Drinks Archives

Monday Night brews a Spanish paella-inspired beer and a Czech pale lager for the World Cup

World Cup 2026

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June 10, 2026

Monday Night Brewing World Cup beers — Monday Night brewed two new beers in honor of the World Cup

With the FIFA World Cup expected to bring thousands of soccer fans to the city this summer, Monday Night Brewing co-founder and CEO Joel Iverson knew he had to do something interesting to make his brewery stand out. Last year, he went to a World Cup information session for small businesses hosted by the city, and the gist, he says, was, “If you’re not right near the stadium, you’ve got to come up with something really good to draw people [in].”

Knowing that there’s a large overlap between soccer and craft beer fans, Iverson and his team decided to wait and see which international teams would be playing in Atlanta, then try to collaborate with a brewery from one of those countries to create a unique, World Cup-themed brew. Iverson says the goal was to make Monday Night “a welcoming hub” for fans from other countries.

“There is a craft brewery in almost every country, and they share the same values of community we as a craft brewery do,” Iverson says.

Of the 10 countries coming to Atlanta for group stage matches, Iverson and his team picked two with strong beer cultures to try to collaborate with: Spain and Czechia. But with just a couple of months left before World Cup games began, the team had to quickly find international breweries who were willing to partner up.

Luckily, Monday Night brewmaster Peter Kiley already had ties to Czechia. In 2022, he went on a cultural trade mission with other North American brewers to learn the art of Czech beer and while there, met the team at Dva Kohouti brewery in Prague. At the Craft Brewers Conference this past April, just weeks after Czechia qualified for its Atlanta World Cup match, Kiley pitched Monday Night’s collaboration plan to Dva Kohouti’s brewmaster, Lukáš Tomsa, who loved it. In May, Kiley and his family boarded a plane to Prague and spent a week in the city. Tomsa and Kiley wanted to create a Czech beer that respected the country’s brewing traditions while also evolving them. The result is Světlý Ležák Czechia, a pale lager made with Czech malts and Czech Žatec and Kazbek hops. But to give the beer “a small little nudge towards the future,” Kiley dry hopped the brew, something he says would never be done traditionally.

“No one dry hops lagers in [Czechia], not at all.” Kiley says. “And even using Kazbek, which I think was developed around 2008, a lot of [Czech brewers] just stick with the noble varietals, the ones that have always been around.”

Kiley describes the Czech beer as “flavorful, yet nuanced,” and says that while beer nerds will appreciate “the complexity of the flavors and how it’s made,” your average customer will still find it “extremely delicious, very palatable, and [won’t] throw your palate through the ringer.”

The Spanish-inspired beer is the complete opposite of the Czech beer in both product and how the collaboration came together. Kiley knew he wanted to partner with Barcelona’s Garage Beer Co., but never received a response from the brewery. So on his flight from Prague to Barcelona, he sent one last hail Mary email to the brewery’s marketing director, letting them know he was planning to visit the brewery even if the collaboration never materialized. He finally got a response.

“I ended up coming by and nothing was solidified,” he says, “but we [Kiley and Garage’s marketing and production teams] ended up having probably about six beers [in] three-and-a-half hours, just sitting outside at the end of a work week. I went into it just with the expectation of hopefully getting to make some new friends and we just had the best time.”

Garage’s team asked Kiley what kind of beer he would make if he could do anything. The idea of a paella-inspired beer was born. Kiley and the Garage team then spent about a half hour designing the recipe, and Garage head brewer Dan Ashley helped Kiley source the Spanish ingredients.

On paper, Kiley says 2XÑEIPA, the paella-inspired New England double IPA, is “absolutely crazy.” Its ingredients include rice, Spanish saffron, smoked paprika, Valencia orange juice, and anchovy hops, which, Kiley assures, is just a fun name and tastes nothing like fish. (“It smells like candied watermelon, which is perfect for a hazy New England-style IPA,” he says.)

Kiley says the saffron gives the beer an “unbelievable” electric yellow color, and while the beer’s flavor is hard to describe, he notes that drinkers will smell the orange juice first and taste the saffron and paprika.

“I don’t want a beer to taste like paella,” he clarifies, “I wanted to be able to share some of those building blocks that are true to Spanish cuisine and see how we could implement them into a product that is used to celebrate two countries coming together to work on something, all for a football match, which is awesome.”

Both 2XÑEIPA and Světlý Ležák will be available on draft and packaged at both of Monday Night’s Atlanta taprooms (the Grove on the Westside and the Garage in West End) starting June 15. Select bars, including the LikeMinds pop-up on the Beltline Eastside Trail, and package stores will also carry the beers. The Grove taproom will host watch parties for the June 15 Spain game and the June 18 Czechia game with themed food (Iverson says there may be paella at the Spain party), and as part of a larger “Summer of Soccer” celebration, the brewery is also planning activities like a soccer video game tournament, a 3v3 soccer tournament, international drinking games, and more to keep the World Cup party going.

“Atlanta is an extremely hospitable city,” Kiley says, “and we want to make sure that when people visit us that we always have something to celebrate and always have something to show them.”

The Book Bird takes flight in Avondale Estates with coffee, wine, and plenty of reading material

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Carly Cooper

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May 26, 2026

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The Book Bird takes flight in Avondale Estates with coffee, wine, and plenty of reading material

The Book Bird owners Amie Waltzer (left) and Brittany Smith

Avondale Estates has a new neighborhood gathering spot: the Book Bird, a recently relocated and expanded independent bookstore at the Dale. It pairs carefully curated shelves and gifts with a full coffee shop and a thoughtfully programmed wine bar. Owned by Brittany Smith and Amie Waltzer, the space invites visitors to linger—whether browsing for books or settling in with a cup of joe.

The shop marks an evolution for the business. The Book Bird first opened three years ago in a shared space two blocks away. Previously a tiny bookstore, the new location allows Smith and Waltzer to fully realize their vision.

Inside the 3,300-square-foot space, titles focus on fiction, fantasy, mystery, and award winners, with an emphasis on local authors. Smith and Waltzer hand‑pick every book, mixing trending topics with personal favorites. Dedicated tables highlight upcoming events and the store’s eight book clubs, which range from classics and fantasy to Jane Austen and cookbooks.

Programming is central to the shop’s identity. The Book Bird hosts monthly open mic poetry nights and weekly story time (including a bilingual option.) It also hosts an event where participants share short, true stories without notes.

“The goal is to tie everything into stories,” Smith says.

At the back of the store is Reading Grounds Cafe, a full coffee shop serving a custom Book Bird blend from Radio Roasters, Counter Culture espresso, and a rotating Roaster of the Month. The menu includes house‑made cold brew, chai on tap, Tenzo matcha, and Dona teas. Pastries and savory options come from Saint Germain, including croissants, quiche, and croque monsieur, along with cake pops from Little Jars Bakeshop.

The bar features 14 seats. Additional seating is available throughout the coffee shop, outdoors, and around the bookstore. The concise wine list features 12 selections, primarily from small, female‑led wineries. The menu changes seasonally, with current highlights including rose, orange wine, and chilled reds. Beer from Good Word Brewery and THC canned drinks are also available.

The store leans into a modern park aesthetic, with blue‑gray shelves, green bar accents, and cozy seating. Hanging books and bird‑themed art reference the shop’s name, which nods both to Avondale Estates being a bird sanctuary and the idea that books allow readers to “read and take flight,” Smith explains.

For Smith and Waltzer opening the town’s first independent bookstore felt essential. “In the world we live in, connecting with your community is more important than ever,” Smith says. “Here, you can feel comfortable engaging with the people around you whether you buy a book or not.”

Owners Amie Waltzer (left) and Brittany Smith at the Reading Grounds Cafe

A coffee shop built on grandmotherly memories opens in Chamblee

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Carly Cooper

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May 22, 2026

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At Stellow, coffee is rooted in memory. Owner Clinton Perry built the Chamblee espresso bar to recreate the feeling of being a kid in his grandmothers’ homes—spaces that felt soft, welcoming, and personal. The newly opened coffee shop draws from those memories, honoring both women with a design, menu, and ethos rooted in nostalgia and care. Even the name Stellow pays homage to them; “stell” for Mema’s middle name and “ow” for GrandBetty’s favorite color (yellow).

Perry, the youngest of seven, spent much of his childhood with his grandmothers. Their presence is both literal and symbolic throughout Stellow’s 1,900-square-foot space. Black-and-white photos line the walls, while furniture and curtains echo pieces from their homes. Even the bathrooms nod to each woman’s style—one warm and midcentury-inspired, the other softer and more traditional. The goal, Perry says, was to make people feel the way he did back then: comfortable and welcome.

“You go to your grandmother’s to relax,” he says.

That same sense of ease carries behind the coffee bar. Rather than overwhelming guests, Stellow leans into a tight menu of espresso-driven drinks (cappuccino, cortado, Americano, latte) made with Bellwood Coffee beans and served in traditional Italian sizes. The specialties, however, are personal. Betty’s Fresca Soda nods to the only soda Perry was allowed to drink growing up, combining espresso with house-made blood orange syrup, while Sammie’s Sunrise layers cinnamon, brown sugar, and orange peel in tribute to morning rituals with his grandmother. A banana coconut latte rounds out the trio. For non-coffee drinkers, there’s both green and blue matcha, tea, hot chocolate, and a non-caffeinated Lil-ccino for kids.

Pastries come from Shellane Brown of Apple-Butter Bakery in Fayetteville, whose lineup includes gluten-free sweet potato coffee cake, almond croissants, quiche, and breakfast sandwiches.

“I think people want simplicity,” Perry says. “You can get overwhelmed going to a coffee shop. It can be intimidating.”

He aims to counteract that with friendly service and a warm, yet elevated atmosphere. Emma Flynn of Commoner Design Co. shaped the space with a cocktail bar–style counter at the center, while white floors help brighten the room. The shop seats about 70 guests across its dining room and patio, and it’s already drawing crowds, with waits stretching up to 45 minutes on weekends.

Before opening a brick-and-mortar, Perry built his business around using espresso carts for private events. He now owns eight carts and plans to eventually expand into florals and classes in the shop.

“I took everything I love and dumped it into a coffee shop,” Perry says. “People love to be a part of something beautiful.”

Under Pressure Wine Bar is flipping the script on pairings

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Carly Cooper

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May 8, 2026

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Under Pressure Wine Bar is flipping the script on pairings

Under Pressure founders Juan Cortes (left) and Adam Berlin

Most restaurants build menus around food. Under Pressure builds them around wine. For their upcoming wine bar, Michelin award–winning sommelier Juan Fernando Cortés (the Chastain) and Adam Berlin (Buena Vida Tapas Bar and Chicheria) will design its menu by choosing wines first, then creating dishes designed specifically to match those flavors. Under Pressure Wine Bar is slated to open in late 2026 in the former Pig-N-Chik BBQ space on Roswell Road near Chastain Park. Before the brick-and-mortar debuts, the team will introduce the idea through a series of Thursday evening pop-ups starting May 14 at Brush Sushi in Buckhead.

“We want to find the wines that really blow us away,” Cortés said, describing an approach in which chefs taste those wines and build dishes around them—adjusting flavors and textures until the pairing lands—an advantage, he noted, because “a chef has the ability to modify the flavors of a dish, whereas we can’t modify the wine.”

That collaboration often begins with a sense of place. A crisp Albariño from Spain’s Rías Baixas, for example, naturally points toward seafood—mussels, prawns, or oysters drawn from the same coastal traditions that shaped the wine itself, Cortes explains. By anchoring the process in the glass, chefs can taste first and then fine‑tune seasoning, texture, and components until the pairing feels intuitive rather than forced.

A focus will be education and guidance from the servers, so guests can try wines they might not otherwise order, including both New and Old World varietals and natural and biodynamic options. There will be 200 to 300 options with a robust by-the-glass selection, including up to eight sparkling wines. Flights will be available, too. A key tool for making that possible: large-format bottles. Wines age more slowly in larger bottles, allowing the bar to support higher-quality pours by the glass.

“It’s going to be a serious wine bar,” Cortes says.

There will also be a vermouth list and a tight cocktail menu centered on classics.

Food at Under Pressure is intentionally restrained, designed to support the wine rather than compete with it. The menu will balance indulgent touches like caviar service with familiar anchors such as meat and cheese boards, truffle fries, and a classic Caesar salad, alongside a rotating selection of seasonal dishes. With both full and half portions of all menu items, guests can keep it casual with a single glass and bite or build a more expansive, choose‑your‑own tasting by pairing multiple wines with smaller plates.

The bar’s sense of identity extends well beyond the glass. Inspired by David Bowie, Under Pressure leans into a glam‑rock aesthetic, with velvet textures, a mirrored ceiling over the bar, and vintage Chastain Amphitheater concert posters shaping the space. The 2,000‑square‑foot interior will seat up to 150 guests and include a spacious covered patio designed to feel like a neighborhood oasis.

“Who doesn’t like David Bowie?” Berlin exclaims. “Juan has brought a lot of that kind of rock-and-roll ethos to being a sommelier. He’s someone who can recommend wines to you very unpretentiously.”

Even at the pop-ups, vinyl DJ Capt. Mudfish will spin music from Bowie, Queen, and other ’80s icons. The initial pop-up series runs May 14 through June 4, taking over Brush’s main dining room and bar on Thursday evenings, with special à la carte dishes designed to pair with Under Pressure wines. Brush’s full sushi menu will also be available.

Atlanta’s only traditional Chinese teahouse pours tea—and patience—one cup at a time

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Joe Reisigl

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March 3, 2026

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Atlanta’s only traditional Chinese teahouse pours tea—and patience—one cup at a time

Amy Zhang wears a ceremonial vest for tea service at Wai’s Gong Fu Tea House.

Unassumingly wedged between a bike shop, an auto repair shop, and the train tracks on the upper Westside is Atlanta’s only traditional Chinese-style teahouse. Its owners, Wayne Belonoha and Amy Zhang, do not place ads or promote it with any regularity on social media.

“If you’re into tea, eventually you will find us,” Belonoha says. “We’ve got something good here. Something from the heart.”

The shop is called Wai’s Gong Fu Tea House. Wai is Belonoha’s adopted name as a certified kung fu master, and gong fu (which roughly means “mastery”) is the Chinese style of tea service in which whole tea leaves are steeped several times, each time brewing only a few ounces of tea for each guest. Over the course of a gong fu session, a guest is likely to drink several dozen cups this size. It would be unthinkable to add milk or sugar; gong fu is a completely different experience from the English style of tea service that is more familiar in the West.

“All of the teas done gong fu–style have body and depth, but they’re also delicate,” Belonoha says. “So you can keep drinking this tea all day, and it won’t overpower
your body.”

Belonoha and Zhang are reluctant to brew a cup of tea to go. Instead, customers can make a reservation or walk in for an hour-long session. Since this experience is all about tea in its purest form, no food is served. During the session, guests are seated at either a 1,000-lb. solid jade table or a one-and-a-half-ton camphorwood table. Each is ornate, with one-of-a-kind carvings and water features, such as a stream flowing continuously downward across the tabletop. Gentle, traditional Chinese music plays in the background to accompany the sound of the flowing water. Belonoha and Zhang serve three teas—usually one green, one oolong, and one black—to present a spectrum of flavors. Guests learn how the flavors change as the leaves continue opening up with each steep.

Take, for example, Jin Jun Mei (golden eyebrow), a black tea from the Wuyi Mountains. The first few steeps are malty, with an umami flavor reminiscent of soy sauce.

“But after a while, that drops off, and you get some really nice sweetness, and the citrusy notes start to come out,” Belonoha says. “That’s the roller coaster ride.”

Some of the green teas available at Wai’s are from Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), a region in eastern China where Zhang grew up. It’s a place where whole leaf tea was integral in daily life. She later met Belonoha through kung fu. Zhang, too, is a certified kung fu master. They both say that tea and kung fu are closely linked because they are practices that help improve focus.

“Tea is meditation. Kung fu is meditation—it’s like self-care,” Zhang says. “I feel each movement of energy inside, and I focus on each feeling.”

Starting at 6 p.m. every Monday, Wai’s holds a “communi-tea” tasting event that is free to the public and does not require a reservation. Each round can accommodate eight guests, and Zhang and Belonoha typically host multiple rounds in a night. Guests can sip several steeps of one featured tea. Many community members return week after week, writing down their tasting notes in a notebook to remember each tea they have tried from among the nearly 50 teas in Wai’s collection and walking out with leaves of their favorites to brew at home.

“What we want to do is not just expose people to great, healthy tea,” Belonoha says, “but also open the door to get them to be able to enjoy it for themselves.”

This article appears in our February 2026 issue.

As neighborhood staple JavaVino closes, European cafe At Arbeta moves in

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Carly Cooper

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January 16, 2026

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Long before coffee shops became trendy, Atlanta locals found their haven at JavaVino. For more than two decades, the Poncey-Highland cafe welcomed people came to work, connect, and build community. As the cafe shifts its focus to wholesale, its legacy remains deeply rooted in the neighborhood—and its influence will continue to be felt in the very beans that will be served at the new establishment taking its place. Called At Arbeta, a Scandinavian-inspired cafe and coworking space is taking over the space with a targeted opening of late summer.

The name is Swedish for “to work.” Operating partner Rebecca Floyd says her mission is to create an environment where productivity and inspiration go hand in hand. Floyd—a level 2 sommelier, barista, and pastry chef—will draw from European traditions to offer a menu that celebrates high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, focused on simplicity. Expect whipped ricotta toast (both sweet and savory), overnight oats, pastries, pressed sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, and cheese plates. Many items will be made in house, while breads and pastries are outsourced.

The beverage program will include classic espresso drinks made with JavaVino’s beans, “JavaVino has been there for so long. There’s such a base of people who love it,” Floyd says. “We’ll have lattes, cappuccinos—the basics.”

Later in the day, beer, wine, and a curated selection of cocktails will be available. In true Italian fashion, Arbeta will host apertivo hours a few nights a week, serving small plates designed to whet the appetite and encourage conversation.

The JavaVino space is being refreshed with the main floor intended to be more social, featuring the cafe and coffee bar. The upstairs area is designed for deep work, complete with rentable conference rooms and solo workspaces. Complimentary work areas, long tables, and widely available outlets make it easier for students and workers to settle in for the day. Monks Meadery will continue to operate on the bottom level of the building.

To keep the community engaged, Floyd says the team will host pop-ups and offer catering prior to the official opening.

Orange wine is having a moment—and Atlanta is embracing it

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Brady Nash

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November 25, 2025

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Orange wine is having a moment—and Atlanta is embracing it

Orange wines come in a range of hues and flavor profiles, from crisp and citrusy to soft and floral.

Orange wine finds itself navigating competing identities. Though many consider it a recent fad, orange wine is actually crafted using one of the oldest winemaking methods in existence, an ancestral technique first developed centuries ago in Georgia (the Eastern European country). Propelled by a renewed global interest in low-intervention, low-impact wine practices, which the style often aligns with, orange wine is undergoing a resurgence. And with Atlanta experiencing a natural wine boom, there’s never been a better time to explore it.

Orange is a bit of a misnomer; the style of wine is not made from citrus. Instead, the name refers to a white wine produced using the techniques of a red: White grapes are fermented with skins intact (which is why you’ll also see it called a “skin-contact white”). This process grants orange wine its signature color—with shades ranging from pale apricot to tawny brown—and makes it fuller bodied and more tannic (the bitter taste associated with reds) than a typical white.

Part of orange wine’s appeal is its ability to serve as an accessible entry point into the natural wine world. “As people take a closer look at what they consume, orange wine can be an easy way to browse any wine list and recognize something that fits into those categories,” says Sam Pilch of Vine Fine Wine in downtown Decatur. While not all orange wines are strictly “natural” (a term with no universal definition), it generally refers to bottles made with organically grown grapes and containing minimal chemical additives.

Pilch’s shop, which he co-owns with his wife, Madeline Long, carries plentiful options from biodynamic and ethical producers. “My favorite orange is Marmalade by Breaking Bread Wines,” he says. “It looks and tastes the part: soft, floral, dry, and a little acidic, with tasting notes of stone fruit.”

Elemental Spirits Co. in Poncey-Highland stocks several orange wines. The Spanish-produced Kiki & Juan is a recommended gateway pick; it’s crisp and rich with layers of salted honey and citrus. For a more traditional experience, go for the Nine Oaks Khikhvi, a funkier Georgian orange with a tart, slightly vinegary mouthfeel, somewhat similar to a kombucha. (Heads up: The particles at the bottom are supposed to be there.)

Side Saddle Wine Saloon and Bar, located off the Southside Beltline trail in Boulevard Heights, always has a couple oforange wines on the menu. Get a wine flight, which includes three half pours, to sample what’s available. On a recent visit, the Los Chuchaquis Canelo Albarino, produced in California and bursting with ripe pineapple, was a winner. Pair your selection with the Rodeo fries: crispy sweet potato fries topped with spiced labneh, whipped eggplant, olives, and pickled onions.

A short walk from Piedmont Park, Larakin is a breezy neighborhood bar in Midtown that regularly features orange wine on its daily-changing drink list. Sip a glass on the sun-drenched wooden deck and complement it with an order of tinned seafood, such as sardines marinated in artisanal olive oil or tangy chargrilled mussels.

This article appears in our November 2025 issue.

Hop City Krog Street Market teams up with Atlanta street artists for a fun cocktail menu

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Myrydd Wells Walljasper

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November 11, 2025

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Hop City Krog Street Market teams up with Atlanta street artists for a fun cocktail menu

Hop City Krog Street Market street art cocktails — Hop City’s lead bartender, Tali Starr (far left), created the menu, along with artists ClassyStreetz, Evereman, and Sad Stove (left to right).

Hop City was one of the first businesses to open at Krog Street Market in 2014 and, more than 10 years later, is still a flagship within the popular food hall. The company was a bottle shop first, selling craft beer from Atlanta’s burgeoning craft beer scene, along with wine, before opening the bar with its bountiful draft taps and cocktail program. The current drink menu, launched in August, has several drinks created by some of the city’s most popular street artists.

“We were wrestling with finding something that’s just distinctly Atlanta,” says owner Kraig Torres. “We always pick an Atlanta theme for our cocktail menu, so we’ve done neighborhoods, and we’ve done strip joints, and we were like, you know, what’s more Atlanta than our amazing street art scene?”

Hop City’s Beltline location is surrounded by artwork, so it’s no surprise that the artists themselves are among the bar’s patrons. These people and their work inspired the drinks now available on the menu, brainstormed by lead bartender Tali Starr, with each taking on a different spirit and flavor profile.

“We just had to reach out on Instagram and be like, Hey, we’re fans, we’re doing this thing, and they were all super into it,” adds Torres. “They’re really great at art, and, you know, I think we’re pretty good at cocktails. We kind of wanted to stay in our respective lanes as much as we can, but still make everybody feel involved.”

LurkingSince1991’s cocktail (left) and Classy Streetz’s cocktail

“I’ve been visiting Hop City for years. It’s been my closest and best local craft beer store for years,” says Rory Hawkins, better known by the moniker Catlanta. “I also started working with Kraig in 2018 on their West End location. I did murals for Boxcar and the West End Hop City, as well as the murals at their Trilith location and a few other projects over the years.”

The drink Hawkins inspired is based on the Azalea, the official cocktail of The Masters, with lemon vodka, pineapple juice, and grenadine.

“It’s got a bit of a tropical vibe to it, very bright and sunny, which I think correlates well with the colors I use in my work and the general sense of fun I try to include with my subject matter and pieces,” he says.

Sad Stove has a Mint Julep served up, and Evereman’s drink is based on the Mexican Firing Squad, a 1930s creation made with tequila, lime juice, grenadine, and Angostura bitters. . ClassyStreetz’s drink is a play on the Bees Knees with Murrell’s Row Tulsi gin and sweet black tea syrup. LurkingSince1991’s heart stickers found throughout the city play well with the strawberry cognac-based Sidecar, infused with jam.

Everman’s cocktail (left) and Sad Stove’s cocktail (right)

Ronnie Land, aka R. Land, the artist behind Pray for ATL, Loss Cat, and many other familiar pieces, is behind the only nonalcoholic drink on the menu. It’s made with three milligrams of THC from Nine Dot, cranberry, lime, and orange juices.

“I’ve just always been so happy that [Hop City is] there,” he says. “It makes sense to me because my studio is literally two blocks up Waddell Street, and it’s been there for 27 years, so long before Krog Street was even there.”

The menu also gave locals a chance to further connect with the artwork they often walk right past, says Torres.

“Sometimes we take it for granted when we’re riding our bikes down the Beltline, but it’s not often that you get to meet the guys behind it who’ve been doing it forever.”

New Orleans cocktail and whiskey bar Barrel Proof replaces shuttered Little Trouble on the Westside

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Carly Cooper

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October 30, 2025

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Barrel Proof, a New Orleans and Nashville bar known for its extensive (300-plus) whiskey and rare spirits selection, as well as expertly crafted cocktails, is joining the Westside Provisions District in early November. Taking over the former Little Trouble space, it will serve Southern bar food and classy cocktails in an upscale neighborhood environment. Founded by Robert LeBlanc and Liam Deegan, Barrel Proof Atlanta will offer a set menu, unlike the New Orleans location, which hosts food pop-ups seven days a week.

Lorenza Harrington (JoJo’s Beloved) will serve as lead bartender, having helped open the original Barrel Proof in New Orleans more than a decade ago. He’s putting together a list of creative takes on classic cocktails. Examples include Nux If You Buck, made with rum, lemon, date, and Nux Alpina; House of Leaves with gin, aquavit, Chareau, lemon, sugar, and shiso furikake; and Blood and Sand with blended scotch, orange juice, cherry heering, and sweet vermouth. More familiar drinks include a margarita, espresso martini, and house old fashioned. There’s also a list of shots and beers served together, including Secret Handshake (bonded whiskey and Gansett).

The food is designed to be approachable and shareable with menu items such as a crispy chicken sandwich, charred cauliflower Caesar salad, and a burger. Grilled bologna is topped with tomato pepper chow chow, and “3 Dip Fries” comes with ketchup, aioli, and tabasco mash mayo. LeBlanc calls the food “fun indulgences.” Bonus: they’re made with local ingredients whenever possible.

Located near Ford Fry’s Marcel steakhouse, the 3,500-square-foot space features a long hallway, windows overlooking the gulch, and the concrete beams overhead. Timeless finishes include a long wooden bar with brass detailing, chrome barstools, and plush banquet seating with velvet hues.

“Barrel Proof will always be a cocktail-driven neighborhood bar first and foremost. We love older buildings that have some historic context and some interesting architectural features,” Le Blanc says. “Because of all the cool architectural features of the Westside Provisions District development and how strong and tight-knit the neighborhood is, going into the Westside Provisions District seemed like the perfect confluence of a really cool building that happens to be located in a neighborhood we love.”

Look for a playlist of heavy rock and old school hip-hop, as well as DJs spinning vinyl.

Portrait Coffee and OutKast team up for Stankonia’s 25th anniversary

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Myrydd Wells Walljasper

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October 24, 2025

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Portrait Coffee and OutKast team up for Stankonia’s 25th anniversary

When OutKast released Stankonia, their groundbreaking fourth studio album, in 2000, Aaron Fender was still in elementary school. “But growing up, learning about Southern hip-hop and just the history of what hip-hop has meant to the city, you can’t start that conversation without talking about the imprint OutKast had on our city,” he says.

So when Portrait Coffee, which Fender co-founded, was offered the chance to collaborate with OutKast for Stankonia’s 25th anniversary, the team leapt at the opportunity. The result is Stankonia Coffee, set to release on October 28.

The roast Portrait concocted is a funky-fruity blend inspired by the spirit of the album. “Being Stankonia and with all the references and the imagery in the album, we wanted to have something that was reflective of the originality, and of the expressive flavor of the creativity of the record,” says Fender. “It was a really fun process.”

The collaboration came about earlier this year after a connection was made between OutKast and Portrait. In winter, OutKast asked Portrait to team up on a special coffee, and Portrait worked on it throughout the summer. The process allowed Fender and their head roaster, Marvin Duncan, to channel their creativity—starting with tasting 20 different coffees.

“Then we went through this process of sensory experience and talking about what we were hearing in the record and how can that be reflected in the coffee,” says Fender. They landed on a blend of two coffees: one from Unblended Coffee, located in Colombia, and a West African coffee from Sundog Trading. “These two coffees are some of our closest relationships and our favorite producing partners,” says Fender. “From there, we just dialed in the ratio of how much each coffee is present in the Stankonia blend.”

Coffee lovers can expect tasting notes of green apple and brown sugar, and vibrant packaging by artist Ali Adams. “We wanted to lean into the Afrofuturism that inspired Big Boi and André to make the album, as well as the duality of man,” says Fender. “Throughout the album there’s this contrasting image of who André is and who Big Boi is, and there’s a tension but also a connection there. So Ali wanted to get some of that imagery and symbolism in the bag as well.” The coffee will be sold by the bag in addition to limited-time merchandise like a tote bag and diner mug.

The release comes with a series of events, as well. On October 30, Portrait will host a community celebration with Stankonia-inspired visuals, drinks by Murrell Row Spirits, Honeysuckle Gelato, and Southern-inspired bites by chef Jamal Makanjuola. Over Halloween weekend—fittingly, Stankonia was released on Halloween—they’re teaming up for community giveback events, including the Stankonia25 Cascade Event at Cascade Skating Rink on October 30 and a tree planting event with Trees Atlanta at Tri-Cities High School (OutKast’s alma mater) on October 31.

Looking back, Fender sees a parallel between what OutKast accomplished with Stankonia and what he hopes to achieve with Portrait. “There is a timeless component to their music, whether it’s “Ms. Jackson,” “So Fresh, So Clean,” or “Gasoline Dreams”—these are all songs I grew up listening to, but they’re not aged at all,” he says. “It reflects what we’re trying to do, whether it’s coffee profiles or community engagement; I kind of hope that we’re able to have that same kind of presence or timeliness in the neighborhood.”

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