Roll Up Herbal Bar

Roll Up Herbal Bar sits beside the Gateway to the Smokies arch on Main Street in downtown Waynesville, about thirty miles west of Asheville, and its owner Sam is unusually clear about why it exists: she started it for one reason, to provide culinary beverages for people who are not drinking alcohol but crave the complexity of a well-crafted cocktail. She is an experienced bartender, and also an artist and former theatre kid, which she says is why the drinks are built to look as good as they taste. The room is a small oasis — comfortable seating, magical décor, and a patio shaded by tall oaks. It is a sit-down tasting lounge rather than a pop-up, typically open Thursday to Saturday from noon to 8pm and Sundays to 4pm, though she still works events, so checking the day's hours is wise.

Despite the name, and this is worth saying because it cuts against the expectation, nothing sold here is psychoactive. There is no kava, no kratom, no THC, no CBD and no hemp anywhere on the menu — the herbal element is culinary, and the drinks are genuinely built rather than poured. All six mocktails are $7. Something Bitter layers orange, grapefruit and tangerine against juniper, rose, hibiscus and vanilla, finished with orange bitters — the closest thing here to an aperitivo. Something Spicy runs jalapeño and ginger with chili powder and pineapple over a jalapeño lime salt. Something Smutty combines passionfruit with black cardamom, clove and tart cherry under dark cacao bitters. Something Tiki uses lemongrass, ginger, pandan and pressed coconut; Something Breezy works spearmint and green cardamom with pink peppercorn and cucumber; and Something Signature is lavender, rosemary and lemon over butterfly pea flower. A matching set of specialty lattes runs at $7, and adaptogen add-ons — Wooden Spoon herbal blends and Rainbo functional mushroom tinctures — are $3, both non-psychoactive.