Happy hour

CHARLOTTE’S FAVORITE WATERING HOLES: WHO’S THERE, WHAT THEY’RE DRINKING AND WHY THEY COME by Palmer Stowe | photographs by Richard Israel

Despite a 1985 statewide ban on the sale of discounted alcohol during limited hours, the spirit of happy hour lives happily and healthily in Charlotte’s many watering holes. Come 5 o’clock, cozy taverns, grungy dives and plush cocktail bars around the Queen City slowly begin to fill with Charlotteans of every stripe, all sharing the common desire to turn the dial down on the day with a pint of beer or an icy martini. For our new happy hour feature, I’m slinking into a handful of the city’s bestloved canteens (with a designated driver in tow) to talk to locals about how, why and with what particular poison they’re blowing off the day’s steam.