Greetings from Carrboro,

I must have been twelve or thirteen; it’s hard to say exactly. But sometime pre-Reagan I became a part-time bartender. For my parents. And I made exactly three drinks. Vodka martinis – with a twist or olives, Old-Fashioneds, and Manhattans. All of them were served on the rocks in rather hefty, rather large tumblers. I did like muddling the fruit for the Old-Fashioneds but couldn’t stand the way any of them tasted. The singular bonus was always eating a pilfered maraschino cherry as my tip.

Needless to say, the drinks at Acme are a tad better. And though I didn’t inherit my parents’ fondness for vodka, I do find bourbon to be imminently palatable. I know, for some, the tableau of leaves romantically cascading from trees evokes sweater weather. Fall, however, clearly decries bourbon weather for me – as opposed to its spring and summer brethren, gin and tequila. And more often than not, as the days get shorter and cooler, I do tend to swerve in the direction of Manhattans.

So in preparation, we made a lot. Five gallons to be exact. And, to be sure, not all of it’s for me. We’ve got the precious tipple aging in a bourbon barrel at the restaurant, four weeks so far. From taste-tests, I’d say that the concoction is about two weeks away from being damn near perfect. If you’ve never had a barrel-aged Manhattan before, you are in for a treat. It certainly makes the cold weather slightly more bearable. Maybe even, dare I say, pleasurable.

It’s also about the absolute perfect Thanksgiving cocktail. And speaking of Thanksgiving, did I mention that Acme is cooking our southern Thanksgiving Feast to-go again this year? And that you can get one of those delicious Manhattans as part of your meal? Well, you can. And, being completely candid, you should. Or, I guess, you could have your teenager make a drink for you.

Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.

Cheers,
The Staff at Acme