Zach White behind the bar at Belltree Cocktail Club.
by Jessica Stringer | Photography by Beth Mann
BELLTREE COCKTAIL CLUB
Owner
Nick Stroud
Past credentials
Bartending at Jack Sprat Cafe, general manager at Southern Rail, co-owner of The Baxter
Year established
2016
Open
Until 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday; Until midnight Sunday
Most popular order
Rosemary Collins. It’s gin, St-Germain, cucumber, rosemary syrup and tonic.
The regulars include …
A lot of lawyers, some professors, some doctors, finance people and then we definitely have a nice crowd of grad students.
The look
I ended up going to England for a month, and I spent a lot of time checking out old pubs and speakeasies … and really fell in love with that English-style bar. When I came back, that’s what I modeled our decor after. My wife and I found hundreds of pieces that adorn the walls and the bar space. And we continue to add, subtract and switch things out.
The drinks
We wanted to go strict, Prohibition-style speakeasy at first, and we did a lot of classic cocktails, true to form. That’s really where we started, and since then we’ve kind of twisted it and morphed the cocktails into more of a signature style. We don’t want to be associated as just a strict speakeasy or a Prohibition-style bar. We really want our cocktails to take the center stage. We want to highlight on the new menu that we’re working with local farmers, vendors and producers.
Not so secret
We did have the landlord put in awnings and outside lights. We also installed a window. That’s another reason we’re going for a cocktail club now – we don’t want to be secret. We want people to find us and to fall in love with us.
Kelsey Hammersley, Hayes Potter and Darrin Mann at Bowbarr.
BOWBARR
Owner
Amanda Barr, along with husband John Bowman
Past credentials
Amanda was house manager at The ArtsCenter and a bartender at The Flying Burrito and Provence; John was a bartender at Milltown.
Year established
2010
Open
Until 2 a.m.
Most popular order
The Mezcaltini. That’s a big deal for us because mezcal is from Oaxaca and that’s where my mom lives. The Mezcaltini is mezcal, ginger, fresh lime and worm salt on the rim.
The regulars include …
an artsy crowd. The guys from Midway Barber Shop, tattoo artists from Glenn’s Tattoo Service, Rivers Agency, Carrburritos and Lantern cooks and UNC Art Department.
The decor
I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, and I know how to make things. At the supply store, everything was fabricated for restaurants and we said, “Why spend all this money when we can make it from scratch?” So that’s what we did! Our friend Nora Rogers sewed all the seat cushions, and our friends, who were bartenders here later, painted the ceiling. It’s a classic community effort.
Freshly squeezed
We had been going down [to Mexico] for a long time where there are aguas
– watermelon aguas, lemon aguas, orange aguas
– that’s basically just juice, water and sugar, that’s it.
It tastes so much better than what you get in the store. I applied that to the cocktail making at the bar.
Mix tape
As far as I know, there’s not another bar in the Triangle that does exclusively vinyl. The bartenders are not only bartending, but they are DJing. And we have an association with the Triangle Soul Society, a group of DJs who like soul music. They play on every first Friday and they also play every third Monday, called The Monday Mess-Around.
ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL CLUB
Owner
Tricia Mesigian
Past credentials
Worked for Merge Records
Year established
2001
Open
Until 2 a.m.
Most popular order
Pabst Blue Ribbon or bourbon. Either a shot or on the rocks.
The regulars include …
a very eclectic group of people. Students, professors, artists, musicians, veterinarians. The Chapel Hill/Carrboro community is just so great and we’re a little slice of that.
The soundtrack
There’s a jukebox that has 100 CDs in it. Music is a big deal at OCSC. There are those digital jukeboxes where you can basically pick anything in the world to play; we refuse to get that kind because we do like to have the music curated. Some people come to the bar just to hear new music from what the bartenders play. I’ve learned about so many different bands from being in there on the right night when my colleague is playing a new record.
Eye-popping art
[My husband Charles Chace] did the main color wall when you walk in the door. It’s been there since 2014. It gets a little crinkled, but it still looks cool.
Good to know
The membership thing does throw people off because we really are sticklers about it. It’s a $5 membership fee. You can also come with a member and be their guest. A lot of people aren’t used to that, but once you get past that threshold just sit down and enjoy it. We play really good music and just let people chill out. It’s really no frills in a lot of ways, but that’s what we sought out to do from the beginning. When you walk in, you know what you’re gonna get.
Number of members
16,280
REFUGE AT THE FRANKLIN HOTEL
Owner
Jay Patel
Past credentials
Launched and is the caretaker of The Franklin Hotel.
Year established
2007, renovated spring 2018
Open
Until midnight
Most popular order
The Zombie is always fun. It’s a common drink on tiki menus, and we limit it to two because it’s so strong and potent. And there’s two Champagne drinks that are popular: The Beautiful Stranger and The Forgotten Promise.
The regulars include …
It’s less about the demographics of the people and more about their mindset. So anybody who feeds off of the intellectual stimulation that is emanating from the university campus [and the] deep progressive culture we have. We have a very global kind of perspective in the communities here between Carrboro and Orange County and Chapel Hill.
The soundtrack
We want it to be energetic and just really fun stuff that most people will appreciate. There’s a lot of world music and Latin stuff, African stuff, there’s some indie rock, there might be some bluegrass, there’s a lot of hip-hop, there’s some pop, electro pop.
Crafting cocktails
We’re really making a commitment to respecting the craft of the cocktail and making sure everything is well balanced and measured precisely. We don’t free pour. We have crystal clear large ice cubes that we use for the classic ice drinks.
Tiki to come
We’re going to start having a tiki night about once a week or twice a month. We’ll have really cool punch bowl-type drinks, stuff that’ll be flaming and lighting on fire and stuff that we don’t have on a regular basis.
[et_pb_signup provider=”constant_contact” constant_contact_list=”[email protected]|1909804389″ first_name_field=”off” last_name_field=”off” title=”Connect with Us” description=”
Get the latest news about what’s going on in Chapel Hill with our weekly newsletter – The Weekender
” _builder_version=”3.19.3″]
About Us
Chapel Hill Magazine is a 8-times-a-year lifestyle magazine dedicated to bringing you the very best of Chapel Hill. Our magazine places high emphasis on food and dining coverage, the arts, and community.
facebooktwitterinstagrampinterest
Contact Us
Please let us know what you think – the best ideas always come from our readers.
p: 919.933.1551 f: 919.933.1557
1777 Fordham Blvd., Suite 105
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Visit Our Sister Sites
