Charleston, South Carolina is known for its good manners and for its historic architecture which is why many describe the city as a ‘Living Museum’. Zane and Steve get to check out some of the fine drinking establishments and taste breakfast drinks, fizzy gin drinks, classical drinks, and even some drinks chilled to -320 degrees.
WHERE WE WENT
- Husk: Located in downtown historic Charleston, Husk offers traditional gourmet meals that pay homage to Charleston culture. With their innovative freestanding bar, Husk offers drinks which they describe as “designed to honor the traditional spirits of the Southern table and trace the historical lineage of regional mixology.” 76 Queen St Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 577-2500
- The Gin Joint: This pre-prohibition style “gin joint” offers up that timely speak-easy vibe with friendly bow-tie wearing bartenders and a huge selection of gin cocktails. The atmosphere is casually energetic yet refined. The drinks are classically made in a way that America’s original bartender would be proud. 182 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 577-6111
- Red’s Ice House: As its name entails, this port side bar began as an ice house opened by Lewis ‘Red’ Simmons to provide ice to local fishermen. It was Red’s desire that it be transformed into a public gathering place at the water’s edge where locals and visitors, regardless of their age, wealth or culture, could gather, watch the boats go by and help celebrate, preserve and protect the rich and storied traditions of Shem Creek. 98 Church Street Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 (843) 388-0003
- Grill 225: Like your martini shaken…stirred…super-chilled? Come experience the new NitrotiniTM cocktail, the latest unique luxury from the prime beef pioneer, Grill 225. Cooled to –320 degrees Fahrenheit, the Nitrotini is Charleston’s only cocktail super-chilled with liquid nitrogen. Choose from over 20 Nitrotini selections. 225 E. Bay Street, Charleston, SC 29401 (877) 440-2250
- FIG Restaurant: Laid-back, eclectic and unpretentious, FIG is one part retro diner, one part neighborhood café, and one part elegant bistro. Warm hues, soft lighting and an unexpected quirkiness encourage guests to settle in, get comfortable, and have a great time. 232 Meeting Street Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 805-5900
- Firefly Plantation: From muscadine grapes grown right on their property to real tea grown a couple of miles away at America’s only tea plantation, Firefly products are crafted with real ingredients, from their own backyard. Firefly Distillery opened its doors in 2008 and is one of the very few in the country to be both a vineyard and a distillery. 6617 Maybank Hwy Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487 (843) 559-0383
WHAT WE DRANK
Southern Screwdriver Recipe
Poquito Picante Recipe
Violet Fizz Recipe
Slow Gin Fizz Recipe
Gin Basil Smash Recipe
Winchester Recipe
South Side Swizzle Recipe
Firefly Lemonade Recipe
Nitro Mallow Recipe
Negroni Recipe
What We Featured
- Firefly Sweet Tea: “Created in a small still on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, Firefly became the world’s first hand-crafted sweet tea flavored vodka. Keeping true to its Southern roots, Firefly is distilled four times, infused with tea grown on a plantation five miles from the distillery and blended with real Louisiana sugar cane. It tastes just like real sweet tea, but with an even sweeter kick! Imitators try to achieve the taste of tea with artificial flavors and you will instantly know the difference with one sip. The real stuff just tastes better!”
- Firefly Skinny Tea: “Firefly Skinny Tea is our original sweet tea flavored vodka, minus the sugar. It is handcrafted, infused with real South Carolina tea. The difference is in the sweetener. Our Skinny Tea is made with Truvia™ (truvia.com)–naturally sweet and sugar free. Try Firefly with spring water over ice for a refreshing treat.”
Introducing a New Mascot…Stevia!
Fun Facts
- Due to its maintained architectural history, Charleston is often referred to as a “living museum”.
- The “screwdriver” made its first print appearance in Time magazine, in 1949.
- Charleston has been called the “best-mannered” city in the US.
- In true Southern style, Husk treated the crew to what they refer to as “on of the best meals of their lives”.
- The term “gin joint” became mainstream after its appearance in the 1942 film, Casablanca.
- Vodka was rarely consumed outside Europe before the 1950′s.
- The bow tie was made popular by Croatian mercenaries during Prussian wars in the 17th century.
- Shem Creek has been used for fishing, shrimping, and travel since the 1600′s.
- Ice houses were large buildings, normally built next to a natural source of water, made to store ice year round.
- Marshmallows where first consumed by ancient Egyptians.
- Nitrogen gas makes up 78.1% of the volume of the earth’s air.
- Nitrogen is odorless, tasteless, and colorless.
- A “Steve-Penis” is an accepted unit of measurement for something small.
- Firefly utilizes tea leaves from America’s only tea plantation, just a couple of miles from their farm.
- Sweet tea is mad by adding sugar to bags of black tea brewing in hot water while the mixture is still hot.
- Firefly is both a distillery and a vineyard.
- In the early 1900s, sweet tea was a luxury item used to ‘show off’ due to the expensive nature of tea, sugar, and ice.
THANK YOU SIR, MAY I PLEASE HAVE SOME MORE?
Want to learn more about Charleston? Check out this site.
caught the article thru FIG.love the sweet tea vodka notion,will have to plan a trip this yr.any word on finding a source for shine,I know how to use tor if that helps.
lovin the Charleston show–we will be visiting in July, Now we know where will be gettin our drink ON!………oh yea Nitrotinis. !!
Made us want to move onto our sailboat in Charleston…gonna live the dream! Thanks for re-inspiring us!
Can someone tell me where to find more info on the pedal carts that were shown on this episode?
First visit to Charleston and loved it! We had dinner at the Grill 225 which was great and the green apple nitrotini was awesome!!! Hoping to visit The Fig as well and visit the other places you went to on our next trip.