Ready? Now We Can ALL Drink to the Gibbes...

Wait, what are we drinking to this time? Well, here's the deal—today is the annual meeting for Society 1858. That's the Gibbes Museum’s organization of young, "up-and-coming" art patrons, named for the year that the Carolina Art Association was established. When Grit heard they were drumming up a cocktail for a "meeting," we thought... brilliant, finally someone gets how meetings are supposed to work. But this one is different anyway—it's no snoozefest with piles of paper and finger-pointing. Finger-painting, maybe, but no pointing. 

This "meeting" celebrates a year's worth of successful fundraising and community efforts. This time around, they'll likely toast to:

The Side B Party with Chris Murray and Donovan to celebrate the Sound & Vision lecture series (Recognize anyone? That's Grit blogger/painter Dr. McLean Sheperd on the far right.)...

Reese Moore

The Rock, Scissors, Paper event that kicked-off the 1st-annual Art on Paper Fair...

Reese Moore

The Habanero Rhythm event celebrating Vibrant Vision: The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman...

Reese Moore

And the fact that the 180+ member group reportedly raised more than $29,000 in support of the Gibbes! 

It's no wonder they needed their own cocktail for this. As such, James Wampler from the Gin Joint stepped in to mix something up. Here it is... and hey, what's say we all raise our glasses to the Gibbes Museum? 

Southern Sour

3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz. Black Tea simple syrup*

1/2 oz. Benedictine liqueur

1 1/2 oz. Sea Island Spiced Rum

Shake and strain. Serve on ice with a lemon twist.

{ *Black tea simple syrup is simply double-strength black tea made into a syrup. So if instructions call for one bag of black tea per eight oz. of water, use two bags. To make the syrup, fill a large measuring cup with 8 oz. of sugar. Pour hot double-strength black tea over the sugar to the 16 oz. line. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.}