Graniwinkle Watts Grocery Review/Website Watts Hillandale, Durham $9 This is a seasonal offering at Watts, and it’s the second I’ve had locally featuring Foggy Ridge cider—I must check into that label to see why our bartenders are experimenting with it! Including the cider, the Graniwinkle is made of house-spiced apple cider syrup, brandy, lemon juice,
Read more

The Olivia West End Wine Bar West Village, Durham Website $9   I love when bars creatively mix and match their spirits to come up with unique combinations you’d never expect. The Olivia had one of those descriptions I just had to try; Sauza hornitos tequila with the flowery St. Germain, sour mix, and cranberry
Read more

Mango Bellini Nantucket Grill and Bar Sutton Station, Durham This sparkling wine cocktail was an unexpected treat! A traditional bellini is usually prosecco combined with peach puree or juice. Oftentimes, peach schnapps is added as well, but it’s not required. However, whoever comes up with the drinks at the Nantucket Grill in Sutton Station made
Read more

On occasion, I get the pleasure of an invitation to the swanky, fun, creative parties put on for Yelp Elite members. Last Sunday night was one of those occasions, and the theme was mobsters and molls. That theme happens to fit the venue, a few-month-old club in Durham called the Roxy, to a tee. The
Read more

Drunken Horchata Dos Perros Dinner Review, Brunch Review Downtown Durham $9 This horchata, Kraken rum, and Licor 43 drink is a vast improvement over its predecessor, La Leche, which I tried over a year ago at Dos Perros. What’s the difference? Only the Licor 43 and a larger serving. It’s possible that the rum has
Read more

The Republic 353 W. Main Street Five Points, Durham Website   The Republic is a bar and lounge that always intrigued me when I walked by, but for some reason, I never stepped inside until recently. I think it might be because the space looks really, really dark from the outside, which doesn’t come across
Read more

Desert Pear Martini Firebirds North Hills, Raleigh $9 This lovely drink gets a considerable boost in appearance from that slice of pear dominating the top of the glass. The liquid beneath it is a mix of Belvedere citrus vodka, Firebirds’ sweet and sour mix, desert pear juice, and apple juice. Now, the term desert pear
Read more

Mexicano Mojito  Bandidos Woodcroft, Durham $5.95 There are two things you can count on a Bandidos drink being: stiff and affordable. The Mexicano Mojito fulfills both of those qualifications, though it leaves something to be desired in the flavor department. That’s because the strong alcohol from three, count ‘em, three rums—Bacardi Light, Bacardi Dark, and Bacardi
Read more

Veev is a liqueur made mainly from the acai berry. The back of the bottle waxes poetic on the heart of the Amazon, the adventurous benefits of acai, and the pleasing addition of other exotic (their word, not mine) fruits. I won’t be quite as mysterious as they are—those other fruits are prickly pear and
Read more

Corn ‘N Oil Geer St. Garden Central Park District, Durham $8 This unique cocktail was recommended to me by the lovely @nutellaisevil after she tried Geer St. Garden for the first time on the same day that I was about to do the same. It’s a simple mix of blackstrap rum, falernum syrup, and fresh
Read more