Drink Local Booze

First Fridays are great! Ingrid & Alex are great behind the bar — love all of their concoctions! Kevin is a gracious host & this month they even had a yummy food truck!

I’ve had the opportunity to partake in Drink Local Boozes offerings and have been pleased each and every time. Their business is a bit hard to spot if you don’t know what you are looking for. It’s a tiny little bungalow on the side of the road and can easily be accidently bypassed.
They do free booze on the first Friday of every month. Everything from simple Rum drinks to house infused offerings. Though the booze is free, tipping is obviously not an option, as the owners and bartenders are top notch people and you don’t want to do them wrong. This is a great way that they are marketing their product.

My first introduction to The Still in the Heights was a Unilocal event in July. I immediately fell in love with the place as soon as I walked in. I had recognized Alex and Ingrid from the Unilocal Around the World event that was held in May, and was excited to see them.
I had no idea what was in store for me except that I would be tasting and drinking adult beverages. That definitely was my cup of tea.
Kevin Casey and Joey Boothby have created a hidden gem in the Seminole Heights neighborhood. They are Distillers for Twisted Sun Rum, which comes in all kinds of fabulous flavors. The distillery is currently located offsite in Ocala, due to regulations, but hopefully will be relocated closer in the near future. The Still is also a part of the Fish Hawk Spirits Family, and offer tastings of Marion 106 Brandy and Fishawk Absinthe.
Tastings are only offered on the First Friday of the month from 6 – 9 and guess what… they are free. Kevin and Joey want to get the word out to the local community about their fantastic rum and «local booze.» We always bring cash for tips though, because Ingrid and Alex most certainly deserve it!
This past First Friday, Kevin and Joey started a new tradition on the wall, the Twisted Plank Owners. These planks will have nameplates honoring different people who have been involved with the Still in the Heights. There will be thirty-​three plank owners because there are thirty-​three staves in each of the distillery’s rum barrels.
Come check this place out on the First Friday of every month — you definitely will not regret it!

Why 5 stars? Because if everyone knew about it, the line would be out the door.
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So you walk into a bungalow. There are multiple bars set up. At each one, people hand you free liquor and liquor concoctions. You obviously want to tip, but the price of the booze is $ 0.00. They are not legally allowed to charge you.
No catch.
So um, yeah. You should be here doing this on the first Friday of every month.
Why do they do this crazy thing? Well it’s a lot like a Unilocal event. They believe the best way to market their product is to put it in the hands (and mouths) (and blood stream) of the local influencers, who will then in turn, become loyal to their brand.
It’s genius. They’re genius. And also very fun people.
*One note — the bungalow gets a bit warm, so dress lightly.

Went here w/​some friends for a tasting party. What a cute place w/​such friendly people! They took the time to explain each of the drinks, provided a fun/​casual atmosphere, and played some good tunes.
We’ll be back! :)

The Still in the Heights has been a wonderful addition to the seminole heights neighborhood. The staff is close, relatable and educated and I quickly felt like one of the crew myself. I have never been a liquor drinker but my recent visit to the still provided me the first rum and coke I have ever earnestly enjoyed. It might be the booze talking, but I love their booze!

Every first Friday of the month from 4−7pm they do rum tasting here. Eventually they hope to have the current location as a tasting room and a rum distillery nearby. They not only have free local booze but a mini selection of local good for sale. I loved how friendly everyone was here and I learned a ton about the company and the rum we were drinking. Joey, one of the owners, taught us all about their rum ‘twisted sun’ (based out of Ocala for right now) and also introduced me one of my new favorite drinks, Sailor’s Pay (rum, tonic and lime juice– yum). Great company, great booze and a fun way to spend a Friday evening. Check it out!

When I heard the news that a rum distillery was opening a block from my house, I was excited but not shocked, as Seminole Heights has been attracting a slew of new businesses lately. We stopped in for a free tasting last night. Yeah, this place is cool.
Currently they are just offering tastings, but eventually will be distilling the rum on site. We got to try some of their rums and absinthes. The owners, Kevin and Joey, were both super friendly and passionate about what they do. They are just getting started, but I have a feeling that I will be seeing their brand (Twisted Sun) a lot in the near future. I can’t wait to come back for their next tasting!