Skip to main content

Naming Cocktails, Unusual Ingredients, and the South with Kingfisher’s Sean Umstead

Sean Umstead Kingfisher
Robert K. Oliver

Which new bourbon are we pumped about? What does it take to be a master journeyman? Where are we excited to travel to next? Each week, The Manual Podcast invites an expert, artisan, or craftsman for a roundtable discussion on what’s new, exciting, and unique in their trade.

For this week’s episode of The Manual Podcast, Sam and Greg sit down with Sean Umstead, the owner of the  Durham, North Carolina cocktail bar Kingfisher.

Since opening in July 2019, Kingfisher has received wide acclaim for its innovative cocktail program, which utilizes locally sourced ingredients to help build the cocktail list. Before digging into the cocktails, though, Greg gets Umstead to talk about how Kingfisher came to be — what it took to get to the point where he (and his wife/business partner) wanted to open their own space.

After explaining how Kingfisher came to be, Umstead digs into the cocktails themselves, from the very local nature of the drinks — Umstead works with local farmers to supply seasonal ingredients — to ingredients you may have seen in drinks before like fennel and less classic ingredients like black radish (don’t worry, he explains how it works).

Kingfisher Cocktail
Kingfisher

Next, Umstead explains the process of creating and naming drinks. Does he go more traditional? Silly? A mix of both? Naming a cocktail isn’t an easy thing and Umstead breaks down his process for the act.

Finally, Umstead discusses the artwork they have at Kingfisher — namely, the ceramic drinkware that his business partner created for the bar. These, in addition to other art found or created for the bar, add a special feeling to the place (which is right off Main Street in Durham).

Would you be down for a black radish cocktail? Do you live in a small city with a great cocktail bar? We want to hear from you. If you ever have a question or comment for The Manual Podcast folks, give us a shout at podcast@themanual.com — we’re always around! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you can join the discussion. Don’t forget, too, to rate and review wherever you get your podcast.

Further Reading

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Forget wine — Beer and cheese is an unbeatable combination
Put the corkscrew away and crack open a cold one
Beer and cheese

When one hears the term cheese pairings, wine is the beverage that most often comes to mind, we'd wager. Because, of course, it is. The pairing of wine and cheese is as classic a coupling as peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or chocolate and strawberries. They're meant to be together. But that certainly doesn't mean that wine is the only adult beverage that can dance an alluring tango alongside everyone's favorite dairy product. Beer, as humble as its reputation can be, is also a beautiful balance to cheese's immense offering of flavors. While some may think of beer as not being as multi-dimensional and varied in its palate-pleasing capabilities as wine, this is not the case - especially now that we live in a world with so many exquisite craft beers, stouts, and lagers.
Of course, another classic accompaniment to cheese is bread or crackers. Why might that be, one might ask. Is it because we're simply in need of a starchy vessel to usher the cheese into our mouths? The answer is actually a bit deeper than that. Starches like bread and crackers are made from the same yeasty ingredients as beer, so their pairing makes perfect culinary sense.
This isn't to say, though, that one can simply pick up a hunk of cheddar and crack open a Budweiser and expect culinary artistry. The science is a bit more nuanced than that, so we're here to help you find the best pairings for your favorite beers and cheeses.

How to pair beer and cheese

Read more
Mijenta has a new cristalino tequila — here’s why bourbon fans will love it
Mijenta has a cristalino tequila perfect for bourbon drinkers
Mijenta Cristalino

If you’re new to tequila, you might not know all the terms. Even if you’re just a beginner, you probably know all about blanco, reposado, añejo, and maybe even joven. But chances are, you’re not familiar with Cristalino tequila. This reasonably contemporary style is simply añejo tequila that’s been charcoal filtered to remove its natural caramel color and various impurities.

The style is more than just a little popular. It’s actually the fastest growing style of tequila according to Nielsen data. The newest brand to get in on the Cristalino trend is Mijenta.

Read more
You may not dislike IPAs as much as you think — you’ve just tried the wrong type
There's much more to the IPA than bitter hop bombs
Beer

The IPA has been described as the cilantro of the beer world. It’s assumed by some novice drinkers that you either love it or hate it. On one hand, it’s one of the most popular beer styles in the American craft world. It’s loved by many drinkers for its liberal use of hops and fresh, crushable flavor profile.

But haters of the style dislike it because they have an assumption that all IPA beers are aggressively hopped and uncomfortably bitter. While there are IPAs that fit that criterion (and fans of that style can’t get enough of them), there are also a handful of other types of IPAs to fit any palate.
The IPA stigma

Read more