit juice, sour mix; French 75 – Courvoisier, lemon juice, topped with Champagne; Gilded Grand – Cointreau, grapefruit juice, honey, lemon juice.
REMINDER Wed 7/12 – NC Writers Network presents its monthly “In the Company of Writers” series, featuring guest authors Kenneth Chamlee and Molly Bolton. Visit our Facebook page for more details https://www.facebook.com/TheBrandyBar/events