— CHARLESTON’S BAR GUIDE—
A Charleston City Paper publication
Fall 2026
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EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Andy Brack
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Cris Temples
NEWS
NEWS EDITOR:
Skyler Baldwin STAFF:
The margarita at Frothy Beard Brewing Company
Herb Frazier, Vincent Harris, Maura Hogan, Becky Lacey, Jack O’Toole CONTRIBUTORS:
Cecilia Connelly, Julie Deacon, Erin Perkins
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ART DIRECTOR:
Scott Suchy Ashley Stanol
FROM THE EDITOR
John Gaulden, Ashley Stanol
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From plate to pint
On Charleston cocktail trends
charlestoncitypaper.com 4
How local bartenders fight the “flavor of the week” doldrums
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Olive you
Sip, sip, hooray!
Saint Urban’s co-owner Warren Johnson’s search for the perfect martini olive
Christina Bailey, Ashleigh Keiser PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Welcome to Swig, Charleston City Paper’s annual bar guide. This year, we look at cocktail trends as well as favorite drinks according to some of the best beverage pros around town. We also explore the partnership between local restaurants and breweries — and one oyster farm! — when they create new, innovative and fun bespoke beers. Finally, for all you martini lovers, we looked at the two-year search to find the perfect olive. Charleston is constantly raising the bar when it comes to drinking, and this year is no exception. Happy drinking, y’all! —Becky Lacey
Charleston restaurants and breweries collaborate on the perfect pour
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS:
Charleston beverage pros share area’s best cocktails
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David Lampley, Aidan O’Connor, Simone Rivers, Ryan Sherk, Robert Walters, Alan Wilson PUBLISHED BY CITY PAPER PUBLISHING, LLC
THE COVER
The martini at Saint Urban’s. Photo by Ashley Stanol. Swig is a publication of the Charleston City Paper and is published once a year by City Paper Publishing, LLC. All content is copyrighted and the property of City Paper Publishing, LLC. Charleston City Paper P.O. Box 21942 Charleston, S.C. 29413 (843) 577-5304 charlestoncitypaper.com Proud member
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From
plate to pint Charleston restaurants and breweries collaborate on the perfect pour By Julie Deacon
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A good Charleston meal often comes with a good drink — and increasingly, the two are being created with each other in mind. From a beachside seafood restaurant to one barbecue joint, custom beers are being developed to complement the food, reflect the character of the business and give guests something they cannot find elsewhere. The results are as varied as the restaurants themselves.
Photos by Ashley Stanol
Jason Stanhope, chef and partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp, enjoys a Crab Claw Lager. The beer pairs perfectly with dishes like ceviche.
• Sullivan’s Fish Camp partnered with Westbrook Brewing Co. on an easy-drinking lager intended for seafood and beach days. • Home Team BBQ worked with Commonhouse Aleworks to create a Vienna-style lager with lime that could stand up to smoked meats. • Charles Towne Fermentory took a more literal approach to the Lowcountry with Salt Circle Oyster Lager, brewed with local oysters and fresh citrus while supporting South Carolina reef restoration. For the businesses involved, these collaborations offer another way to create a connection between what is on the plate and what is in the glass.
Built for beach days
SIX DIFFERENT WAYS TO SAVOR THE EXPERIENCE.
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The goal wasn’t to create something overly conceptual — it was to make a fun, approachable beer that fits the Fish Camp experience.” —Jeremy Graves, a partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp
The collaboration extended beyond the beer itself. Westbrook developed the brew, Charleston design firm Stitch Design Co. created the label and visual identity and Sullivan’s made sure the finished product reflected the restaurant’s personality. “Each partner brought some
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At Sullivan’s Fish Camp, the goal was to create a beer that felt like a natural extension of the restaurant — something crisp enough for a warm afternoon, easy enough to drink with seafood and familiar enough to become a staple. That became Crab Claw Lager, an exclusive collaboration with Westbrook Brewing Co. “We wanted to have a staple beer on the menu that felt right for a neighborhood seafood joint,” said Jason Stanhope, chef and partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp. “Partnering with someone local was important to us, especially a brewery we know, respect and genuinely enjoy working with.” The beer was meant to capture more than the restaurant’s menu. It was designed around the experience Sullivan’s wants to offer — the kind of place where a guest can come straight from the beach, order a fish sandwich and a beer and settle in. “Sullivan’s Fish Camp is still meant to be the kind of place where you can stop in after the beach, a little sandy and sun-
burned, order a fish sandwich and a beer and feel completely at home,” Stanhope said. That same sense of ease shaped the beer itself. For Jeremy Graves, a partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp, Westbrook was a natural choice. He had long admired the Charleston brewery and reached out to co-owner and brewer Edward Westbrook with a simple question: “Hey, want to make a beer?” Westbrook said yes, and the teams began tasting different versions until they found the right one. “Westbrook’s reputation, their proximity and our shared appreciation for simple, wellmade beer made them the perfect fit to create what became our signature, easy-drinking beach lager,” Graves said. The development stayed true to that philosophy. “Honestly, we didn’t overcomplicate it,” Graves said. “The goal wasn’t to create something overly conceptual — it was to make a fun, approachable beer that fits the Fish Camp experience.”
Courtesy Home Team BBQ
Home Team BBQ worked with Commonhouse Aleworks to create the S.O.B., or “Standard Operating Beer”
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thing different to the table — Westbrook crafted the beer, Stitch created the visual identity and we focused on making sure the final product reflected the laid-back, approachable spirit of Sullivan’s Fish Camp,” Graves said. For Stanhope, the sense of place at the restaurant is part of what makes a collaboration different from simply adding another craft beer to the menu. “I think dining today is driven by connection as much as it is by the food itself,” he said. “Guests build relationships with their favorite restaurants, servers, bartenders and chefs, and collaborations like this extend those relationships beyond a meal and create a sense of family.”
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Finding balance at Home Team BBQ
Home Team BBQ’s goal was to create a house beer that could
stand alongside the restaurant’s smoky, rich flavors without weighing down the meal. The result was S.O.B., or “Standard Operating Beer,” a Vienna-style lager with lime created in collaboration with Commonhouse Aleworks. The beer is available via tap only at Home Team’s Charleston locations. The partnership grew out of the kind of local relationships that have long shaped Home Team’s business. “We found Commonhouse the same way many of our relationships materialize,” said Adam Rothstein, the restaurant’s director of operations. “We meet good folks making good products locally on similar trajectories and it just goes from there.” From there, the teams focused on creating something easy to drink but distinctive enough to feel like Home Team’s own. “We wanted something Continued on page 10
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approachable, something you might have a few of over the course of a meal without overwhelming your faculties or palate, but also unique enough to carry some identity,” Rothstein said. They landed on a Vienna lager with lime to give the beer enough body to complement barbecue while the citrus adds a bright, acidic edge. “It’s a beer with the texture and weight to invite a refill and the freshness to stand against a delicious bite of smoked pork,” Rothstein said. The lime also serves a practical purpose at the table, cutting through richer flavors much like a squeeze of citrus might brighten a Mexican lager or bock. “It’s light enough to session, but has enough acid to hold its own against rich flavors,” Rothstein said. The development was intentionally uncomplicated. “Once we knew our direction and had some styles to choose from, it was an easy path to end up with S.O.B., just stacking ideas and inspiration to reach the end result without over engineering,” Rothstein said. That simplicity is part of what makes the beer feel like a true house beer rather than a one-off novelty. It was created around Home Team’s food and the way its guests drink. “It’s a unique beer that’s not only unavailable outside of our shops, but a beer designed with our menu and experience in mind,” Rothstein said.
reefs, connecting the beer to the same coastal environment that inspired it. “We put together a lager with fresh citrus,” said Adam Goodwin of Charles Towne Fermentory. “We wanted to do something that not only paired well with Steamboat Creek oysters, but also with the warm weather as we start to heat up here in Charleston.” That combination gives the beer a distinctly Lowcountry character. Local oysters tie the lager to Charleston’s coastal waters, while fresh citrus brings the brightness and approachability of a beer intended for warmer weather. The collaboration was also designed to extend beyond the drinking experience. “Crafted with locally sourced oysters and inspired by the Lowcountry’s deep connection to the water, this unique beer captures the flavors and spirit of the coast,” the Toadfish Conservation Coalition and its partners said about the beer’s release. Salt Circle debuted at a special launch event at Charles Towne Fermentory’s James Island production taproom before moving into wider distribution. It is now available in 12-ounce six-packs and on draft at all Charles Towne Fermentory locations.
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At Charles Towne Fermentory, the connection between beer, food and place is direct. The brewery partnered with Steamboat Creek Oyster Farm to create Salt Circle Oyster Lager, a coastal lager brewed with local oysters and fresh citrus. Five percent of sales supports the Toadfish Conservation Coalition for South Carolina, which restores South Carolina
While each collaboration is different, each reflects a broader sense of connection between local businesses. Stanhope put it simply, describing these partnerships as part of a larger local ecosystem. “Everything is so visible today, and collaborations like this support multiple levels of business owners, whether that is Westbrook, people who buy beer or Sullivan’s Fish Camp. “It’s really this cool, selfcontained ecosystem that we’re building through these branding and collaboration opportunities.”
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On Charleston cocktail trends How local bartenders fight the “flavor of the week” doldrums By Erin Perkins If you’ve been on upper King Street after dark lately, you’ll likely see bar hoppers ordering dirty martinis, espresso martinis and Hugo spritzes — cocktails that have been clogging your Instagram feeds for a few years now. Imbibers often order drinks they see on social media, and local bartenders are more than happy to mix them up. But sometimes, they’re tired of making the same thing over and over (and over). They want you to try their specialty cocktails, too. At restaurants and bars around Charleston, mixologists try to find ways to distinguish themselves, whether that be through quirky clarifications, gonzo garnishes or playful names. But maybe they don’t need all that?
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“I think a lot of people are overcomplicating things,” says Estadio bar manager Lauren Ganaway. She mentions sweet foams and sugar rims on savory drinks, but she wants a classic dialed up to 11, not an experiment. She’s a dirty martini drinker and makes a version at the Spring Street restaurant called the “Su Su Sucio” which is a filthy martini with capers, pickled peppers, olives, garlic, vinegar and salt with the customer’s choice of gin or vodka. The name is a play on the Phil Collins song “Sussudio” and the Spanish word for “dirty” (sucio).
Ganaway said she wants the right amount of salinity in her martini, so her complaint extends to bartenders using Castelvetrano olive brine in the drink. “That olive is super buttery and not salty, and it doesn’t really have any vinegar to it. So, the Castelvetrano is a great garnish but not the brine you want to use in a dirty martini.” For other bartenders, pushing savory drinks into unexpected territory is a way to treat cocktails like cuisine. “We’re kind of picky and choosy about the trends that we decide to latch onto,” says Jimmy Chmielewski, bar manager at neighborhood restaurant The Archer. “A big thing for us is adding savory or umami elements to drinks — they’re almost mimicking food. I’ll have an idea about a dish I had once, and I want to put it into liquid form.”
Estadio bar manager Lauren Ganaway
Chris Higgins Johnson
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From classics to the local bounty
Bellerose Hotel Bar’s Dwayne Johnson
The Archer’s Black Sheep uses a goat cheese washed gin
Jackrabbit Filly bar manager Will Moscowitch
Photos by John Gaulden
John Gaulden
Chris Carron is bar manager at Seahorse, the cocktail bar from the team at popular seafood restaurant Chubby Fish see more culinary collaboration,” he said, “Whether it’s the bar trying to cross-utilize cool produce or being inspired by a flavor profile going on in the kitchen. That’s something that is interesting and unique about here.”
The Spritz: love it or hate it
When strawberries were in season, bartender Dwayne Johnson at Bellerose Hotel Bar created a strawberry bourbon smash. The Bellerose serves traditional steakhouse fare, and its cocktail menu highlights all the classics, but Johnson always has a few nontraditional sips up his sleeve — just ask to hear the specials. His newest addition is a Sarti spritz. Sarti, an Italian aperitif with flavors of blood orange, mango and passion fruit, wasn’t previously offered in the United States, but once it was, it sold out. Johnson said he went to several stores to secure a bottle for Bellerose. Its vibrant pink hue lends itself well to Instagram photos, so it’s prime to replace the other favored drink of the summer, the Hugo spritz, which is made with St-Germain elder
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One such drink is the Black Sheep, a cocktail created by the restaurant’s Damien Edens, who was inspired by his grandmother’s favorite snack: goat cheese toast with jam. The cocktail is made with goat cheesewashed gin, blackberries, grapefruit and thyme. It can be divisive, but it’s a popular drink. When asked how the Charleston cocktail scene differentiates itself from other markets, Chmielewski points to the Lowcountry’s bounty of produce. “The way to separate yourself is to use what’s local and what’s in season,” he said, “The things that we have local and in season here are going to be very different from what is local and in season in northern France or southern California. How do you take those things and make them super unique?” Freshness counts, he said. “We utilize tomato water during the summer. We’re using fresh South Carolina and Georgia apricots. Those things are hyper-seasonal,” he said. “The moment those things go away, they have to be taken off the list because we can’t get the same product. We had a cocktail on our opening menu with tomato water and peach oleo, but it was fresh South Carolina peaches. The moment they were out of season, that oleo would never taste the same.” Another establishment making use of Charleston produce is Seahorse, the cocktail bar from the team at popular seafood restaurant Chubby Fish. Bar Manager Chris Carron says he’s inspired by the seasonal products brought in by the kitchen. “We get these beautiful Sun Gold tomatoes, and they’re all over the menu at Chubby Fish,” he said. “I was able to take those and turn those into a cocktail.” Carron said he makes the Tomato Collins with Sun Gold tomato water, fino sherry and a basil-oil-washed gin. It’s a light and refreshing cocktail that tastes like a Lowcountry summer. “Because Charleston has so many great restaurant bars, you
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What people liked over the years
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Cocktail trends are a pendulum, swinging from extreme to austere. In Charleston, it’s no different, but our cocktail culture didn’t take off until the repeal of the state’s mini-bottle law in 2006. For years after 1973, the soundtrack in South Carolina bars was the crackle of the twist of the aluminum cap on a 1.7-ounce mini-bottle of liquor. There was no free-pour liquor. You had to commit to one spirit, unless you were splitting shots with a friend and ponying up for several types of liquor — if you wanted a Long Island Iced Tea, it was coming in pitcher form. Starting in the ’90s, the most popular mini-bottle was Grand Marnier, because customers were taking shots of it. The story goes that the tradition started in the kitchen at downtown Vickery’s, where cooks were knocking them back after their shift. This practice then spread to other food and beverage workers in Charleston, and soon enough, it became weirdly popular. The shot earned the nickname “GranMa,” and the Holy City became one of the top consumers of the French liqueur. As mini-bottles faded with the replacement of full-sized bottles in bars, tastes became more varied, with patrons
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flower liqueur, prosecco and soda water. “I’d love to see the Hugo spritz go away,” says Jackrabbit Filly bar manager Will Moscowitch, “But I’m glad that other uses for aperitivos are becoming more popular. I think a lot of people are using more sherries now. Like I’m guilty of that.” He prefers to make a spritz with Amontillado sherry and fresh cantaloupe juice. At The Archer, the bartenders
ordering shots of Van Gogh Espresso vodka, Firefly Distillery Sweet Tea vodka, Fireball whiskey and, finally, Fernet (which is still a preferred industry shot today). High-end restaurants like FIG, McCrady’s and Charleston Grill could finally offer cocktails that featured more than one spirit. Imagine now coming to Charleston and not being able to order a Negroni because Campari mini-bottles weren’t available! Charleston’s first dedicated cocktail bar, The Gin Joint, didn’t open until 2010. After that, the city saw The Belmont and others followed with a concentration on the classics, like a Hemingway daiquiri or boulevardier. That same year, Husk opened and brought the small-batch bourbon craze to town. Now in 2026, bartenders are free to experiment with esoteric liquors, housemade bitters and complicated clarification processes. When a hot new drink comes out of a larger city, like New York or Chicago, Lowcountry bars are quick to pick it up if it gets enough traction. Perhaps the only trend that remains uniquely Charleston might be a shot of super-orangy-sweet GranMa, if anyone out there still partakes. Bottoms up. (Blech.) don’t stock St-Germain, so they aren’t able to offer a Hugo spritz, which is fine by Chmielewski. “I think there’s cooler ways to utilize wine-based spirits and lower ABV (alcohol by volume) products in cocktails that are creative and fun, and not a Hugo,” he says. “I’ve never really understood why you go out to a place and spend $15 on a drink that would cost you $3 to make at your house.” The three locations of European-ish cafe Babas have championed the spritz as part
of their aperitivo hour program, which features free briny, salty snacks with the purchase of a boozy beverage on Friday and Saturday evenings. The cocktail is more involved than the Hugo, featuring Contratto aperitif, Campari and prosecco. Babas tends to keep its bar selections classic. Richard Smith, general manager of the Wentworth location, thinks the cocktail trend cycle is looping back around to traditional drinks. “It’s been funny seeing the martini come back, and not just like a dirty martini, but it’s the classic martini,” Smit said. “You can make a gorgeous drink, and it doesn’t have to involve milk washing, acid adjusting, clarifying, nitro muddling, or all these techniques that we’ve come across in the past 20 years. Now, it’s like, how do I pick a really great vermouth and a blend of really awesome gins and serve it at a temperature that’s perfect?” As far as trends go, there are the Instagram and TikTok
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Richard Smith, general manager of the Wentworth location of Babas, tends to keep bar selections classic trends (the Hugo spritz), and then there are cocktail connoisseur trends, and you just have to find the right Charleston bar that fits your taste.
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Olive you The search for the perfect martini olive By Becky Lacey Warren Johnson, partner and cheesemonger at Mount Pleasant’s Saint Urban’s, spent nearly two years tracking down a specific olive to use for the wine bar’s martini. You read that right: Almost two years. After first tasting Spanish Perelló olives when visiting friends in London in 2024, he knew he’d found the secret ingredient to make his best martini. The quest not only took him across the pond, but through hoops like sourcing and tariffs. But the search paid off. Saint Urban’s martini has achieved
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Add all ingredients to a glass rimmed with caramel syrup. Stir and serve over ice.
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Warren Johnson, partner and cheesemonger at Mount Pleasant’s Saint Urban’s, went on a two-year search for the perfect martini olive OLIVE from page 18
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cult status in drinking corners across the Lowcountry.
Building the wine bar
The European-inspired wine bar in I’On Square has offered a curated approach to wine, cheese and charcuterie since opening in July 2023. At only 350 square feet indoors, as well as sidewalk and patio seating, every decision and offering is deliberate and thoughtful. Johnson was in the restaurant business in Charleston and Los Angeles decades ago. The Covid pandemic shifted his perspective and brought him back to the world of hospitality. “My business partner, Chad Besenfelder, and I have both traveled extensively and wanted to create a space reminiscent of our experiences in Italy, Spain and France,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t a place like it in Charleston, so we created it.” Saint Urban’s is named for the patron saint of vintners, and the menu changes weekly
based on what is available and in season. When it comes to cheese, you might find a BrillatSavarin from Burgundy or a soft, ashe-ripened Robiola from Boxcarr Handmade Cheeses in Cedar Grove, N.C. The charcuterie is a rotating selection of salamis, jamón, mortadella and pâtés. You’ll also find French bread pizza on Tuesday nights and mortadella sandwiches on Thursday night. “Our wines are very clean, mostly old-world and our cheeses are primarily from small farmhouses stateside,” Johnson said. “Our charcuterie offerings are sliced to order and include mortadella, salami rossa, various pates and tinned seafood. Everything that comes through the door is hand selected.” Tinned seafood ranges from trout filets in olive oil from Portugal to chargrilled razor clams from Spain. 25 different luxury chocolate bars and truffles are sourced globally, and Saint Urban’s is one of only 50 restaurants to carry Mexico City’s acclaimed Casa Bosques
Chocolate, made from heirloom, Mexican-grown cacao beans. These — along with the olives — are available in the retail section of the wine bar. But enough about the food. Let’s get to the main course of the story: An ice-cold, dirty martini.
An olive’s origin
“I wasn’t looking for anything when these olives came into my life,” Johnson said. “I arrived in London after an exhausting first year in business, got to my friend Jason and Miako’s place around 1 p.m. and desperately needed a drink. We grabbed a couple of tins of Perelló olives at an amazing wine shop nearby. “Back in their garden, I tasted these olives for the first time and just about lost my mind. I was there for three weeks and ate a tin a day. It was embarrassing. After I finished my first glass of wine, I immediately went inside and made a dirty martini. It was life-changing. I
The olives have a slight hint of chili, and the acidity makes your mouth water knew I needed these olives at Saint Urban’s.” But getting the olives to the United States was no easy feat. “Given that the olives had never been to the States before, the process of getting them here was a lot trickier than I thought it would be,” Johnson said. “Aside from the uncertainty of fluctuating tariffs, the importation of a new food product required the help of friends in the business, an entirely new ingredient panel and lots and lots of patience. I’m obsessed with sourcing and getting the best-of-the-best
into Saint Urban’s. This was my toughest yet, but the martini, oh the martini!”
The martini
So for Johnson, what makes the perfect martini? It’s a combination of finesse and the sum of its parts, he said. There is a slight hint of chili in the Perelló brine, and the acidity makes your mouth water, he noted. The wine bar’s $17 martini is also very, very cold. “I like to ice skate on top of a martini,” Johnson said. Currently, Saint Urban’s goes
through about 100 cans of Perelló olives each week between cocktails and retail sales. While it’s clear Johnson and Saint Urban’s take the martini very seriously, they also know how to have fun with it. Every Wednesday, the wine bar hosts “Weenies + Tinis,” a beautiful partnership between the martini and pigs in a blanket. “My grandparents on my mother’s side’s definition of dinner two to three nights a week was two to three martinis and pigs-in-a blanket,” Johnson said. “Times have obviously changed, but it’s a perfect combination and a fun high/low experience.” If you haven’t yet been to Saint Urban’s, Johnson said he and his team are ready to welcome you with open arms and a perfectly chilled martini. “My staff and I encourage guests to treat Saint Urban’s as a second living room,” Johnson said. “It’s a cozy place to hang. Have a seat and we’ll take it from there.”
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Charleston beverage pros share area’s best cocktails By Cecilia Connelly
charlestoncitypaper.com
Charleston is a drinking city. Whether it’s spring breakers, bachelorettes or locals looking for a perfectly executed beverage, the Holy City has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to its cocktail scene. While home bartending has become an art form, why not relax and let the professionals guide you on where to go and what to drink? Our bartenders serve as conductors for an out-on-the-town evening’s tone. Patrons rely on these pros for recommendations, guidance and expertise. Charleston’s mixologists are not only knowledgeable about cocktails and their ingredients, but have a genuine appreciation for the artistry required to make a great drink. Whether you’re in the mood for a signature seasonal drink or a tried-and-true classic, a talented mixologist makes all the difference.
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Photos by Ashley Stanol
Rebel Taqueria’s David Brazell (left) serves up margaritas, a favorite among many of the beverage pros in town
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What bartenders are drinking and making
Just about everyone has an opinion about which cocktails in Charleston are the best. Charleston City Paper’s annual Best of Charleston awards always highlights the year’s most beloved bartender. The results are in, and many of the city’s favorite bartenders love a good margarita and report that espresso martinis still reign supreme with a bevy of bar patrons. Tyler Moss, winner of the Best of Charleston’s Best Bartender award in 2026, splits his time between Indaco and A.C.’s Bar and Grill. Despite only being a four-minute walk from one another, the two spots are a world apart when it comes
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Tyler Moss (above) splits his time between Indaco and A.C.’s Bar and Grill. Below: Indaco’s Palmetto cocktail uses vodka hand-infused with cucumber, mint simple syrup, Lillet Blanc and lime juice.
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You can find Liam Stewart, a first-time finalist for City Paper’s Best Bartender in 2026, behind the bar at The Belmont to atmosphere. This difference allows Moss to expand his practice as a mixologist at both ends of the spectrum. A proud bourbon guy, Moss shared that his favorite drinks to make for guests and order for himself are simple, classic and usually bourbon-based. “My favorite place to grab drinks in town is the Belmont,” Moss said. “I’m usually ordering a Buffalo Trace old-fashioned with a shot of Grand Marnier or a Benchmark (bourbon) and Diet Coke with a shot of Jäger.” If he’s in the mood for a more casual spot, you’ll most likely find Moss at Recovery Room Tavern or the Lucky Luchador. If you’re curious to see Moss in action at Indaco, he recommends trying the Palmetto, which is vodka that has been hand-infused with cucumber, mint simple syrup, Lillet Blanc and lime juice.
Lime time
Liam Stewart, a first-time finalist for City Paper’s Best Bartender in 2026, earned his chops at Harvey’s, an Irish pub in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Once in Charleston, he worked at Recovery Room, Legami and Dudley’s on Ann. Stewart has been working at the Belmont
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full-time since July 2025, and prides himself on his commitment to quality and his knowledge of all aspects of bartending. He hasn’t been drinking for some time now, but when he was, his go-to order was a margarita. “My favorite place to get a margarita was from Rogan Elliot at Legami,” Stewart said. “Margaritas were also the only drink I’d make for myself, but now I’ve figured out how to make an almost completely non-alcoholic Amareto Sour. I’ve enjoyed making that at home and upping the amount of lime and lemon.” At Belmont, Stewart said the
drinks he most often makes are dirty martinis, espresso martinis and Belmont’s signature “Turkish Sunset,” a mix of mezcal, tequila, guava, jalapeno honey, lime and habanero bitters. Keegan Shelton, the 2024 Best Bartender winner in the Best of Charleston awards, has bartended at Frothy Beard Brewing for eight years. He also hosts Tip of the Tongue Trivia around town, which won Best of Charleston’s Best Trivia category twice. Between both jobs, Shelton keeps busy. When he’s not, he enjoys tasting different tequilas. “I love a good margarita, but tequila straight-up is my cocktail,” Shelton said. “When I’m
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making my own margaritas, I’m using reposado tequila, agave, lime and a splash of orange as a floater.” Shelton also said he enjoys patronizing spots off of the Downtown peninsula. “We have so many cool spots outside of downtown that I love,” he said. “Rebel Taqueria in North Charleston is my favorite place. Its strawberry vanilla margarita is my go-to. John’s Island also has some good spots like the Woodruff and Minero, and I recently enjoyed the Lick in West Ashley.” Like Stewart and Moss, Shelton is no stranger to an espresso martini, affirming that the drink is still popular. At work, his favorite drink to make is currently off the menu, but he shared the ingredients. “It was a gin drink with basil, simple syrup and lemon. Super-simple, easy and refreshing.” Zach Kramer, the contest’s best bartender in 2022 and
2023, has been at Low Tide Brewing on John’s Island for more than a decade. He’s spent most of his time as a bartender, and has now moved into the behind the scenes world of brewing. Occasionally, he comes out to serve drinks. Kramer is a beer guy through and through, offering a different perspective from his peers. He noted his favorite type of beer to drink and make is lagers. “They’re definitely a labor of love,” he said. “The flavor is more subtle, they take more time and precision to get right, and people can be especially critical of them because there are so many mass-produced lagers out there.” While Kramer tends to stick to beer when grabbing a drink, like Shelton, he raved about the margarita offerings at Rebel Taqueria. He noted the fresh watermelon, Tajin rim and lime as delicious and refreshing. And his pro tip: “If I’m feeling cheeky, I’ll add a mezcal floater.”
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