BY: CARLY COOPER

JULY 15, 2024

Atlantan Justin Staples worked for Bacardi and consulted for other spirit companies and vineyards. He admired the way Napa Valley vineyards invite visitors into their space and walk them through the wine-making process from grape to drink. In contrast, he noticed that distilleries used most of their space for production, saving only about 15 percent for tasting and sales. He’s set to offer a different take on a distillery with the opening of Block & Drum in Chamblee in the fall. The consumer-focused space will feature a hydroponic farm for growing produce to use in the alcohol, a music-themed tasting room, courtyard with a stage for live music, and three container kitchens providing a changing lineup of food offerings. A coffee bar opened in December 2023.

“We want this to be a place really focused on the community with a high-quality audio/music culture. We hope the tasting room will be something people haven’t seen a lot of here,” says Staples, the founder. He named the venue “Block & Drum” as a double entendre referring to the drummers’ blocks and distillers’ pot stills and fermenters, which are shaped like blocks and drums.

Read on for a tour of the space.

Cafe Studio

Those interested in getting a first look at Block & Drum can stop by the Cafe Studio on weekends between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. for caffeinated drinks made from Chrome Yellow and Portrait Coffee. Inside, the intimate 400-square-foot space is decorated with slotted audio panels and vintage speakers. Outside, guests can relax on the expansive patio overlooking the Chamblee Rail Trail and order lattes, cappuccinos, and Best Bread and the Buttery breakfast pastries from a roll-up window. Staples says he expects the menu and hours to expand when the rest of Block & Drum officially opens.

Hydroponic Farm
Located in a 40-foot shipping container, the hydroponic farm embraces urban farming and sustainable agriculture techniques such as rainwater harvesting to grow up to three acres of produce. Block & Drum visitors will be able to visit the farm, smell the fresh botanicals (mint, basil, dandelion, honeysuckle), and even pick some to create a custom bottle of liquor (think honeysuckle vodka).

“We wanted to connect people to the raw natural product,” Staples explains.

Distillery
Staples is hiring a master distiller to lead the spirit-making utilizing a vacuum system that enables distilling at a lower boiling point, thus amplifying the natural botanical flavors. Visitors will be able to watch mint, for example, be macerated and its essence extracted into the vacuum, then distilled into liquor.

Though Block & Drum will serve as an incubator lab for different flavors, Staples says they will start with five or six spirits, including whiskey, rum, and vodka, all botanically flavored.  Custom bottles, like basil-mint vodka, will range from $65 to $75.

Vinyl Room
From flights to cocktails, the Vinyl Room is the place to sip and sample Block & Drum offerings. “Upbeat but chill, this is where the magic will happen seeing the spirits in action,” Staples says. He’s currently hiring a mixologist to create six to 10 seasonal cocktails.

The 21-and-up venue is also musically themed with a state-of-the-art sound system and large library of vinyl records displayed behind a big bar. Lounge-y with leather couches, it will seat 100 guests.

“Bacardi was always sponsoring musicians like the Black Eyed Peas,” Staples says of his previous job. “Music and booze go so well together.”

Wednesday and Thursday nights will be “open vinyl,” meaning guests are invited to bring their own records to play. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, DJs and “professional selectors” will choose the tunes.

Courtyard
In the rear of Block & Drum, an 8,000-square-foot courtyard will feature a covered stage for live music, comedians, and poets. Launching after Labor Day, it will host both complimentary and ticketed acts, inviting guests to hang out at picnic tables and on Adirondacks along the turf. Staples says the area will be family-friendly.

“There’s not a lot of live music in Chamblee,” he says. “It’ll be like an oasis for live music events.”

Container Kitchens
Everyone needs to eat, right? That’s the thought behind the container kitchens, coming January 2025. Block & Drum will invite up-and-coming culinarians to apply for short-term leases to test out their business offerings, providing guests a chance to sample innovative flavors. While this program is getting up and running, a few food trucks will be onsite to provide nourishment.