The second you step out of Charlotte Douglas Airport, a hazy IPA appears in your hand. If you’re driving along the Mad Max-esque hell scape that is Charlotte’s highways the highway and stop in Charlotte for a pit stop, a six pack of wheat ales appears in your trunk. The point I am trying to make is that the Queen City pushes craft beer on you. Everything in this damn city is a brewery now. If you are like me, you just need a break from the craft beer every once in a while (and maybe, like me, have undiagnosed IBS due to too many IPAs).

I’ve joked with buddies that we should open up a lite beer bar in Charlotte; the one place you can enjoy a Miller High Life outside of a family owned bowling alley. It would probably kill. The people of Charlotte need more options than IPAs. Fortunately for ya’ll, three incredibly talented and creative bartenders beat me to creating the alternative. Larry, Tyler, and David of Humbug have joined together to create Ramble; a traveling cocktail bar. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to sit down with these scientists/geniuses/cocktail wizards/great guys to learn more about what they are doing and try a few different drinks. Let’s dive in.

So, what is Ramble?

Other than a verb to describe the musings of some deranged, nearing middle aged man posting his Creed Thoughts about the Charlotte food and drink scene, Ramble is a traveling craft cocktail bar that establishes residency with local bars and restaurants for a few weeks at a time. The genius behind what these guys are doing lies in the menu. Not only have I never seen a drink menu this innovative, but this menu is so perfectly and intentionally curated to fit the vibe of the venue, the neighborhood, and the season. I mean look at this thing:

First, a little credit for the sick logo. This armadillo looks wise beyond its years. I imagine stumbling through the desert, slowly losing hope that I will ever find civilization or even water again, and right when the sun is about to tuck behind the horizon this discrete little fella appears and says, ” Hey weary friend, you look like you could use a milk punch.” And I say, “You know what mysterious creature, I don’t know what the hell a milk punch is, but yes, you read my mind.”

Roam on the Range

“Milk punch” is not what you are expecting it to be. Tyler, the mastermind behind this extraordinary menu was kind enough to share with me, not only the history and science behind this drink, but a quick taste of it as well.

You’d think by the name it would be something The Big Lebowski is throwing back, and while it has milk in it, the end product is far from a glass of heavy cream.

It’s a lemon drop… It’s a tequila shot… NO, it’s a glass of curdled milk and lemon juice! “How the fuck?” is right. Believe it or not, this is an ancient delicacy. Tyler shared with us that somehow they figured this process out in the 1600s. Ben Franklin even published his own milk punch recipe between inventing the lightning rod and founding America.

Essentially, when milk and acid mix, the milk starts to curdle and acts as a natural filtration system to rid of all the impurities in the citrus juice and liquor. Then a strainer and cheesecloth are used to clarify the mixture, resulting in the clear liquid you see above. Wild, right? Well, Tyler was a legit scientist before applying that knowledge and approach to making craft cocktails, which makes sense after tasting this thing. Despite the name, or how it looks, it tastes almost like a sweet licorice. Even as someone who doesn’t love licorice, it is fantastic.

Tai’d to the Trail

I’ve always had a theory that if you see something peculiar on a menu, you have to try it. For example, if a restaurant has meatloaf on the menu and you don’t get the meatloaf, you done messed up. No one puts meatloaf on their menu unless they know that meatloaf absolutely bangs.

Well that theory was confirmed by the Tai’d to the Trail. As I mentioned before, Tyler, Larry, and David are scientists/geniuses/cocktail wizards/great guys. This drink is only more proof of that. I would have to imagine this is the first ever trail mix infused rum in existence. In 8,000 BC the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia invented beer. In 2024 AD Tyler of Ramble invented trail mix infused rum.

His idea behind it was that everyone loves a rum soak. Traditionally, you’ll see pineapple soaked in rum. If you are Frank from It’s Always Sunny, it might be ham soaked in rum. But, if you are lucky enough to track down Ramble, it will be trail mix soaked in rum. As an expert in his craft, Tyler identified that nutty, fruity, and chocolatey flavors go well with rum; or more simply put, the flavors that make up trail mix go well with rum, so why not combine the two. Tyler used a slightly different scientific method – he soaked a ziplock bag full of trail mix and rum which led to the most creative drink I’ve ever tried. To accentuate the taste he sous vides the trail mix and rum together and boy does it work. It truly tastes like you are sipping trail mix.

The Coffee that won the West

Just by the name of this drink I knew it was made for me. A twist on an espresso martini. Like a psychopath I chose this drink to be my nightcap.

Well, good news for you, fully functioning adult, the Ramblin’ men figured it out. The Coffee that won the West still has that delicious coffee taste, brought to you in a delightful foam layer. But beneath that cloud of cold brew is a spirit forward belly, made of rum and a delightful toasted black sesame that gives it such a unique taste.

How do you try Ramble?

As the name suggests, Ramble is always on the move. They aren’t only going to be accessible at Free Range Brewing, where I linked up with them. In fact, next week they will be at an entirely new location. First and foremost, you have to follow them on Instagram @rambledrinkery. Once, you complete that step, you will be updated with every residency they set up.

The goal of Ramble is to not only defy the mysticism that typically comes with craft cocktail bars, but to make delicious cocktails available to everyone. The beauty of their innovative business model is that the menu is always going to be changing to perfectly compliment whoever they are partnering with. Whether that is with brewers like Free Range, or world class restaurants like Customshop. The fun part about Ramble is that you never know where it will be next, unless you follow them on Instagram. So toss them a follow and tag along while these guys blow up by continually reinventing the cocktail scene.