Wed – 4-9 PM – $5 sangria specials – white: sauvignon blanc, brandy, St. Germaine, apple, lime, mint, basil, fresh fruit juices; and red – Cabernet, brandy, fresh picked blackberries, raspberries, plums, fresh fruit juices. The white is nice minty and refreshing and the red is berry soaked and delicious!
Thurs 4-9 PM – Clean mineral waters of North Carolina? In the 1840s warm springs and healthy waters of Appalachia gave rise to an exotic form of new habitation called the mountain spa that became a watering hole where one’s ills could be cured in the pleasant company of like-minded souls. Affluent families from the coast joined the Appalachian elite at dozens of these resorts. Warm Springs (later named Hot Springs) located in Hot Springs, Madison County, and White Sulfur Springs in Mayberry, Surry County, NC were both opened in 1837. They boasted their waters as rich in iron, sulfur, magnesium, and lithium. Folks not only soaked in their warm minerals, but the waters were collected and sold, in such places as Murray’s grocery in Fletcher whose review in the 1886 Gazetteer Asheville newspaper identified him as: “…on Hendersonville stage road, and near the proposed line of S&A R.R. (Southern Rail Road). Wheat, rye, and corn are the principal productions of the vicinity. On Squire Murray’s farm are found three distinct varieties of mineral waters – chalybeate, yellow Sulphur, and a mixture of both….”
These warm springs became well known as “America’s sanitarium” and by the late 1800s these bubbling clear waters continued to be celebrated nationwide as outstanding remedies for all sorts of ailments. In 1875 a visitor to the Sulphur Spring’s spa bragged glowingly on the natural wonders that abounded and their healthy contribution to healing in the mountains, “It is beautiful to watch the invalid’s color come stealing back and the poor little sickly children grow round-limbed and brown in the bracing atmosphere. Verily, this is nature’s great sanitarium, where that good old mother takes her children into her lap and soothes their jangled nerves, where the doctors are never in evidence and the medicines always delightful. If you are interested in swimming in any of the local waters, you might visit the website of that wonderful organization Mountain True who regularly monitor the water quality of our streams at: https://mountaintrue.org/waters/
Mineral Water cocktails (all are topped with Perrier’s natural mineral water): Ranch water – Copper & Kings American brandy, lime juice; Apple water – Keeper apple brandy, simple syrup, sour mix; Apple rum rickey – Clear Creek apple brandy, rum, slice of lime; Apricot fizz – Apricot brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup; Cruise control – Apricot, rum, Cointreau, lemon juice; 1/2 price Fruit-infused brandies