It’s 2:30 on a balmy Friday afternoon inside Tate’s Craft Cocktails, a downtown watering hole that recently opened along Fourth Street. The bar is understandably empty right now—after all, it doesn’t open for another hour or so—but bar manager Matthew Ceneviva is already hard at work. 

One by one, he’s tossing limes into a metallic juicer, hand-squeezing them, and collecting the liquid in a glass below. “You can buy ‘fresh-squeezed’ fruit juices in the store, but it compromises the taste,” he says, “We don’t want to do that.”

Hand-squeezing limes sounds like a menial task, and in the grand scheme of what Tate’s does, it probably is. At the same time, it’s a microcosm of everything the bar embraces: quality ingredients, quality service, quality drinks.

Ceneviva opened Tate’s in May alongside business partner John Tate, former chief operating officer at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. At first glance, the two men don’t seem to have much in common: One is 59-year-old small-business consultant, the other, a 28-year-old bartender extraordinaire. But there’s one thing that unites them, and it’s what drives the bar’s entire brand.

“We both have an incredible passion for classic cocktails; for their romance and their heritage,” Tate says.

Finally, it seems the nationwide cocktail renaissance has trickled its way to Winston-Salem. It started last year with the opening of Single Brothers on Trade Street and continues in an aggrandized way with Tate’s. Both establishments use traditional mixing methods and fresh, often handmade ingredients.

About a dozen of these “classic” cocktails make an appearance on the menu, ranging from the Old Fashioned to the Manhattan. These are the kind of drinks that fueled writers like Ernest Hemingway and singers like Frank Sinatra; pre-prohibition concoctions with legendary names and colorful back-stories.

The bar’s menu includes brief descriptions of each drink along with a snapshot of its heritage. For instance, the menu tells us the Sidecar was created in Paris in 1920, and mixes cognac, cointreau, and lemon juice. Detailed history of each beverage hangs along the walls, just one of the many touches that makes Tate’s stand alone in a sea of downtown drinkeries.

“We want people to come in, and for a moment, feel like they’ve stepped into a time portal,” Tate says. “But at the same time, we want it to be approachable.”

The bar has a beautiful grittiness about it, an ultra-urbanized sensibility that feels right at home downtown. In a former life, its 1,800-square feet housed a women’s clothing shop. It now mixes old with new, as contemporary high-top tables exist alongside a classic 41-foot bar. Dim lighting and greenish-grey toned walls set a sedative mood. The music, occasionally live, spans from jazz to Jack Johnson depending on the time of night. Even the bathrooms are a somewhat of a spectacle (we’ll let you explore those for yourself).

The bar’s most popular spot, not surprisingly, has been its patio. Two cushioned benches stretch out under an awning while sofas line the sidewalk.

“It’s a different atmosphere than anything I’ve seen, but at the same time, it feels like it belongs here,” says customer Ashley Widener. She’s sharing an outdoor table with a group of friends. “I don’t feel like I’m in Vegas or California, I feel like I’m in Winston-Salem.”

“And the drinks we’ve had are great,” chimes friend April Williams. “This is the best Cosmo I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of Cosmos,” she concludes, laughing.

Tate’s Cosmopolitan—dubbed the “SJP” for Sarah Jessica Parker—isn’t regarded as a “classic” cocktail, but demonstrates the bar’s ability to reinterpret modern drinks. The “Tate’s Signatures” section includes variations of the Margarita (Margaruru), the Mojito (Belle Fidel), and the Rusty Nail (Rusty Knot). In addition, Tate’s offers 23 affordable, if not elusive, red and white wines. They also have 12 beers on draft, serving them in 20-ounce English pint glasses.

A collection of small-plate dishes is also offered, courtesy of Holly Tate Fine Catering service (Holly is John’s wife). Like the drinks, the food takes typical bar fare and elevates it up a notch: Meatballs are spiced with jalapenos; olives are infused with herbs, garlic, and citrus; peanuts are seasoned with chili spices and lime. Our personal favorites were the Bloody Mary Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail ($7.50), and the Poblana Sloppy Joe Sliders ($4). The food can be ordered anytime the bar is open.

“We heat the food in a high-tech convection oven, garnish it, then get it out to the customers,” Tate says. “It only takes a few seconds. Sometimes the customers get their food before their drinks.”

Add it all up, and it’s no wonder that Tate’s Craft Cocktails is attracting a wide range of patrons. Depending on the time, you’re just as likely to see buttoned-up business execs as you are polo-sporting college kids.

“We’ve seen people from 21 to 81 in here,” Ceneviva says. “It’s more of an attitude thing than an age thing. Our customers want a nice place where they can relax with friends and get a quality beverage. That’s what we try to provide.”

Tate’s is at 279 W. Fourth St. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m.–2 a.m. For a look at the menu, go to tatesbar.com

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Picking Favorites

John’s pick: Papa Doble ($8). More tart than sweet, this drink was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1921 when Ernest Hemingway, who relocated to Cuba to evade the Prohibition, asked his bartender to pour a little grapefruit juice in his daiquiri.

Matthew’s pick: Whiskey Sour ($7). Concocted in Chile in the mid-1800s, the Whiskey Sour has only three ingredients: bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, and sugar. But when it’s done right, it’s regarded as one of the most sublime drinks ever made.

Michael’s pick: Dark & Stormy ($8). Tate’s uses an in-house Ginger beer recipe, mixing it with lime and Goslings Rum to make this beauty of a beverage. As a bonus, the drink comes in a nostalgic copper mug, which helps keep it nice and cold.

***BONUS WEB MATERIAL***

Bar manager Matthew Ceneviva shares a few craft cocktail recipes with us.

Whiskey Sour
1 1/2 oz whiskey
3/4 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain onto fresh ice in a rocks glass. For whiskey lovers, only bourbon will do. For the uninitiated, try Canadian blended whiskey for a smoother cocktail.
Garnish: Orange and cherry are most common but might as well be served seperately, since they don’t really add anything to the drink.

Peach Julep
2 oz Bourbon Whiskey
1 oz simple syrup
1/4 quarter-ripe peach
8 mint leaves

In the bottom of a glass, muddle the mint, peach, and simple syrup. Add the whiskey and stir. Then add ice (preferably crushed) piled high to the top of the glass. Add a mint spring for garnish.

Watermelon Mojito
1 oz simple syrup
8 mint leaves
1/4 of a fresh lime
1/4 watermelon mojito
1 1/2 rum
1 oz soda

Muddle simple syrup, mint, and lime in the bottom of the glass. Add rum and watermelon ice to the glass, shake hard and strain over fresh ice and soda water and garnish with a mint spring.