DRINK
SOCIAL SIPPER Raleigh’s latest vodka
“T
by JESSIE AMMONS
he older you get, the more you realize that moments are important,” says Cary Joshi, president of Social House vodka. He’s sitting in the downtown Raleigh headquarters of the new alcohol brand on a recent afternoon, overlooking City Plaza and reflecting on the moments that went into the creation of this vodka: the friends – Joshi, Raleigh restaurateur G Patel, and spirits industry veteran Mark Mullins – who decided to create spirits together; the months of work with food sensory and biochemical scientists at N.C. State to analyze dozens of different vodkas and concoct their own recipe; the transformation of an old power plant in Kinston into a distillery; the
From left: The founders of Social House vodka, Mark Mullins, G Patel, and Cary Joshi
offical launch in August. And now the partners have the moment where they watch it all pay off: Social House is already in Triangle ABC stores and in bars and restaurants statewide, which include local spots like the Angus Barn, The Haymaker, and Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. The trio say they chose to make vodka because it is so versatile. “You can have vodka – responsibly – on almost any occasion at almost any time of day,” Joshi says, from Bloody Marys to nightcaps. Mullins describes vodka as the middle ground of spirits. “If you’re a tequila drinker or a bourbon drinker, and someone only has vodka, you’ll probably still have a vodka cocktail. But if you’re a vodka drinker and all someone has is bourbon, you might not drink it, the flavor profile might be too strong. To us, that makes vodka the most photographs by MADELINE GRAY
98 | WALTER
