Category: Thirsty

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The Thirsty South (non) Holiday Gift Guide & Help for Searchers!

It seems every magazine, website, and person-on-the-street has assembled a handy gift guide to help you spend money this holiday season. We considered it, briefly, but in the spirit of the season, decided instead to give something back to our readers. We thought a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle for every reader might do the trick, but couldn’t find enough to cover everyone. Instead, we realized that so many people find their way to Thirsty South by searching for specific things on Google, or Bing, or Yahoo!, and that, in the past, we haven’t always had exactly what they were looking for. So, today, as our holiday gift to you, dear readers, for some of our most common actual queries (all in bold below) we will answer your question or at least try to point you in the right direction. The search terms that lead folks to Thirsty South tend to revolve around moonshine, Pappy Van Winkle, Perrine Prieur’s wine shop, and deep fried peanuts. Go figure. Here we go, in no particular order…

Thirsty South: yes, you found us, congratulations!

Deep Fried Peanuts / Southern Fried Peanuts / Shell n All Peanuts: well, we did feature this Southern delicacy as “the South’s greatest beer snack” – to actually find some, we suggest driving to your nearest suburb, continue on out into the countryside another 15 miles or so, then seek out the nearest gas station, which is where you will find deep fried peanuts in a bag hanging from a plastic chip bag holder. Related terms: best beer snacks, Uncle Bud’s deepfried peanuts, do you eat the shell of deep fried peanuts (yes, we do)

Legal Moonshine: there is such a thing as legal moonshine these days, though we feel the expression is a bit of an oxymoron, like honest politician, or female mailman (?). Nevertheless, there are several brands of “legal moonshine” out there – we recommend you try Ole Smoky Distillery out of the hills of eastern Tennessee or swing by Buffalo Trace in Kentucky for some of their legal “White Dog” if it’s “legal moonshine” you’re after. Related Terms: is there a legal form of moonshine, store bought moonshine

Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey: this is of the decidedly-not-legal variety of moonshine, we mentioned it here, and you can learn more here or in the really excellent book called Chasing the White Dog. Some say Popcorn is still around if you look hard enough… Related Terms: mason jar moonshine, moonshine real thing

how long to store my moonshine in a oak barrel / hillbilly moonshine recipe: well, legally, we’re not going to help you out on this one, though we think the answer to the first question is “until you’re ready to drink it”

Pappy Van Winkle: we gotcha covered if you’re looking for info and pretty pictures, but do check out their website as well, and if you’re trying to find an actual bottle of the stuff to buy, good luck, call around to as many local liquor stores as you can find! Oh, and the answer to the second related term below is – “whichever one you have in front of you!” Related Terms: old rip van winkle if you can still find it, what is the best aged pappy van winkle?, pappy van winkle 23, old rip van winkle

Pappy’s Drinking Shirt: hmmm, no clue on this one, go ask Granny maybe?

how big is a small batch of vodka: isn’t this part of a famous Zen koan? Another question that can only be answered with a question…

Sweetwater Brewery Square Footage: wow, talk about specific searches, and why do you really want to know? But we actually did come close to answering that one in our tour of SweetWater Brewery!

flying with herbal incense: wow again, this must have something to do with SweetWater 420, right??

whats around Sweetwater brewery: see prior query, plenty of herbal incense maybe? The immediate area around SweetWater is mostly warehouses, industrial buildings, and a few random gallery spaces. It’s very close to the Buford Highway extension though, so a world of food choices is right down the road, as is all of midtown Atlanta.

H. Harper Station, Atlanta: a wonderful place for a drink (especially whiskey based cocktails) and some good food in Atlanta, we featured it here, and here’s their website. Related Terms: Daisy Buchanan (cocktail recipe towards the bottom here), harper bar atlanta

Beer Growler, Athens: a new shop that recently opened in Athens, GA, the first legal place in Georgia to buy freshly filled growlers-to-go of excellent craft beer (in modern times). We’re hoping the red tape in Atlanta can be cut through for something similar… Related Terms: beer growler new law GA

Perrine Prieur / Perrine’s Wine Shop: for some reason, we get a lot of people searching for Perrine’s Wine Shop. A first look when they opened was one of our first posts, and we continue to include them in our Thirsty Guide to Atlanta as a great place to buy a bottle of wine.

Shave and a Haircut Drink: hmmm, maybe people are searching for this place in New York, or maybe they want to find the recipe for this cocktail with a decidedly manly name, or maybe they really are just looking for our favorite place to get a shave and a haircut and a side of Jack Daniels, too… Related Terms: haircut Norman Rockwell, beer haircut atlanta, Norman Rockwell with a beer

Woodford Reserve Maple Wood Finish: we did indeed discuss this new release from Woodford Reserve, with mixed feelings, though in the end found it to be a nice (though very expensive) contributor to a fine cocktail. Related Terms: Woodford Reserve Maple, Woodford Reserve Masters Collection, maple wood bourbon

Local Three, Atlanta: a new kitchen and bar in Atlanta that is drawing a lot of interest, most likely due to the fact that the fine folks from Muss & Turner’s have something to do with it, and the fact that Elvis, the Dude, and plenty of pigs are omnipresent there. Related Terms: Local Three cocktail menu

Glass Bottle Chandelier: we’re guessing you weren’t looking for this featuring a lovely chandelier from the Bonny Doon tasting room in Santa Cruz – try this instead

Leon’s Full Service cocktail recipe: we’ve got at least one for you, the Witch Hunt (complete with a helpful video!), and here’s another from Imbibe Magazine. Related Terms: apple cardamom syrup (recipe included in our post), where to get a drink in Decatur Georgia (so many choices – Leon’s, Cakes & Ale, Iberian Pig, BrickStore Pub, and Mac McGee’s among our favorites)

Dahlonega Plateau: ah, the Dahlonega Plateau – home to Georgia’s best wine growing hills and chock full o’ minerals and tourist destinations. Related Terms: Georgia wine, Montaluce, Blackstock

13th colony distillery: A relatively new craft distillery in Georgia, we’ve got some tasting notes for you on their Southern Corn Whiskey, Vodka and Gin, and learn more here. Related Terms: distillery in Georgia

Ale Yeah Hop City: two great Atlanta beer shops, not sure why you’d search for them simultaneously, but both are worth a visit (or two or three or more). Related Terms: craft beer Atlanta

While there are many more searches we could address, we’ll stop here in the interest of time – it is, after all, the holiday season, and we know you folks are busy. Dear readers, we do hope we have been able to answer some of your most perplexing questions, keep on searching Thirsty South style. Happy holidays!

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Local Three, Atlanta: Elvis, The Dude, & a Big Pig

Who knew that the “three” in Atlanta’s new bar and restaurant, Local Three, referred to Elvis, the Dude (from The Big Lebowski), and a very big pig? Some have surmised that it refers to owners Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner (of Muss & Turner’s), along with chef Chris Hall. Heck, the menu even says as much. But just get a load of all the artwork around the restaurant, and it’s clear that there is a serious devotion to Elvis, the Dude, and all things pig. That’s three for three in our book. And the Elvis/Dude attitude is one thing that sets Local Three apart from the crowd of local/Southern/farm-to-table restaurants all over town these days. We’re certainly fans of places like Miller Union, Cakes & Ale, Empire State South and Sprig, but chances are that black velvet Elvis won’t be making an appearance in those joints any time soon.

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“In Hungry” and “Out Happy” grace the wall by the kitchen at Local Three

The fine folks behind Local Three have done a beautiful job of converting the old Joel space off Northside Parkway into a warm and comfortable environment that fits the restaurant’s down-home, locavore menu perfectly. Boiled peanuts, a charcuterie plate nicknamed “the Notorious P.I.G.,” and so many other dishes that shout amped-up Southern goodness all seem right amidst the wood, the funky art, and the fine collection of bourbons lining the bar.

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While Local Three is surely a restaurant first and a bar second, the bar offerings already fit nicely alongside the cuisine and the general feel of the place. A concise but (mostly) classic cocktail list, for example, features a Whiskey Sour, a Julep, and a “Caucasian” lifted as carefully as possible from the Dude’s drink of choice in The Big Lebowski. In the spirit of sharing, the menu even includes the basic recipe for each cocktail – a nice touch more bars would be wise to follow as a way to engage curious cocktail drinkers. Like the restaurant side, the bar hopes to keep things as house-made and local as possible, always a sign of a bar that takes their craft seriously.

menu
“Hey man, there’s a beverage here” – two views of the cocktail and beer menu

The spirits list goes heavy on the bourbon, with startling variety at the affordable end of the spectrum, and a wonderful collection of bourbon and whiskey flights that allow for tasting and contrasting three different whiskeys that share some common traits – a group of ryes for example, or a trio of top shelf selections including Pappy Van Winkle 23 (for now, though their stock is being depleted rapidly by eager Pappy devotees!). The prices are nice as well. In addition to the bourbons, a few less-often-seen whiskeys from abroad fill out the selection, from the Pig’s Nose Scotch Whisky (5 years old) to Redbreast Irish Whiskey to the Yamazaki 12 year old single malt whisky from Japan.

Matthew behind the bar has also assembled an enticing beer and wine menu: 11 beers on tap with a Southern center of gravity, and about 90 more by the bottle; 100 wines covering a nice spectrum, focused on fitting the food and shifting with the seasons. The folks at Local Three clearly want the drinks to find a harmony with the food, but also aim to please by offering a broad enough selection that will offer something for everyone. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine walking out of Local Three without a big smile on your face, from the salt and pepper shakers to the paintings to the ingredients and menu to the drinks and staff – Local Three aims to please.

In the spirit of aiming to please, here’s a taste of the Local Three experience in photos, featuring more Elvis, pigs and peanuts (and be sure to check out the videos on the food at Local Three over at TheHungrySoutherner.com) as well:


pigs nose
peanuts
notorious PIG
pig
elvis
shakers

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Great Southern Distillery: Old Rip Van Winkle, AKA “Pappy”

Part two of Thirsty South’s “Great Southern X” series features one of the most revered names in bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle. Rare. Cherished. Distinctive. Amazing. Those are but a few of the descriptors for the bourbon that carries the “Pappy” name. Old Rip Van Winkle is a standout among the many great Kentucky bourbon brands, true to a long heritage of great whiskey in the South. Read the full story here.

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Shave and a Haircut, and Some Jack Daniel’s Too

When you walk into American Haircuts in midtown Atlanta or their outpost in Roswell, Georgia, you immediately get a sense that this is a contemporary take on the traditional (nearly forgotten) barbershop, and all the Norman Rockwell imagery that comes with it. There’s the old red, white and blue barber pole, the bright Barbicide disinfectant glass jars, the “official hairstyles for men and boys” poster, the… oh, wait – is that Jack Daniels? Maker’s Mark? I don’t remember that in any Norman Rockwell painting. Indeed, if Thirsty South were to endorse a shave and a haircut, it would certainly be at American Haircuts. For the Jack, for the hot lather shaves, for the barbershop-era hospitality. They even have their own guide to food and drink in Atlanta! Just don’t confuse the hair tonic for tonic when you’re having that drink…



By the way, in working on this post, we discovered that Norman Rockwell did indeed produce a few whiskey advertisements in his day. Schenley’s Cream of Kentucky Bourbon was a frequent Norman Rockwell subject from 1937 into the 1940’s.

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H. Harper Station: A Scenic Ride

We previously mentioned the opening of H. Harper Station in Atlanta, a “modern watering stop” with an impressive spirits selection and what looks to be an excellent cocktail program led by Jerry Slater. Barely a week old now, the bar and restaurant in a converted old train station is attracting a quick following, especially for their whiskey-based cocktails. One such cocktail is the “Daisy Buchanan” – inspired by the traditional “Great Gatsby.” Here, the cocktail’s name changes to that of the leading lady in the F. Scott Fitzgerald book that inspired the “Great Gatsby” cocktail (got that?), and the cocktail itself changes from vodka/gin/vermouth to bourbon/Chartreuse/grenadine, with the bright acidity of the lemon juice being the primary constant. (Literary side note: The Great Gatsby involves a train ride and is set during Prohibition, how apropos!). Slater chose to use Basil Hayden’s 8yo Bourbon in this drink for its “feminine” qualities, and the Basil Hayden does indeed work nicely with the Chartreuse and lemon juice, an egg white thrown in for a lush and frothy texture. See the cocktail recipe at the end of this post, and enjoy this little video to give you a better feel for H. Harper Station and their “Daisy Buchanan:”

H. Harper Station: A Scenic Ride from Thirsty South on Vimeo.

Of course, there’s much more to the bar menu at H. Harper Station. The cocktail list is grouped by primary ingredient, from Champagne, to beer and cider, to brandy to rye. There’s another section dedicated to punch bowls, including the “Buford Highway Artillery Punch” (with white whiskey, sochu, green tea, lychees, ginger syrup and mint), which are served in beautiful vintage crystal bowls and can keep a group of four happy for the evening. And, of course, the bar can serve up any classic cocktail as well. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Vieux Carre cocktail in New Orleans (or better yet, if you NEVER have), you should seek out Tiffany behind the bar. She hails from Lafayette, Louisiana, and is a master of this hallowed drink, made with Sazerac Rye, Benedictine, Cognac, vermouth and bitters.  The bar staff is already clicking one week in, and they are gearing up to do even more in-house, from their house-made pickled eggs and infused syrups, to ginger beer, cream soda, and tonic. Beer and wine selections are well chosen if not overly numerous (the wine list includes Brewer-Clifton pinot noir, La Spinetta barbaresco, and Domaine Weinbach riesling; and the sixteen beers on tap include Wild Heaven Invocation, Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale and Hitachino White). Climb aboard for a scenic ride at H. Harper Station (and be sure to stay for the cocktail recipe at the end of this post…)

The “Daisy Buchanan” Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients:
1.5 oz Basil Hayden’s 8yo Bourbon (or similar)
.5oz Chartreuse
.5oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
.25oz grenadine, preferably homemade
1 egg white

Preparation:
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into glass.

Enjoy! And thanks to Jerry Slater and team at H. Harper Station.