BEYOND BEER

Little City Brewery has cocktails, too

by Jessie Ammons
photographs by Elizabeth Galecke

Jon Seelbinder knows the local craft beer market is crowded, and he considers it a plus. “To have that demand is exciting,” says the owner of Local Icon Hospitality, which owns The Architect bar and nightclub and six other Raleigh ventures. His latest is Little City Brewing + Provisions, located just beside Glenwood South at the corner of North and Harrington streets. “We’re brewing right here.”

Since its opening last September, Little City has offered a menu of suds brewed on-site. There are a few IPAs, pale ales, and a hefeweizen – “the mainstays,” says Seelbinder – plus seasonal experiments, including last summer’s jalapeno serrano ale and this fall’s Koldbrew Kolsch made with Larry’s Coffee. What Seelbinder says Little City does differently than the dozens of other Raleigh breweries is consider other kinds of drinks, too. “Sometimes you’re just not going to be a beer person. I think we make dynamite beer; but we’ve also got plenty of cocktails and a full-service bar.”

Seelbinder says Little City’s cocktails are here to stay. “It’s encouraging to see somebody order a craft beer at a nightclub,” he says; similarly, he welcomes the order of a specialty cocktail at a brewery. “The cocktail game is not going anywhere. It’s alive and well.”

This month, the Little City team shared the recipe for one of its original house cocktails. The Rosemary Me includes honeysuckle vodka, rosemary simple syrup, lemon juice, and bubbly. “It’s fresh, refreshing,” Seelbinder says, and a nice alternative to beer during the food-filled Thanksgiving season.

TRY IT AT HOME:

Rosemary Me

1½ ounces Cathead honeysuckle vodka

¾ ounce rosemary simple syrup

½ ounce lemon juice

Prosecco, to taste

Rosemary simple syrup:

About 6 sprigs rosemary

½ cup hot water

½ cup white sugar

Make rosemary simple syrup: Soak rosemary in ¼ cup of the hot water and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove rosemary and add the remaining ¼ cup of hot water. Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Mix the cocktail: Add vodka, rosemary simple syrup, and lemon to a cocktail shaker. Shake well, strain into a coupe glass, and top with prosecco to taste.