We (high school classmate Steven & I) stopped here in the heart of downtown Brunswick for some after hours drinks. The Silver Bluff Brewery closed seemingly way too early at 10pm and crowds meandered out and wandered into Reid’s Apothecary like lost sheep, longing for more mingling.
They gathered around the bar for cocktails to order a Manhattan, Moscow Mule, Mai Tai or bottomless Mimosas.
Some ensconced themselves in the dining room and devoured grass-fed steak, lamb lollipops, crab cakes and charcuterie plates like a refined connoisseur. Then when dinner was done, they ordered another round of drinks, closed their tabs and walked out to the summer heat on Newcastle Street some double fisted with craft beer and inventive cocktail.
Where were they going? Does Brunswick allow open containers like they do in beloved Charleston King St? Shhhhh, they were parading to a secretive place hidden from the regular patrons. Out-of-towners weren’t privy to the covert hiding place that locals doggedly kept to themselves.
These local party-goers had called ahead and had gotten the password. You walked around the building, hung a left and towards the back alley with no signs. Then you knock on a huge oak door with a port hole and provide the password (Tonight it was “Gum Shoe”) and the sentry would gladly let you proceed.
You’re immediately greeted by a 1920s Prohibition-era themed bar separated from the main dining room by a sliding bookshelf that boasts a curated menu and a wide variety of whiskeys that will blow your socks off.
There were patrons of all kinds here tonight. Bikers, FLETC staff and trainees, boaters from the marina, perennial locals, couples on first dates. And then there was us, the curious customer just wanting to explore, enjoy and relax. Some were appropriately well dressed like they were going to a speakeasy. Others just rolled off their bikes or docked their crafts still in shorts and deck shoes. Some came for the music, the fiery cocktails, the mingling with a wide mix of people, and some just wanted to let their hair down, crouch down on the floor and rack their brains playing chess.
Owner Chris Gantt and mixologist Veronica put together some inventive vintage cocktail as well as some modern drinks that would please the younger millennial demographic.
Meanwhile Jeff Allyn Szwast performed some great original tunes on vocal and guitar adding to the distinctive atmosphere of the eclectic evening.
The year before the pandemic, Chris Gantt, established the Apothecary with the idea that food and drinks are medicine and that we should always get a daily dose of what’s supposed to heal, nourish, and restore you. Tonight, we were definitely able to get nourished, get restored and invigorated for whatever lay ahead.
“The Study is a secret, but we want it to be well known,” said Chris. “We want you to have a wonderful time. It will blow you over the edge.”
