Boatman Spirits Co is Raleigh’s hot new cocktail bar. Inside their martini secrets
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boatman Spirits Co opens in Raleigh’s Seaboard Station as a distillery and bar.
- Beverage director Zack Thomas innovates cocktails using texture and technique.
- Menu features house-distilled gin, seltzer enhancements and amphora-aged drinks.
The most ambitious cocktail project to land in Raleigh in years can’t resist adding to the drink of the moment.
At Boatman Spirits Company, which opens in Seaboard Station on Friday, the espresso martini is likely fluffier and lighter than the ones you’ve had before. It has to be.
“If it’s not fluffy, it’s not an espresso martini, man,” said Boatman beverage director and partner Zack Thomas. “Like, if you go to some bars and they don’t have an espresso machine, it’s just a white Russian that’s shaken up and poured in the glass. They’re they’re phoning it in, you know, but the texture element needs to be thought of.”
At Boatman, where there is an espresso machine and the texture is thought of, Thomas has another trick that’s part molecular mixology and part bodega-born genius.
“It is instant coffee with sugar and water, and what’s present inside instant coffee are these little crystals of xantham gum,” Thomas said. “It’s an anti-caking mechanism and once you heat that up and you add water to it, it becomes crazy fluffy.”
A look inside Boatman Spirits Co.
Boatman debuts this week as Raleigh’s newest craft distillery, artisan cocktail bar and Mediterranean restaurant. The 4,000-square-foot space is one of the largest additions to the remade Seaboard Station, its dining room and bar wrapped in pink and red tiles.
Joining Thomas are general manager Aaron Lambert, formerly of Whiskey Kitchen; distiller Geremy Prichard, a former Napa Valley winemaker; and restaurateur and veterinarian George Ghneim.
Through the arched windows in the dining room, Prichard’s 240-gallon copper still gleams, set to produce Boatman’s first run of spirits, starting with gin and vodka. Eventually Boatman will be able to dial in flavors and essence to make distinct gins, including a promised tomato leaf variety, for the ultimate summer cocktail.
The project takes its name from the ancient myths, of the ferry-drivers guiding souls between worlds.
In practical terms, the owners say they hope Boatman offers a moment of escape in a exquisitely made cocktail.
“We found our name through our overlapping dreams to execute service that offers escape from both the outside world and run-of-the-mill offerings,” said Lambert in a news release. “We want the space, menus and execution to be a departure from the expected. We want the atmosphere to capture your attention and your senses and whisk you away to some new far-off place.”
The Boatman Spirits menu
On Thomas’ opening menu, you’ll find a collection of very small, very crucial details, interwoven to create a transportive cocktail experience.
Thomas blends textures, plays with tradition and even invents new levels of seltzer water — dialing up his “Cobra Water” to twice the PSI we’re usually used to.
▪ There is a batched amphora-aged Negroni, where the classic cocktail gets an earthy clay note, balancing the bitter and the sweet.
▪ The “Obsequy” aims to be the coldest and pinkest martini you’ve ever had, colored to a light rose with sherry and peach and served with a sidecar in a dish filled with ice.
▪ The “Phantom” is a bright, sumac-flavored vodka drink, made a deep purple by grape juice and sweetened with preserved lemon.
▪ The West Side Garden has a tinge of smoky scotch, but will be remembered for the mosaic of cucumbers painstakingly stuck to the inside of the glass.
▪ And, in keeping with the theme of boats, Thomas said he’s excited about the Punch Romaine, a frothy shaken cocktail know as the last drink served on the Titanic.
“In my older age, you know, some guys obsess over wars, some guys obsess, you know, over different cultures,” Thomas said. “I’m obsessed with the Titanic.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Boatman Spirits Co is Raleigh’s hot new cocktail bar. Inside their martini secrets."
