blvd. | cocktails
In the mix
Tamu Curtis tapped plenty of local talent in designing The Cocktailery, including Ariene Bethea of Dressing Room Interiors, Paul Boldt of Cotswold Home Inc., Studio Cultivate, and mural artists Amber King and Kelly Copely.
STOCK UP ON BAR ESSENTIALS AND LEARN TO MIX DRINKS LIKE A PRO AT THE COCKTAILERY. by Michelle Boudin
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TOP PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN TWITTY
amu Curtis has never actually worked as a bartender, and she says that’s exactly why she’s the perfect person to open The Cocktailery, a new cocktail-supply and beverage shop that also offers hands-on mixology classes at Atherton Mill. “I wasn’t a bartender, and that’s why I relate so well to the customer — because I’m them. I’m someone who likes a great dinner and cocktail experience, but I was always so intimidated. I knew [what] tasted good, but I knew nothing about how to create a cocktail.” Curtis relocated from Los Angeles to Charlotte in 2012 to be near her family. She used her marketing background to help generate a buzz when she started offering cocktail-making classes in 2016 under the Liberate Your Palate moniker. She held the classes in private homes, at corporate events — basically anywhere she could find a space. “It’s all about teaching people the basic structure of a cocktail and empowering them to get creative. It doesn’t have to be super complicated to taste good.” Once Covid hit, Curtis started offering the workshops virtually, helping people raid their pantries to make a good mixed drink. “We want to teach people how to look at their pantry and their refrigerator and use
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