Bar Tab is a recurring column in The Post and Courier Food section that highlights a locally made or sold adult beverage. While most restaurants and bars around town have ample options for cocktail ingredients, one in particular is making do with less. Kultura , the Filipino comfort food locale run by James Beard Award finalist Chef Nikko Cagalanan at 73 Spring St.
, is serving up fantastic cocktails despite not having a liquor license. Instead, Kultura just has a beer and wine permit , limiting the traditional spread of liquors like vodka, tequila, bourbon and gin to options with lower alcohol-by-volume (ABV). The city of Charleston only doles out a certain amount of liquor licenses, which can be harder to come by.
Yet Beverage manager Jessica Ford is mixing her drinks with sake, wine and vermouth, arriving at some still delightful concoctions despite the restriction. Ford has gotten a taste of Charleston's drink evolution since moving here from Richmond, Va., in 2018.
She's worked at places like Little Palm, Prohibition, Chasing Sage and Brasserie La Banque. Kultura is her latest endeavor, one that came with an added challenge. "Having limitations means more experimentation, embracing unique ingredients and coloring outside the lines," said Ford.
"I've had to come up with some different combinations I never would've thought of before." Halo halo is served at Kultura on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, in Charleston.
Among Ford's lineup includes a take on a sake sour, a spritz and a fun.
