![]() The music’s got to be right the bartender’s got to be right. You need that weird citrus smell that cocktail bars have because they’ve juiced too many limes and lemons in a given day. ‘You cannot have the best cocktail in the world at your house,” he says. At Kingfisher, Umstead aims to create an atmosphere with a certain magic. “This cocktail is just one imaginative offering created by the mixologists at Kingfisher, the funky basement-level bar on Chapel Hill Street in Durham that Umstead co-owns with business partner Michelle Vanderwalker. “Unaged spirits usually scream fresh, vibrant and alive as opposed to the more tempered, subtler and rich flavors of aged ones.” Because of this, mole bitters make a great candidate for winterizing brighter drinks.” Punch Judges of the 2022 Made in NC Awards: Drink ““When you think cacao and baking spice, it is just so natural to go for wood-aged spirits,” explains Sean Umstead, who pairs mole with Scotch in his sparkling wine–topped Fireside Cheer. The process involves a three-day infusion of rum with fig leaves, allowing the earthy, nutty, flavor to join the traditional cocktail.” The Local Palate Angostura, Peychaud’s… Mole Bitters? When the fig trees leaf out in the late spring through early fall, Umstead and his colleagues at Kingfisher began putting the leaves in different drinks on their menu. “Finding ingredients that allude to that is really fun,” Umstead says about the special addition. “Umstead’s riff on a traditional mojito brings natural, coconut-like flavors, an ingredient not found in the Carolinas. ‘It was kind of a natural fit to put the two together, and I’m really happy to be making art for public spaces for other people to experience.’” Durham Magazine Fig Leaf Mojito (Video) ‘ really think about… the aesthetics of the whole experience and how much that affects people’s dining experience is really important,’ Michelle says. “Drawing on Michelle’s deeply ingrained artistic compass to tie together the design seemed only fitting. Cocktails are seasonally and locally inspired, as in the Bee Durham, featuring Durham Distillery Conniption gin and both honey and beeswax from the city farmer’s market.” Vinepair “Taste the Triangle’s bounty at this downtown Durham cocktail bar serving up local ingredients courtesy of “coolers and shelves stocked with jars of preserved and fermented ingredients, from peaches to boiled peanuts,” writes Drew Jackson in the Raleigh News & Observer. FSR Magazine The 10 Best New Cocktail Bars of 2019 I like providing a little bit of a surprise and delight for people when they discover all the different details everywhere,” says Michelle Vanderwalker. “I think people like that feeling of a personal touch, that someone took the time to really think about the guest experience. The nuanced riff on the Bee’s Knees calls on wax-washed gin as the base spirit, a simple and inventive technique for added texture.!" Punch Why Kingfisher’s Personal Touch Sets It Apart From Other Craft Bars "The Bee Durham is Kingfisher’s signature and most popular cocktail. The more bite, the better!" Wall Street Journal Tip Your Bartender: Bee Durham His emerald-hued Oaxacan Bell begins with a green-pepper syrup that provides a backbone for the cocktail and draws out the vegetal notes of mezcal. ![]() "At Kingfisher, a cocktail lounge opening this winter in Durham N.C., owner Sean Umstead will make local produce the star of his drinks. Bars are such a puzzle and it’s awesome to watch when it all clicks together.” Daily Beast- Half Full How To Love Green Peppers I really enjoy looking at how other operators set up, design their space, and execute service. It revitalizes my passion and teaches me new things. ![]() ![]() “They might not even be aware of it.”" Punch Going 10 Rounds with Top Bartender Sean UmsteadĪfter all these years bartending and creating drinks, do you still enjoy going out to bars? “I love going out to bars. “ could make people more attentive to the whole experience,” Vanderwalker suggests. "But in a culture that’s largely amnesic about the old arts of clay, a new vessel could provide an extra layer of insight-a tangible way to slow down and see the thing in front of us with, potentially, more clarity. News and Observer WRAL Beyond the Cocktail Glass Kingfisher has been nominated for Outstanding Bar! James Beard
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