Downtown Raleigh’s first distillery celebrates its second anny.
Bottoms up! Downtown Raleigh’s first (and only!) distillery, Young Hearts Distilling—one of the Trophy Brewing team’s many uberpopular ventures—is celebrating two years of food, merrymaking and the power of cocktail hour with an array of spirits, from small-batch vodka, amaro, rum and seasonal gins to fruit-forward liqueurs, reposado agave and absinthe to show for it.
“These two years have not only been an opportunity for us to flex our creative muscle, but to be a part of a reawakening of Downtown Raleigh,” says co-founder Chris Powers. “Every bottle we create is a testament of commitment to creativity, quality and desire to share memorable experiences with our local community.”
Untapping even more reason to celebrate, Young Hearts recently dropped a handful of new summer sippers, including its first ready-to-drink vodka soda (!), a limoncello that’ll transport you straight to the Italian countryside, a blueberry liqueur (no summer blues here), and a seasonal summer gin (the seasonal fruit medley of your dreams—aka pineapple, passionfruit, peach and strawberry). And just in time for peach season, keep your eyes peeled for the distillery’s peach brandy, brandy barrel-aged whiskey, and peach amaretto/nocino coming soon.
Naturally, Young Hearts’ spirits pair best with its ever-evolving comfort food dishes spotlighting ingredients sourced from local producers. In celebration of its anniversary, this month’s menu features new tempting tastes like a fried chicken sammy piled high with pickled cabbage, chili crisp, cucumber, and a soy ginger sauce; shrimp and grits with Fox Farm mushrooms and housemade bacon; and a creamy macaroni and cheese topped with bread crumbs—plus more grub to come.
And from fare to flair, Young Hearts has a thrilling lineup of events for its anny month to get the party started. Strut over to Drag Brunch feat. DJ Gay Agenda, or catch a wave to Surfer Day and raise a toast to the Cloud Surfer Modern IPA—both taking place Aug. 26. … Cheers to two years—and many more to come!
