Eight local drinks we love
Durham Magazine's Amanda MacLaren gives us a list of local drinks you need to try.
Posted — Updated
What started as founder Tatiana Birgisson’s habit of brewing teas with high caffeine levels in her dorm room at Duke University has morphed into a best-selling energy drink. Citrus is the original flavor of the line that also includes cherry and tropical options, and it contains the caffeine equivalent of 11⁄2 cups of coffee, the antioxidant level of 3 cups of green tea, the vitamin C of an orange quarter and the potassium of half a banana.
An ideal summertime drink, it strikes a perfect balance – not too sweet and not too tart – and is made through old-fashioned hand squeezing.
The Off Main is a traditional flagship cider, but not mainstream in any way. It’s very light, semi-sweet, refreshing and easy to drink, and it is the first cider to be offered in 22-ounce bottles at the cidery!
The certified organic distillery – the first of its kind in the region – began producing grain-to-glass vodka in 2012 and has since added Piedmont Gin, Carolina Moonshine Whiskey and, most recently, the Eight Oak Carolina Whiskey.
Hillsborough’s Maple View Farm, which has been in operation since 1963, has roughly 130 milking cows that produce more than two million pounds of milk every year. You can find this hormone- and antibiotic-free whole milk, low-fat milk, skim milk, chocolate milk and buttermilk at more than 90 locations in North Carolina.
The coffee shop roasts its beans in Hillsborough but operates three Bull City storefronts in Woodcroft, on Broad Street and on Duke’s campus in addition to their Chapel Hill location on Weaver Dairy Road. The recipe they use for iced coffee is one part Honduras Finca Mogola Natural Process coffee concentrate to one part water, served over ice.
The Durham brewery’s collaboration with Chapel Hill-based Cackalacky produced this hoppy Ginger Pale Ale – Fullsteam’s first canned beer – which is infused with ginger from a nearby farm and is a perfect complement to spicy food.
Seven flavors – including sweet, spicy, sour and smoky – in addition to limited editions and seasonal batches make up this Durham-based soda brand that utilizes quality ingredients to create “quality beyond corn syrup.” Brood also creates sodas specifically inspired by the Tobacco Road schools: Duke, UNC and N.C. State.
