By Margo Williams
Our region is one of the best areas for farm to table and enjoying local fare. Just in time for celebrating the season, how about farm to still to bottle?
Locally grown black walnuts, corn, ginger, peaches, pumpkins, raspberries and even lemons are a few of the components to craft a perfect cocktail
Rob and Linda Losey have the perfect product “moonshine” made exclusively in the hills of West Virginia. This isn’t like the hard liquor of yesteryear. Sweet shine is just that: sweet, smooth and mellow. It’s fabulous on its own as a cordial or mixed with regular liquor crafting an unforgettable cocktail.
Bloomery Plantation’s Premiere Mixologist, Eric Bell, a self proclaimed “foodie” loves to handcraft cocktails based on seasonal favorite flavors. “I like to craft unique cocktails based on the customers’ favorite foods, says Bell.
Eric was on hand to create some special holiday inspired, hand crafted cocktails at a favorite landmark in Charles Town, W.Va., the remixed Bootleg Bar, a sophisticated journey back to the vintage 1970s when cocktails were cool. The Bootleg Bar has become Charles Town’s Cocktail Playground.
This new favorite hang out is retro and as vintage in design as it gets. With Ronnie and Duane Marcus, a dynamic forward thinking father-son team, the old Bootleg Bar is seeing a total redo exclusively handcrafting cocktails using products from Bloomery Plantation Distillery. “This is as good as it gets,” says Ronnie Marcus. “A sophisticated place to meet with friends and family to enjoy a premium cocktail, something unique.
Linda Losey agrees: “This is the perfect venue for Baby Boomers and their adult children to be cool together, mix up and remix up long favored cocktails for today.”
And it doesn’t get better than locally grown flavors, added spices, shaken, stirred or served straight up.
The Bootleg is located inside The Turf Restaurant. The Turf was founded in the 1950s and has been a landmark ever since. It specializes in regional favorites including being voted for the “Best Prime Rib” in the area.
The Turf Restaurant’s Executive Chef for over ten years, Sean Deblois, is excited about the new endeavor. He is currently working on a bar or tapas (small plate) menu to complement the flavors of the cocktails that can be changed seasonally to capture the true taste and essence of each season.
The Bootleg will celebrate its grand reopening after many years on the weekend of December 7th — just in time for the holidays. The celebration also commemorates the December 5th, 1933 date when the Prohibition Era ended with the 21st Amendment.
Take a break from holiday shopping, pull out your best “speakeasy” clothing and join The Bootleg for an unforgettable weekend of handcrafted cocktails, great food, music and fun.
The Turf is located on Washington Street in Charles Town.
Bloomery Plantation Sweet Shine makes a perfect gift. You can also pick some ‘shine at Bloomery Plantation on Fridays and Saturdays throughout December and January.
