DRINK
TOP NOTCH Level 7 rooftop bar
by JESSIE AMMONS
E
EXIT THE ELEVATOR AT THE TOP FLOOR OF NORTH HILLS’ NEW AC Hotel Raleigh and you’ll enter a sleek lounge that feels a world away. Level 7 is a rooftop bar designed to cater not just to hotel guests, but to Raleigh. “We have more regulars than anything else, which is what we want,” says general manager Anthony Zinani. Since its early April opening, those regulars include midtown workers in search of a convenient happy hour spot and nearby residents glad to have a hip watering hole close to home. Zinani says the city’s growth provides new opportunities in all directions. He gestures to the breezy rooftop patio and sweeping cityscape views. The setting sells itself. Bar manager Peter Horak complements the scene with drinks inspired by the season and the region. Glass cabinets suspended from the ceiling are heavy on spirits made in the Triangle and in North Carolina: TOPO vodka, Defiant whisky, Raleigh Rum Company, Durham Distillery gin. photographs by KEITH ISAACS
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