Double Black Diamond Martini Firebirds Southpoint, Durham $10 This martini doesn’t have a long list of ingredients, but classic martinis never do, subsisting on quality liquor with a personalized touch of what gets the drinker’s juices flowing whether vermouth, blue-cheese-stuffed olives, or cocktail onions. The Double Black Diamond martini is even simpler than that, just
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In my first blog on this day trip to Kinston, I mentioned being pleasantly surprised to see Mother Earth Brewing loom up as we entered downtown. My husband is a fan of their Weeping Willow Wit, a Belgian-style beer that is often his choice when picking a local draft from a restaurant, so stumbling upon
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CocoNUT Margarita Firebirds Southpoint, Durham $9.50 Firebirds is one of the best spots to get a drink before catching a movie at Southpoint. The drinks are pricey, but aren’t they at most spots I frequent? I know what I like and that’s quality liquor and bartending, both of which chain restaurants often fail at spectacularly.
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Alley 26 320 East Chapel Hill St. Downtown Durham Website $9 to $12 per drink 4 pm to 2 am (May I take this moment to say I love a bar that posts a closing time?) To my disappointment, Alley 26, Durham’s newest upscale bar, is not located in an alley. It takes up actual
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The Boy’s Club The Borough Downtown Raleigh $7.50 This cocktail is a Kahlua, Bailey’s Irish cream, and Frangelico trio shaken up with chocolate and iced Counter Culture coffee. If you’re thinking dessert, you’re thinking correctly, as most coffee cocktails fall under that category. The drink is indisputably gorgeous with that chocolate pattern laced into the
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Little Fŭk’ər The Borough Downtown Raleigh $6.50 I’ve been to the Borough twice now, and I love it as a casual night spot to relax with slightly trussed up comfort food and a good drink list. This is my second time drinking the Little Fŭk’ər as well. It’s made with bourbon, red apple Schnapps, butterscotch
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The hubby and I did a whirlwind tour of New Orleans and the surrounding areas in early December. The quintessence of the city—Cajun food, voodoo religion, laissez faire—has always placed it high on my list of places to see. I had considered moving there not long before Hurricane Katrina hit. Its pull on me is
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Caipirinha Calavera (my restaurant review) Downtown Raleigh $8 First things first: the rum-soaked sugar cane. It is both visually pleasing and an essential garnish for this cocktail. Caipirinhas are a favorite in my cocktail repertoire, so I am always happy to try a new one, and having one from Calavera’s impressive bar just made sense
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Cilantro Jalapeno Margarita Calavera (my restaurant review) Downtown Raleigh $8 I have been dying to try the tequila cocktails at Calavera. They plain sound amazing, and it’s hard to go wrong with me, tequila, and something spicy. So ordering the cilantro jalapeno margarita was basically a foregone conclusion. I’ve tried a million varieties on it
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Virginia Wine Tasting at the Fox Liquor Bar Back in July, I attended a wine tasting event at the Angus Barn promoting wineries from Virginia. It was very informative and a great preparation for my trip to Charlottesville a few weeks later. Well, the VA Wine Board was back in town a week and a
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