Tag: liquor

Cigar Loft Owner Took His Passion and Made a Living Out of It

Written by Brian Perry on February 21, 2023. Posted in Things To Do.

Contributor: Jamie Richardson Derek Kilgore has been passionate about cigars for over a decade, which is why he opened The Cigar Loft in January 2020. Whether you are a cigar aficionado or a novice looking to learn more, The Cigar Loft has something for everyone. Kilgore opened his business right before the pandemic and is now surrounded by the courthouse and apartment construction in the middle of downtown Concord. But the oasis he has created, tucked away on the second floor of the building at 76 Union Street, keeps members coming back again and again. The Cigar Loft offers a great...

🍻 Lil’ Robert’s Place Hosting “Lucky 13” Anniversary Party on Feb 3 🍻

Written by Brian Perry on January 31, 2023. Posted in Food & Drink.

Contributor: Jamie Richardson From just a bottle shop, to the quirky but home-like bar they are today. “If you lived here, you’d be home” has been the slogan at Lil’ Roberts Place (LRP) for the past 13 years. There’s an eclectic vibe at LRP, from funky couches and chairs to an airplane hanging from the ceiling…there is a lot to take in, but it’s also easy to fit in. When Cabarrus Weekly contributor Jamie visited, there was a group of regulars hanging out at the bar and several people watching the Keno numbers as they appeared on the television screen. LRP is known throughout the...

Vortex Offers a Neighborhood-Feel with a Carolina Only Tapline

Written by Brian Perry on January 24, 2023. Posted in Food & Drink.

Contributor: Jamie Richardson It’s a rainy Sunday morning and the Vortex Bottle Shop is filled with families, couples, and individuals seated at the bar and the high-top tables spread throughout the restaurant, everyone enjoying Sunday Brunch from the scratch kitchen and drinks from the bar. Owner Matt Widerman, a resident of Harrisburg, opened Vortex Bottle Shop almost 5 years ago. The shop is a combination of food, music, beer, and wine that represent Matt’s personal vibe. When he was younger, brewing beer was a hobby and at one time he considered starting a brewery but decided a bottle...

Underground Speakeasy Won’t Be a Secret for Long

Written by Brian Perry on January 24, 2023. Posted in Food & Drink.

Contributor: Jamie Richardson Cabarrus Weekly is giving you a peek inside this members-only social club that is actually affordable and packed with options. Exclusive, private clubs are making a comeback and you don’t have to leave Cabarrus County to find one of the coolest and most unique. Located in the center of downtown Kannapolis, The Blind Fox has come to life in the former 1930s fallout shelter of Mr. Cannon. Ken Lingafelt (one of the owners) was born and bred in North Carolina and has lived in Kannapolis for most of his life. He said he and his fellow innovators that form the...

National Bootlegger’s Day (January 17)

Written by Brian Perry on January 17, 2023. Posted in Food & Drink.

National Bootlegger’s Day is celebrated on January 17, every year, to mark several key events: Start of prohibition in the U.S. Distillation of Templeton Rye whiskey Infamous gangster Al Capone’s birthday What is most interesting is how all three events are interconnected. It was the onset of prohibition that prompted both Capone and farmers in Templeton, Iowa, to distill their own whiskey to sell. This was how the famous Templeton Rye whiskey was born, and its popularity spread like wildfire during prohibition… so much so that it became Al Capone’s favorite whiskey. On January 17, 1920, the...

🥃 Tour the Only Whiskey Prison in the U.S.

Written by Brian Perry on January 17, 2023. Posted in Food & Drink.

Contributor: Jamie Richardson Southern Grace Distilleries is America’s only distillery that’s housed in a former prison. The compound originally opened in 1929 as Mount Pleasant Prison, where it remained in operation until it was shut down in 2011. In 2014, North Carolina natives Leanne Powell and Thomas Thacker moved into the facility and founded Southern Grace Distilleries. In 2019, Leanne passed away, but the small staff that runs this company works hard every day to keep Leanne’s vision alive. Meet Sebastian Correa, MASTER DISTILLER, PRODUCTION MANAGER Sebastian is from Winston-Salem...