A rainy day before a Jags game led us to Manifest Distilling, and we're so glad we stopped in for a…read morecocktail. The atmosphere was great, the establishment was clean, and the staff was friendly and welcoming. We had the chance to try **Being Green**, one of their seasonal cocktails. It was a little sweeter than my personal preference, but still well-balanced and refreshing. We also tried their **Gold Rush**, a classic cocktail that was executed well. But what really made the experience stand out was the bartender's creativity. I usually order a **Paper Plane**--it's my go-to cocktail. They didn't carry some of the traditional ingredients, but instead of simply saying no, they created their own version using what they had. And let me tell you... **it was better than the original. Yes, I said it!** That alone made the experience memorable. A great spot for a well-crafted cocktail, especially if you appreciate creative bartenders who know how to work with their own spirits and put their own spin on a classic.

Neil is a library of knowledge and information about his products…read more We had the opportunity to sit and taste and talk with him about all of his products and it was a pleasure and privilege to meet him and learn about his craft. We had an amazing time!! Texas will remember this awaome time!

Was able to meet one of the partners there while in town. Had a tasting and acquired a couple of…read morebottles. Very small craft distillery.

Great staff and excellent wine tastings. Will be back soon for another Friday night tasting!read more

Love their $10 wine tastings but they really need to develop a better system! You pay for your…read moreglass and basically get on the merry go wheel: as soon as you step out of line you have to step right back in line to get the next glass because the line is so long. Everyone was kind and the drinks were great but maybe another table to split the lines? Some people also hid in the corner in order to avoid the line all together. A little bit chaotic so we only stayed for half the tastings but a fun experience nonetheless

If your a Whiskey/Bourbon liker than you need to stop by here..this was a great event put on by…read moreFour Fathers and a JAX Facebook group that likes to discuss Whiskey. They showed us such a great time by samples of their products like Bourbon, Rum and Vodka from their product line, fresh pulls and than to top it they made us a batch of Old Fashions we could add our fav garnish too. I helped that batch dwindle fast. :) ..To add to the event there were great horderves to soak up the sampling of high proofs we had.. after some great meet and greet discussion we received a detailed..passion filled tour of the office..the lab and of course the distillery.. They not only produce their own products lines but assist other brands in filling and packaging. I have visited alot of distillerys but I learned alot here from Tim Daniels the owner and previous Bacardi Brand distiller who is a scientist and knows alot of History of spirits and production of them. Alot of secrets shared but you will need to visit to find out what they are. :) They are located in JAX north and I have not heard of them until now and am so glad to Todd @ Riverside Liquors who planned a fun event and memorable evening for us.

I love this place! If you haven't tried the Oxbox-- stop what you're doing and go try it…read more This was hands down the best tour I've ever done. The Tim and Sandy are so passionate about what they do and it permeates throughout the building. We never wanted to leave!!

Total Wine has some fantastic Wine & Spirits classes that are a great way to dive into the world of…read morewines and spirits. I use the app, and every three months, I get a $20 off coupon for two tickets. We've even found classes where we only spend $20 for two people with the coupon. Plus, they provided a wonderful selection of charcuteries, so you won't go hungry or leave drunk. We've attended so many wonderful classes, from wine and food pairings to Tequila and Bourbon tastings. They have two locations, and we've enjoyed all the classes at both stores. This particular class was Wine & Cheese a Guide to Perfect Pairing. and it was packed! It makes for a great date night for my husband and me.

What an education on Silver Oak and the region in California for the wines! I learned a lot,…read moreespecially in regard to their sustainability practices which include solar panels and water conservation. The reds were smooth, flavorful and rich while the only white, a Sauvignon Blanc, was very acidic to me. I enjoyed the recap in the form of Kahoot it! Overall, it was pleasant.

Ruby Beach Brewing Company is located in downtown Jacksonville across from Yates Municipal…read morebuilding. It is reasonable paid parking, about $2 and hour. Inside is a little tight, but it is an old building with naked bricks, historic decor, a good sized bar and tables inside. Outside is a deck with covered tables, another area for corn hole and a food truck which has all the major bar food groups including churros. Sean was my beertender and he really was the best. They have a policy of holding your card for tabs which I really hate, but he made me feel comfortable about leaving my life in his hands. When I first walked in on a weekday during happy hour, it was pretty light, but around 4:30p the place started filling up. Happy hour is Monday - Friday until 6pm and they have 18 taps which qualify for happy hour. Plus they had 3 guest taps, both ciders. Ruby Beach has a mug club, it is about $80 for the year. You get a free beer on Tuesday as well as your own numbered mug. It is limited. So exclusive in fact that they do a raffle every August. The BEER: Crown Jewel Belgian Tripel 11.4% ABV... easy drinking, not boozy and quite delicious, this one will sneak up on you Return of the Mac Daddy Pale Ale 5.5% ABV... the description is "rye pale ale hopped with Amarillo. On the first sip I thought one note, but boy was I wrong. As it warms it has layers. And in my opinion the layers are all good, like a good lasagna. Over the Ditch 15.0 NEIPA 6% ABV... if I was in front of a firing and they gave me a last request, I might choose this beer. Sweet grapefruit and stars... love this! Grit & Glow Lager 5.2% ABV... if you have ever smelled fabuloso that is what I first smelled when I put the beer to my lips, the beer itself is just as perfumey, not for me... but if you like those type of flavors in beer, you might like this one Rosemary In the Rye Pale Ale 5.5% ABV... all day crushable pale ale, with a slight hint of rosemary, basically the Mac Daddy plus rosemary O'Ruby's Irish Stout 5.5% ABV... smooth coffee with hints of toffee, so ver crushable, but it is way better warm Didn't get to try the food on this visit, but on a side note... the bathrooms are both unisex and CLEAN. Ruby Beach has great beer, great service and personality, everything I want in a brewery. Come visit and see for yourself.

Always consistent. We had our wedding reception here (upstairs). We hang out here on occaision. We…read morebring out of towners here. We bring friends here. The service is good. The beer is good. What's not to like?

This is my first wine tasting event and it exceeded my expectations and then some. It was a…read morebeautiful sultry summer day with not a rain cloud in the sky. V+C's noticeable attention to detail (marble table tops, miniature variegated Scheffleras and etc.) made it extra special and stress free for me right off the bat, and my first note to myself was, "This is going to be a wonderful experience that I got for a song." I have a deep appreciation and admiration for all things done well and purposefully and this was it. The event was like a three-hour next-level Food and Wine Festival specific to a stream of glorified apéros. It was V+C's inaugural event and here's how it went down. There were five stops at premium restaurants on the V+C: Taste of the Town Center Walking Tour. The participants consisted of two co-producers of the event, 12 tour mates (more like team mates), one photographer, one videographer, five toasts, and we shared five delicious appetizers paired with five mystery bottles of wine. The blind wine tasting concept they used was multi-dimensional and offered an unbiased sampling session. We discovered our taste preferences and the characteristics of the wine individually. Everyone was fully engaged trying to figure out the elements of what we were tasting and what we liked and didn't like about the wine's structure. V+C shared interesting fun facts about each mystery bottle of wine after it was revealed which I enjoyed very much. There were no stingy pours. As a matter of fact, V+C was very generous during the entire event with the pours, the pairings, and an adorable cookie favor for everyone and plenty of good vibes. They provided pens to jot down notes on their brand's stationery notecard which also acted as a fan. By the end of the second stop I was gliding gracefully through the walking tour without a care in the world. It was so much fun hanging out with a new circle of groovy people exploring and just being in the moment. The time for this walking tour flew by. I'm looking forward to doing this again in the very near future.

Wow! I just can't even begin to express the amount of fun I had with these ladies! They are very…read morefun upbeat and knowledgeable. I learned about multiple places that I had no idea about in Jacksonville that I can now go to with my friends and family I feel like I have a better understanding about wine now also. Easily a date night worth having with them or even with a large group of friends. I'm looking forward to all their new events and I can't wait for the next adventure in San Marco!

Checked out 2nd bay brewing for the 1st time tonight with the wife, it happened to be trivia night…read moreand we came in 2nd place! Service was good, beer selection was ok too. Atmosphere was pretty chill, not a lot of ppl when we first came in, by the end of trivia maybe 20 ppl. It was very lowkey which I appreciated. Definitely looking forward to more trivia nights as it was only an hr long. You can also bring your own foods, we got moonpie wings and zucchini fries to go.

Hubby and I are always on the lookout for a new brewery to try. We decided to do a little brewery…read morehopping on Friday night and stopped at 2nd Bay Brewing. I ordered a flight and hubby ordered a couple pints while we hung out on one of the couches. We tried the following brews: A Knights Pale, Buzzing Bee, James Blonde, Scallywag, and Harry Porter. All were good. I especially enjoyed the Scallywag. The chill vibe at 2nd Bay was great. They had plenty of comfy couches and chairs around. Perfect spot to enjoy brews and conversation. The bartenders were friendly. Bathrooms were clean. Parking was convenient.