Belle Isle Moonshine

Replace your vodka with something better.

'Shine Spotlight

'Shine Spotlight: Heather Frechette // Encore Gastrolounge & On the Roxx

'Shine SpotlightStephanie Stanton1 Comment

Heather Frechette (l) and Elizabeth Hunt (r), co-owners of On the Roxx and Encore Gastrolounge in Greenville, South Carolina.

All photos by Kevin Ruck.

Every great bar begins with a great concept, and that’s exactly what Heather Frechette and Elizabeth Hunt started out with nearly a decade ago. By steadily saving up bartending tips and working various day jobs, the duo opened On the Roxx in Greenville’s historic West End in 2009. With their first success under their belts, the duo opened Encore Gastrolounge earlier this year. We recently chatted with Heather about what it takes to be a successful bar and restaurant owner, her Golden Rule of hospitality, and her favorite Belle Isle cocktail.

First​ ​thing’s​ ​first,​ ​who​ ​are​ ​you?

Heather Frechette, co-owner of On the Roxx, Encore Gastrolounge, and the Encore Event Venue.

How​ ​long​ ​have​ ​you​ ​owned a restaurant? What did you do before you owned a restaurant?

We have owned On the Roxx for nine years! I did everything from teaching school to technology sales but always bartended as a second job and saved up tip money to open our own place.

Encore Gastrolounge.

What​ ​first​ ​got​ ​you​ ​behind​ ​the​ ​bar?

When I moved to South Carolina from upstate New York, I didn’t know a lot of people. I started out as a cocktail waitress to fill some time and meet new people. I would stay late and come in on nights off to learn to bartend.

​Any​ ​pro-tips​ ​for​ ​someone​ ​starting​ ​up a restaurant?

Do your homework! It takes a lot of hours and dedication, not to mention the amount of paperwork, licenses, and permits needed just to get open. There is so much more to running a successful restaurant than just managing during operating hours.

​Favorite​ ​drink​ ​made​ ​by​ ​someone​ ​else?

I love a good spicy margarita.

Favorite​ ​drink​ ​that​ ​you​ ​make?

The Tucker G&T which is on the menu at Encore. I actually came up with the recipe in a dream. It consists of gin, Jack Rudy Small Batch Tonic, club soda, and a scoop of house made lime sorbet.

Favorite​ ​thing​ ​to​ ​drink​ ​when​ ​no​ ​one’s​ ​looking?

A great sour beer.

​ ​If​ ​you​ ​had​ ​to​ ​pick​ ​one​ ​cocktail​ ​ingredient​ ​to​ ​use​ ​for​ ​the​ ​rest​ ​of​ ​your​ ​life,​ ​what​ ​would​ ​you​ ​choose?

Jalapeños!

​What’s​ ​your​ ​favorite​ ​part​ ​about​ ​owning restaurants and bars?

The many amazing people that I get to meet. I love hearing about their vacations, families, and everything else. Several people who have met at Roxx are now married and having children. It’s really fun to celebrate these special milestones with our customers, who are now friends!

Where​ ​do​ ​you​ ​like​ ​to​ ​stop​ ​in​ ​for​ ​a​ ​drink?

I enjoy going anywhere with outdoor seating when weather permits. A great view is always fun, too. When traveling, the first thing I look for is the best rooftop bar.

Mellow Habanero at Encore.

What’s​ ​your​ ​take​ ​on​ ​today’s​ ​cocktail​ ​culture?

I love the popularity of craft cocktails and creativity in mixology, but I also appreciate a good hole in the wall.

Give​ ​us​ ​your​ ​golden​ ​rule​ ​when​ ​it​ ​comes​ ​to​ the restaurant business?

Golden Rule for anyone in the hospitality industry: Give the best experience to every customer. A bad review or shared bad experience can go viral and destroy a restaurant’s reputation.

What’s​ ​your​ ​favorite​ ​way​ ​to​ ​drink​ ​Belle​ ​Isle?

I love the Belle Isle Honey Habanero in the Mellow Habanero.

Belle Isle Moonshine is a premium, handcrafted spirit proudly hailing from Richmond, Virginia.

We take the name Belle Isle from a small, 540-acre island located smack dab in the middle of the James River where Civil War soldiers used surplus corn rations to make moonshine in copper kettles.

Belle Isle Moonshine is distilled from 100% organic corn, grown by three family farms and responsibly sourced. Once triple-distilled, we charcoal filter Belle Isle four times over. Then, we cut it with purified water right from the James River. Our infusions are made with 100% real ingredients, never artificial flavors or color. We use real grapefruits sourced from Texas and California, local honey from the Shenandoah Valley, organic habaneros grown an hour away, and freshly roasted coffee beans from the most socially conscious roastery in Richmond, Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Co.

From there, each bottle of Belle Isle Moonshine is filled, corked, labeled, and packed by hand by our Production team, who check each bottle and batch for quality assurance. Since Belle Isle is made in small batches, you can find the batch number handwritten in the bottom right corner of each bottle.

Distilled from good times and 100% organic corn.

Wanna know more about us?

Party Prepped: 'Shiny Thanksgiving Feast

'Shine SpotlightStephanie StantonComment

Make your bird a little boozier this Thanksgiving.

All photos by Joey Wharton.

Here at Belle Isle Moonshine, we know how to mix a mean cocktail that’s perfect for any occasion. A little outside of our comfort zone, though? Preparing a full Thanksgiving dinner. That’s why we enlisted the help of our friend Scott Lewis, head chef at Laura Lee’s in Richmond, to help us out with a few recipes sure to satisfy your whole crazy family this Thanksgiving. Just like last year’s Cranberry Saucey Sauce courtesy of Chef Mike Ledesma, Scott’s menu packs a boozy punch. Because who hasn’t been eating Thanksgiving dinner and thought, “This gravy is good, but it would be better with some moonshine?” Grab yourself a bottle Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee and let’s get cooking!

Cornish game hen

*Serving Size: Recipe for one hen. Serve one for each guest.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cornish game hen

  • 1 tbsp. salt

  • 1 tbsp. black pepper

  • 1 tbsp. rosemary

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 400° F.

  • Mix salt, pepper, and rosemary in a small bowl and season hen with mixture.

  • Put hen in a screaming hot pan skin-side down, then (carefully!) pour in Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee to deglaze.

  • Place entire pan in oven for 6-8 minutes.

  • Let rest for 10 minutes before eating. Top with freshly chopped parsley.

Buttermilk Biscuit Stuffing

Ingredients:

  • 12 (already baked) biscuits

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 2 cups chopped onions

  • 1 cup chopped carrots

  • 1 cup chopped celery

  • 3 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

  • 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

  • 2 cups butter

  • 4 tbsp. salt

  • 2 tbsp. pepper

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 300° F. Chop biscuits into ¼ in. cubes, then place on a large sheet tray. Pour 1 cup of melted butter over biscuits.

  • Mix 1 tbsp. of pepper and 1 tbsp. salt in a small bowl, then spread evenly on sheet tray. Dehydrate in the oven until the biscuits are hard like croutons.

  • Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in 1 cup of butter until onions are translucent, then add mixture to biscuits.

  • Add chopped herbs, then put the whole mixture in a baking tray. Pour chicken stock on top.

  • Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes.

Red Eye Gravy

Ingredients:

  • ½ stick of butter or 2 oz. bacon fat

  • ½ cup flour

  • ½ cup Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee

  • 1 cup regular brewed coffee

  • splash of heavy cream

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • ½ cup cooked sausage (optional)

Preparation:

Heat fat or butter in a saucepan over medium heat until starting to brown a little. Add flour until brown, then add Belle Isle and regular coffee. Stir until thick, about 8 minutes. Add a splash of cream, salt and pepper to taste, and sausage if you’d like. If the mixture is too thin, cook down a little longer or add a little extra flour.

Street Corn Pudding

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 325° F. Heat cream and corn over medium heat in a sauce pot until corn is thawed.

  • Blend corn and cream until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and sugar as you blend.

  • As slowly as possible, whisk hot corn mixture into egg yolks.

  • Pour mixture into a 6” x 6” baking tray, then put tray into a water bath, then bake in the oven for 45 min. to 1 hour until firm.

  • Top with crumbled Cotija cheese and jalapeños.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. frozen corn

  • 4 cups heavy cream

  • 2 tbsp. salt

  • 1 tbsp. pepper

  • 10 egg yolks

  • 1 tbsp. sugar

Happy Thanksgiving from Scott, his adorable daughter Yoomi, and everyone on the Belle Isle team!

Need some cocktails to pair with this meal?

Belle Isle Moonshine is a premium, handcrafted spirit proudly hailing from Richmond, Virginia.

We take the name Belle Isle from a small, 540-acre island located smack dab in the middle of the James River where Civil War soldiers used surplus corn rations to make moonshine in copper kettles.

Belle Isle Moonshine is distilled from 100% organic corn, grown by three family farms and responsibly sourced. Once triple-distilled, we charcoal filter Belle Isle four times over. Then, we cut it with purified water right from the James River. Our infusions are made with 100% real ingredients, never artificial flavors or color. We use real grapefruits sourced from Texas and California, local honey from the Shenandoah Valley, organic habaneros grown an hour away, and freshly roasted coffee beans from the most socially conscious roastery in Richmond, Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Co.

From there, each bottle of Belle Isle Moonshine is filled, corked, labeled, and packed by hand by our Production team, who check each bottle and batch for quality assurance. Since Belle Isle is made in small batches, you can find the batch number handwritten in the bottom right corner of each bottle.

Distilled from good times and 100% organic corn.

Want to learn more about us?

'Shine Spotlight : Deanie’s Sea Food Kitchen // New Orleans

'Shine SpotlightStephanie StantonComment

All photos by Maggie DeWitt.

We here at Belle Isle Moonshine have a lot of amazing friends and restaurant partners all over the country, and we want everyone to love them as much as we do. In our new journal series, ‘Shine Spotlight, we’re showcasing the people (and cocktails!) that make these places so great! First up: Deanie’s Sea Food Kitchen in New Orleans!

With more than 50 years as a New Orleans institution, Deanie’s is no spring chicken. For the past five decades, Deanie’s has been serving up some of the best seafood in a town known for world-class seafood. Owner and General Manager Chandra Chifici-Scarber, whose family has owned Deanie’s for 36 years, says the restaurants aim to be a welcoming place where everyone feels like family.

“We make it a point to always have at least one of us from the family at each location on a daily basis,” Chifici-Scarber explains. “We believe that when people come in to see us, they are dining at our family table.”

Deanie’s opened its newest location on bustling Magazine Street back in June, bringing the Garden District some serious Cajun cuisine – and equally impressive Belle Isle cocktails! If you’re in The Big Easy, head to the new Deanie’s and let bartender Eric whip you up something from their Belle Isle featured cocktail menu!

Check out the recipe for the Deanie’s Ruby Spritzer below!


RUBY SPRITZER

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz. Belle Isle Ruby Red Grapefruit

  • 3 ½ oz. dry rosé

  • ½ oz. elderflower liqueur

Preparation:

Add all ingredients to a mixing tin over ice. Shake and strain into a martini or wine glass.


Want more cocktails?

Belle Isle Moonshine is a premium, handcrafted spirit proudly hailing from Richmond, Virginia.

We take the name Belle Isle from a small, 540-acre island located smack dab in the middle of the James River where Civil War soldiers used surplus corn rations to make moonshine in copper kettles.

Belle Isle Moonshine is distilled from 100% organic corn, grown by three family farms and responsibly sourced. Once triple-distilled, we charcoal filter Belle Isle four times over. Then, we cut it with purified water right from the James River. Our infusions are made with 100% real ingredients, never artificial flavors or color. We use real grapefruits sourced from Texas and California, local honey from the Shenandoah Valley, organic habaneros grown an hour away, and freshly roasted coffee beans from the most socially conscious roastery in Richmond, Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Co.

From there, each bottle of Belle Isle Moonshine is filled, corked, labeled, and packed by hand by our Production team, who check each bottle and batch for quality assurance. Since Belle Isle is made in small batches, you can find the batch number handwritten in the bottom right corner of each bottle.

Distilled from good times and 100% organic corn.

Want to learn more about us?