The famous pineapple fountain in Charleston’s Waterfront Park is a symbol of unflinching hospitality, and has been there since 1990. Since it gets plenty hot during Lowcountry summers, kids are encouraged to wade in the pool to keep cool, and wouldn’t you know it, adults are too. Well played, Holy City!
South Carolina
Many Americans would be surprised to know that, in 1973, South Carolina passed a law restricting bars and restaurants to serving liquor in 1½-ounce mini-bottles, and that this lasted until 2005. Instead of freely pouring from larger bottles, bartenders had to pour from tiny airplane bottles. The idea behind the practice was twofold: It aided taxation of alcohol and maintained a standardization of the amount of alcohol served in each drink. South Carolina bars are now welcome to have full bottles of spirits on their back shelves, which generated a huge sigh of relief from bartenders, who no longer had to open one million tiny bottles during each shift.
I have to say, it’s great that every bar in America has now learned how to make a Negroni. Its popularity has skyrocketed and I hear it called all the time, no matter the venue.
—Brooks Reitz, Jack Rudy Co. (Charleston)
Charleston makes a good argument for being a terrific cocktail destination of late. Innovative bars have sprouted in the Holy City over the past few years, and they work overtime to serve libations when visitors flood the town during the popular food and wine festival every March—and throughout the year. The Gin Joint is not only a catchy old-time name, it also features a wonderful array of juniper-based spirits from all over the world. If you love impressive selections of bourbon and delicious cocktails, check out the Bar next to the famed restaurant Husk, which features a Charleston punch cocktail from 1792.
I’m a fan of any bartender who genuinely gives great service, whether in a dive bar or a Michelin-starred restaurant.
—Kevin King, bartender, McCrady’s Tavern (Charleston)
Punches were very common in the 1700s throughout the South but especially in Charleston, where the St. Cecilia—an exclusive ladies’ club—filled punch bowls with rum, fruit, and Champagne, while always taking time to stop and hear the music. (Cecilia is the patron saint of music. I’m not sure if Simon and Garfunkel named their famous song after her, but I can attest that nearly every time I attend a karaoke bar, someone performing believes they invented that song, and are performing for 30,000 people, bless their hearts.) During concerts, the exclusive club held dances with very strict rules: no cutting in, no smoking on the dance floor, and no drinking except for punch, so, yes, there was drinking, but not, you know, drinking.
Though the spirit historically associated with South Carolina is Madeira wine, which was regularly consumed during the colonial period, the locals of Charleston trended into doing shots of Grand Marnier (“GrandMa’s”) at the turn of the century, although Fireball is gaining prominence these days (as it is in a lot of other towns across America).
As a fan of iced tea, cold beverages, lemons, and, well, alcohol, I have to tell you not to knock South Carolina’s Firefly Sweet Tea vodka until you have tried the magical elixir. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular spirits in the country. My family drinks it when we have reunions, which is a great way to fake out the grandparents and make them believe you’re pacing yourself.
SOUTH CAROLINA SPIRIT
Located in downtown Charleston and operating since 2013, High Wire produces small-batch spirits often sourced from local ingredients and artisanal grains. Its limited-edition Jimmy Red whiskey was produced with Jimmy Red corn seed, a moonshiner’s corn that was nearing extinction until High Wire helped resuscitate the grain. High Wire sources black tea, yaupon holly (think yerba mate), and tangerine for its proprietary Southern amaro, but the distillery’s flagship is Hat Trick gin, which rests in a barrel for six months before bottling.
The first mixed drink I had was E + J Brandy mixed with Dr Pepper. I had it at a friend’s house when his parents weren’t home. I loved it, and it was my first official “drink of choice” before I could legally drink. My first real cocktail in a bar was a Gin and Tonic at Rosebud in Lexington, Kentucky.
—Brooks Reitz, Jack Rudy Co. (Charleston)
SOUTH CAROLINA’S OLDEST BAR
There are not many old institutions with James Beard Award–winning pedigrees, but until he left the organization chef-owner Sean Brock not only revitalized this near-extinct city landmark (George Washington once dined there), he built it into one of South Carolina’s best restaurants. One of the oldest bars in the country, McCrady’s holds its own for best cocktails as well. The drinks program balances house originals with classic cocktails, and often incorporates the products of local distillers in the recipes.
SOUTH CAROLINA BUCKET LIST BAR
The Griffon is a timeless, lived-in bar that does indeed serve spirits—which are tucked behind the endless stickers and dollar bills festooning the walls—but the showcase at Griffon is beer, beer, beer. There’s a dartboard in the corner, but don’t ignore the possibility of rich conversation with the regulars, or the stories hanging from the walls.
SOUTH CAROLINA BEVERAGE
I was tempted to give the nod to the Charleston Tea Plantation, as iced tea is surely South Carolina’s go-to beverage, but since we’re talking cocktails, Jack Rudy has set a new bar. Jack Rudy produces small batches of bitters, tonic syrups, Bloody Mary mix, and grenadine syrups with artisanal renown. Jack Rudy’s bourbon cocktail cherries are addictive and always get me in trouble. Their tonic is noncarbonated (so make sure you grab some seltzer or dust off that SodaStream when you’re whipping up homemade Gin and Tonics) and built from lemongrass, cane sugar, orange peel, and quinine. Named after affable owner Brooks Reitz’s great-grandfather, Jack Rudy has been operating since 2014.
SOUTH CAROLINA COCKTAIL BAR
Unfortunately, most hotel bars often have a lifelessness to them, as though they expect you to show up and order a drink and not be wowed, but rather just charmed by the accessible location. The Living Room Bar elevates the hotel bar experience. There is thoughtfulness to the design of the space: midcentury architecture, crystal stemware, and house plants to accompany a surprisingly decorated Cognac selection in a city so drenched in bourbon, and if those don’t float your schooner, set sail for the Dewberry Daiquiri, made with Plantation pineapple rum, a welcome scallywag on any cocktail adventure. Add in the hospitality of the charming, easygoing staff, and you’ve got a place worth being a regular, even if you’re not staying the night.
SCREAMING VIKING
FIG is one of the more tenured legendary restaurants and bars in Charleston’s burgeoning cocktail scene. Legend has it this drink was inspired by an episode of the famous bar-focused ’80s sitcom Cheers in which Norm invents a cocktail (called “the Screaming Viking”) to save Woody his bartending job.
2 cucumber slices
6 fresh mint leaves
1½ ounces gin (Beefeater, Tanqueray, or J. Rieger are always nice)
4 ounces chilled tonic water (preferably Fever-Tree)
Garnish: 1 cucumber slice (be creative with the shape—it’s okay, we’re all judging you)
In a chilled highball glass, muddle the piece of cucumber with the mint leaves. Fill the glass with ice, add the gin, and top with the tonic water. Stir gently and then add the cucumber to garnish.
Brad Cline from the Ordinary in Charleston is one of my favorite American bartenders. A true gentleman who knows how to work a room. Just like a swan, he works fullspeed under the surface, taking orders and making drinks, but above water, he is serene and patient, able to make guests feel at ease, ready to answer any questions that they may have.
—Brad Goocher, bar manager, Cane and Table (New Orleans, LA)
DEAD MONKS SOCIETY
This is the only drink that has stayed on the menu since McCrady’s opened as its current concept in 2016. This cocktail honors the Bénédictine monks who are responsible for the eponymous herbal liqueur. Madeira holds a special place in South Carolina and our nation’s history: It was used to toast the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington ate a lavish meal and drank many a Madeira at the original McCrady’s.
1¼ ounces Rittenhouse rye
¾ ounce Broadbent Verdelho Madeira wine
Light ¼ ounce Bénédictine
Light ¼ ounce Ramazzotti amaro
2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters
Garnish: orange peel
Stir the ingredients with ice until chilled; strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve up. Express the oils of the orange peel around the rim and then place it in the glass.
STATE FACT
Before being known as the Palmetto State, South Carolina was known as the Iodine State. If you’ve ever been to Marion, legend has it that anyone who drinks from Catfish Creek becomes enchanted by the area and wishes to remain there. Forever. Oooohh. . . .