Antidote at Chemist Spirits

Antidote opened in 2018 at 151 Coxe Avenue in the South Slope, a three-storey Prohibition-era cocktail bar built as a turn-of-the-century apothecary and attached to the Chemist Spirits distillery next door. Mountain Xpress described it at the time as aiming for a cosy, quiet and upscale vibe, with Prohibition-style décor that feels like a traditional gentleman's cigar bar — though, as the paper noted, happily free of cigars and sexism. That would be the whole story at most distillery bars. What makes this one worth a non-drinker's attention is what happened in September 2024.

When Helene hit, the storm brought severe flooding and left much of Asheville without potable water for weeks. Antidote opened its doors and handed out free water, coffee and Wi-Fi to neighbours who had none — and the bar is explicit that the experience changed what it wanted to be. Serving people who needed a drink that was not a drink, in a city where the taps had stopped, inspired a fresh direction: a daytime café operation and a genuine zero-proof programme alongside the distillery's spirits. General manager Philip Szobody put the intent plainly: part of what inspired him was creating a space where anyone in the community could stop in and find a beverage they enjoy and that suits their lifestyle. The house zero-proof drinks lean on the coffee side of that pivot — a Cold Brew Old Fashioned and a Cold Brew Mojito, both built rather than poured. The bar now opens at 8am daily, running to 11pm on weekdays and midnight at weekends, which means it genuinely functions as a café in the morning and a cocktail bar at night rather than switching identity. It becomes 21 and over after 3pm, takes no reservations for parties of six or fewer, and has a pet-friendly patio and a weather-permitting roof.