Bourbon N' Bubbles, Charleston, South Carolina

Bourbon N’ Bubbles is a bar and full-service restaurant located on King Street, in the heart of Charleston’s famous downtown historic district. Inside is a high-ceilinged contemporary space with the bar in the middle, a unique circular setup that passes through the wall separating the front cocktail area from the main restaurant, with a curved 180-degree bar on either side. It’s a showpiece, and whether you come to eat, drink, or both, the bar is the center of the action.

The whisky list has about 200 expressions, primarily American, with a handful of scotch offerings. Pours are available in 1 oz. or 2 oz., and while many bars double the price, here the larger pours are discounted. For example, the High Wire Jimmy Red Corn 7 year old bourbon, produced just down the street in Charleston from its namesake heirloom South Carolina corn, is $18 or $34. Other local oddities include the Johnny Fever straight bourbon from Burnt Church Distillery in nearby Bluffton, $16/$30, and Old Soul High Rye single barrel bourbon from Mississippi’s Cathead Distillery, $12/$22. Its “Rare & Allocated” list tops out with Woodford Baccarat at $254/$506, and includes options like Very Olde St. Nick 8 year old single cask rye ($32/$62) and Remus Repeal Reserve ($47/$92).

Flights of three 1-oz. pours are available in its American single malt (Stranahan’s, Stranahan’s Sherry cask, and Westland) option at $40 and a trio of their private casks (Garrison Brothers 142 and 135.3 proof, and Old Forester 100) at $60. You can also create your own flight. Signature cocktails include the Bourbon Spritz (Chicken Cock small batch, lime, simple syrup, and sparkling rosé) for $18, while the house Classic Old Fashioned uses its Larceny private barrel pick, also $18. “I want this to be an elevated experience, something you are not going to find anyplace else,” says bourbon steward Will Baber. There are also several Old Fashioned variants, such as the Sweet Heat, which substitutes hot honey for orange bitters.

If you like one of Bourbon N’ Bubbles barrel picks, you can buy a bottle at the venerable Burris Liquor around the corner.

While the whiskey program at Bourbon N’ Bubbles is impressive, there’s even more to like. The food is very good, and the Southern-infused menu is comprehensive, with everything from bar bites like caviar deviled eggs, flatbreads, and burrata, to raw bar and sushi, sandwiches and wagyu burgers, and full dinner entrees such as Southern fried chicken “lollipops,” local specialty shrimp and grits, and a stunning steak frites. The food makes it a great place for dates or romantic nights out, but so does the other half of the name, bubbles. The sparkling program is not as over-the-top as the whiskey, but it does offer champagne, prosecco, moscato, and cava by the glass, along with a longer list of bottles, and even offers a rare champagne flight.

Whether you want a drink, dinner, snack or a combination of these, Bourbon N’ Bubbles is a great choice anytime, but if you happen to be in Charleston on the last Thursday of any month, stop in for its guided bourbon tasting led by Baber at 7 p.m., with four or five 1-oz. pours and a wealth of knowledge, for $80.