After a few hours of hard play on the golf course, there are few things better than sitting down with a drink and shooting the breeze about the day’s trials and triumphs. Normally, the place to do that is in the bar at the clubhouse of the course you’ve just played.
But it’s not the only place, especially for visiting golfers who fancy themselves not only connoisseurs of the links, but also of an area’s local beers, wines and spirits. For such folks, Myrtle Beach holds some pleasant surprises. To wit:
New South Brewing Company
In recent years, it seems that no locale is worth putting on a map unless there’s a hot new local craft brewery in town. Myrtle Beach is not exempt, and so New South Brewing Co. is the brewery of choice not just for beer-mad visitors but for locals as well. Located on Campbell Street in the heart of Myrtle Beach’s ever-improving downtown area, the brewery offers tours (reserved in advance; $7 per person), beer tastings and special events throughout the year. New South offers a full range of traditional brews, from a crisp and refreshing lager up to a dark, rich stout. Seasonal specialties rotate in and out throughout the year. You can also find New South’s offerings in many area restaurants and liquor stores.
Duplin Winery
“The Carolinas” and “wine’ might not seem compatible terms, and yet as you explore North Myrtle Beach, you will likely come upon one of two outposts of Duplin Winery (the other being in Rose Hill, North Carolina). The North Myrtle Beach location is a full-service tasting and retail facility, offering a broad variety of wines. Duplin’s biggest seller and signature varietal is their “Hatteras Red,” a sweet red muscadine wine ($7.99), a favorite of North and, now, South Carolina’s visitors and residents. Converts who must reluctantly return home eventually can join Duplin’s Wine Club and receive quarterly shipments of wines, including new releases before they are available to the general public.
The term “moonshine” often conjures mixed feelings among some drinkers, as in many cases (and per reality television) it is a nasty, home-distilled spirit. Palmetto Moonshine is much more popular and desirable, as visitors to its 3,000-square-foot Myrtle Beach retail outpost can attest. Their shines come in five varieties, with the fruit-flavored ones coming in at 44 or 45 proof, while their White Lightning clear un-aged corn whiskey is 105 proof (52.5% ABV). Palmetto Distillery also makes its own blended brown whiskey.