Vol 6, No. 38 | An Amazing 24 Hours in Atlanta

Hey Ya’ll,

It’s been an amazing 24 hours in Atlanta. The Braves won the World Series and Andre Dickens is going to the runoff. Sports have always united the city, so while the Braves win was great, it’s even more exciting to have a mayoral candidate that can bring this city together in ways I’ve longed to see.

While all of this was going on, I was out and about in these Atlanta streets with the very same mission in mind. The national St~Germain ambassador was in town and I had the opportunity to show her some of my favorite places as well as explain what I love about this city’s bar industry. Atlanta is a quiet cocktail town and because of that it can often be misunderstood. While we’re often in the shadows of the other more prominent cocktail cultures in major cities, this city has remarkable talent in every corner of the city.

Here’s a quick look at the past 24 hours:

• I hosted a brunch at Yebo yesterday morning. On their salmon spread they had caper berries. I’ve never even heard of caper berries before. I didn’t taste one, but I should have because I’ve been eating a lot of capers lately and thinking about how they’re the perfect addition to just about everything.

• After brunch I made a quick stop home to change before heading to Full Commission for Chef India’s Sauce Queen pop up. Don’t worry if you missed this one, she’ll be there every Tuesday in November!

• From there it was a nonstop. We headed over to West Midtown to pop in at Aziza, Little, Trouble and Marcel. We took the quintessential photo in front of the neon logo between bites of dumplings. We had the bartenders at Aziza and Marcel come up with sherry + St~Germain cocktails (both very different, both amazing). I foolishly forgot to get the apple dessert that they had at Aziza, but had an amazing meal at Marcel (those leftovers were clutch this morning).

• By the time we made it to 8 Arm, they were getting ready to call it an early night but Caleb the bar manager oozes hospitality and greeted us with open arms. We ran into Chef Claudia for the second night in a row (I still need to post my interview with her) and Omar from Supremo Taco. Omar said his next move for the night was Octopus Bar, which is a sister restaurant to 8Arm and an industry favorite.

• I should go back a second…around the time we were climbing up the steps to go to Marcel, we openly acknowledge that this was going to be a good night and we were very committed to it. So when Omar said Octopus Bar, it was clear that we would end up there too. So as soon as 8Arm closed we were off to East Atlanta. Octopus Bar was closed for over a year and I haven’t been since before the pandemic. I’ve definitely missed this energy.

• I’d put out feelers to some of my late night folks in the know about what the move is on a Tuesday.

• It’s possible that’s why the night ended at one of Atlanta’s finest cultural institutions…Magic City. There’s not too much to say about this.

• The night was supposed to end at Waffle House. That was the natural move after an epic Atlanta night. However, one of the post-covid tragedies is that Waffle House is no longer 24-hours. The days of a light fluffy waffle, mediocre coffee, and ensured continued antics currently on hold.

• I’ve been thinking a lot about spending 24 hours in a city because I went to Denver for the day on Saturday. Yup, just for the day. We landed at 8am and left at 7pm. In that time, we had morning spritzes at a Woodie Fischer; went to brunch Stowaway Kitchen; drove to the mountains; visited The Block Distilling Co, and bought a bottle of their first batch of their new whiskey (this definitely threw a wrench in just walking off the plane when we got back because we had to check luggage but it was worth it); went to Death & Co., had an early dinner at Stoic & Genuine and then went back to the airport.

• If it sounds like I’ve been eating and drinking nonstop for the past few days, you’re correct.

• Anywho, whether you explore your own city or travel to another city, it’s always a good time to spend an entire day out.

Hope you’re all well!

Shannon