By Ann Marie Byrd, Feature Writer
The James Drinkery, located at 317 B Pollock Street, is a warm and inviting speakeasy bar offering unique, hand-crafted cocktails made fresh with natural, locally sourced ingredients—clean and pure, with no pre-made mixes and the highest quality liquor. Dedicated to handmade creations, many special items are made in-house, such as bitters, dehydrated fruits and the famous candied bacon! Also, if you’re taking a break from booze or have some pesky food allergies, the bartenders at The James can create mocktails or cocktails that are vegan or gluten free.
Under the ownership of partners Tia and Brandon Shaver (who also own Freshwater Beer Co) and Elaine and Alex Pizani, the renovated James Drinkery had their soft opening on September 30, 2023. The renovation of the space was extensive and thoroughly re-imagined, and the result blends industrial sophistication with an earthy comfort that’s perfectly irresistible.
The roots of the James Drinkery begins with the longtime friendship between the two couples, which turned into a passion project.
“I wanted to open the James Drinkery for Elaine because she gave us so much support when Tia and I started Freshwater,” says Brandon Shaver. “Elaine and Alex are our best friends and they wanted to be a part of something with us, so we became business partners because we wanted to do this together.”
“The four of us do everything together,” says Tia Shaver. “It made sense to make a baby speakeasy in New Bern with killer mixologists and expertly crafted cocktails. We were tired of driving out of town to find the kind of establishments and environment we wanted, so we decided to make one for ourselves! And now here we are with The James.”
For Alex, the decision to be part of this journey was deeply personal. “I did it for Elaine,” he shares. “We all had ideas, but she was the heart of it. We built the space together. Now, seeing it come to life and knowing we did it together—it makes me happy.”
Of course, the renovation process was a difficult and involved task, spearheaded by Brandon, who is a contractor by trade. As the two couples joined forces, they discovered that by combining their creative powers, the collaboration yielded terrific results.
“The process of creating and designing the space involved all of us sharing ideas,” says Alex Pizani. “For example, originally the bar was designed as an L shape, but in the end, we decided it would be better for both the bartenders and the patrons to have a giant U shape. It was more inviting and created more space. It is now one our favorite features of the bar.”
Before opening The James, Tia and Elaine had already worked closely together at Freshwater Beer Company.
“I have always loved working with Tia,” says Elaine Pizani. “It’s so awesome and fun to be together and when people come to Freshwater to visit and we are both there, everybody loves it! It was so successful that we knew that we should do more. The James is special because I really wanted to have something that would be mine. I love the feeling of this place, and with our employees and friends I always feel happy here.”
The inviting mood of the speakeasy is immediately apparent from the attitude of the staff, who are eager to please and fun to watch.
“Our perspective is that we don’t have people work for us, they work with us. Our manager, Brittney Stokes, is making magic here alongside the rest of our staff,” says Tia.
“The James is a Speakeasy Drinkery with an upscale feel, in a casual environment with expert mixologists ready for you anytime,” says Brittney. “I love the design of the bar. It’s like a stage for the bartender with plenty of room to work on creating new things while incorporating local spirits and locally sourced ingredients from small family-owned businesses. For example, we buy ingredients from Living Well, Mad Hatter teas, and Mon Asian Market to create craft cocktails that include unique elements like dried flowers and exotic teas.”
Brittney also notes that the James will be hosting Mixology classes during the last week of the month on Tuesdays and adding Crafting Sundays, where vendors will reach out to plan and coordinate different crafting options for the community to gather and learn a new craft.
Tia Shaver sums it up perfectly when she says, “I think we have created a high-end Drinkery, speakeasy style, with expertly crafted cocktails, in a warm, welcoming environment. When you are here you are family! It feels great to offer it up and have something like this in our beautiful town.”