Cocktail creators lure imbibers in with Monster Blood, Hex on the Beach on the menu
ASHEVILLE - Anything can serve as inspiration for a creative, refreshing cocktail recipe, according to Alex Kaneubbe and Chris Mumford, bartender-owners of the handcrafted cocktail concept, Nightcrawler.
The Austin, Texas transplants who’ve lived in Asheville for nearly two years took notes from Texas-style barbecue to make a smoked olive-brined martini.
Elements of a Caprese salad were applied to make a savory martini.
They’ve made a sushi rice-infused cocktail and are considering how to alter duck sauce to develop a drink that accents the sweetened plum and vinegar-based condiment.
“It’s like, ‘This sounds crazy,’ but when you drink it, it’s like, ‘Wow, that’s actually incredibly drinkable and refreshing,’” Mumford said. “If we achieve that, it makes me excited.”
For months, the business and life partners have taken their Nightcrawler cocktail show on the road hosting pop-ups in which they’d take over the bar at local businesses to feature their extensive specialty beverage menu. They’ve gained a loyal following events at Eda Rhyne Distilling Company, Strange Magic night club and Farewell coffee shop.
In April, Nightcrawler welcomed guests into their new permanent home as the resident cocktail providers at Trve Brewing Company, 255 Short Coxe Ave. in the South Slope brewing district.
Daily, Nightcrawler offers several staple, signature alcoholic and zero-proof handcrafted beverages.
Nightcrawler’s extensive menu of nearly a dozen rotating libations is served on the first Saturday of every month.
Mumford said they enjoy making drinks based on the unexpected and experimenting with different flavors to make the brightly colored drinks ― and Asheville imbibers are relishing the selections.
“We like to play around with a lot of food ideas,” Kaneubbe said. “Our star of the show right now is the Monster Blood. It’s basically a watermelon margarita with a salted watermelon cordial that’s made in-house, fresh lime juice, tequila and pickled chamoy on the rim. It’s a fun Jolly Rancher, watermelon pickled chugger.”
Kismet cocktail collaboration
Kaneubbe and Mumford, who said they aspire to own a bar, seek investors and a venue. Meanwhile, the partnership with Trve Brewing is kismet for both parties.
“We’re stoked about this relationship, and it happened organically,” said Nick Nunns, founder of Trve Brewing, a Denver-based brewery that opened its first Asheville location in March. “They’ve been building a great name for themselves, and we happened upon them from folks hearing about the pop-up and wanting to check it out.”
Mumford said they were lucky to cross paths.
Trve Brewing’s co-owners used to drop into Nightcrawler’s pop-ups at Farewell, a South Slope neighbor.
Then, Mumford, a beer enthusiast, applied for a bartending job at Trve Brewing.
During the interviewing process, conversations emerged about Nightcrawler’s operations and pop-up location plans after Farewell.
Nunns said a cocktail program was desired for the taproom, which had an established menu of craft beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages.
A deal was struck for Mumford to come on as bartender and head of the taproom’s cocktail program as Nightcrawler.
Furthering the seemingly predestined idea, the business’s similarities aligned perfectly, too.
Nunns launched Trve Brewing as a place for heavy metal music and craft beer to coexist. Nightcrawler's style was motivated by the owners’ love for hardcore, punk, heavy metal and dark wave music and cocktails.
“The serendipitous thing as well was that they already had a brand that made perfect sense,” Nunns said. “The branding was dead nuts on what we’re doing so it made for an easy pairing.”
Nightcrawler’s menu takeover
Nightcrawler’s innovative beverages use fresh juices and syrups and other in-house-made additions.
Kaneubbe said a goal is to introduce “explorative, fun and attainable cocktails without the pretentiousness.”
Nightcrawler’s menu reflects the bartenders’ experiences, like Monster Blood’s rim coated in chamoy, a pickled fruit condiment popular in Mexico, and other recipes inspired by their time living in Austin and during their travels.
The longing for flavor from their former home led to the introduction of Nightcrawler.
“There’s a lot of stuff from back home that we miss and if you don’t have it, you have to be it,” Kaneubbe said.
Kaneubbe said the menu is diverse in offerings and prices to be approachable, which isn’t readily available in Asheville.
“We’re service industry people. Sometimes, when you get off of work, you want a $16 cocktail and sometimes you want a cheap beer and a shot. There isn’t really a place here to get both of those,” she said.
Nightcrawler’s more complex handcrafted, high-end cocktails range from $13-$16, classic cocktails average at $10, and one-to-one drinks like tequila and soda cost $5-$6.
On June 1, Nightcrawler will host its next full menu takeover at Trve Brewing.
“We are in a space that is new and exciting because there’s lots of opportunities that can take shape,” Kaneubbe said. "We would love to have the community come around that’s in this part of downtown and service industry people come through who think this is a cool place to hang out and relax, also that it’s a great place to turn up on the weekends."
Nightcrawler
Where: 255 Short Coxe Ave., inside Trve Brewing Co., Asheville.
Hours: 3-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
12 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
12-10 p.m. Sunday.
Info: For more, visit trvebrewing.com and follow on Instagram @nightcrawleravl and @trvebrewing.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Nightcrawler, Trve Brewing launch innovative craft cocktail program
