Post-Helene, Antidote found renewal through recovery

Ironically, in the immediate aftermath of Helene, it was coffee that saved the day for Antidote, the cocktail bar in a brick building adjacent to and owned by Chemist Spirits. In normal times, the ground-up manifestation of an elegant turn-of-the-century watering hole was sought out by tourists and locals alike for its expertise with the classics, their informed approach to crafting new cocktails and tasting flights of Chemist gins, whiskeys and liqueurs.

Chemist was founded by Debbie Word in 2015, a passion project that began at home and went big time when she began distilling gin to sell, and opened a still house, retail shop and tasting room in South Slope in 2018. Next door was a parking lot, which Word decided to make better use of. While the three-story structure – the second level is a mezzanine overlooking the main floor, and the third has one of Asheville’s required amenities, a roof-top bar and patio – was being constructed, she dove deeply into sourcing authentic period antiques, furnishings and reclaimed items. Among them is a bar from Amsterdam, stained glass from Belgium and windows from a burned down factory in Chicago.

Antidote was known for its engaging service, cozy little corners for intimate conversations and comfortable booths for big parties. Coffee was always available, but such minimal attention paid they didn’t even have an espresso machine.

Then in September 2024, Helene ravaged Asheville, cutting off cell service, internet, power and clean water. Philip Szbody, Antidote’s general manager, recalls that the South Slope and parts of downtown had power restored within a week, but clean running water was a long way off.

Luckily, Chemist’s distillers had the equipment to retrieve and truck back clean water from a fire station inSouth Carolina. They paused distilling operations in order to put the water through their reverse osmosis system and distribute to anyone who brought their own containers. They rigged up a system to flow clean water to their ice maker, though in the wake of the disaster, craft cocktails were not atop anyone’s list of essentials.

But coffee was. Fortuitously, before he came on board Antidote, Philip’s experience was in the coffee industry. He reached out to a friend who owned an espresso catering business; she brought her set-up to Antidote and before you could say ‘one cortado please,’ Antidote was giving away free drip coffee to their neighbors and creating an espresso menu to sell.

“Very quickly, we had people coming by from Open Hearts Center, other businesses and South Slope residents,” says Philip. “World Central Kitchen was cooking and distributing up the street at Bear’s BBQ, but they needed office space to work out their water and product sourcing, so we invited them to set up on the mezzanine. They were drinking coffee all day and then at the end of the day coming down to the bar for a glass of wine.”

The new venture also provided work for staff that did not qualify for unemployment when the ongoing curfew and other issues limited operating hours and kept tourists away.

As things began to return to some semblance of normal, the enthused feedback Antidote had received for its coffee program caused a shift in thinking. Additionally, lead bartender/beverage director Nikki Cuatt had been playing around with mocktails that incorporated coffee and tea. “It was very much inspired by our cocktail bar program,” Philip says. “We applied that same passion, quality, craft and skill to the mocktail program with coffee and tea as the base rather than spirits as the base. Guests really loved that unique combination.”

Debbie decided the coffee program had to become a permanent part of operations. Antidote now opens at 8am every day, with the entire beverage menu available all day. Guests can get drip or pour over coffee, espresso drinks, loose leaf tea and tea latte as soon as the doors open until they close. Night shift workers can get a caffeine hit before they go on duty, and a nightcap in the morning when they get off.

Coffee and tea-based mocktails include a Cold Brew Old Fashioned, caffeinated tonic and a Chai Grog. The mocktail menu features a No-Groni, Zero Proof G&T, a No-Quito and Spiceberry Spritz.

Though Philip says that while the industry as a whole has seen significant growth in the non-alcoholic beverage sector, and keen awareness to hospitality for all, Chemist Spirit’s primary business is spirits, and Antidote built its following on their promise as ‘a cure for the common cocktail.’

There are multiple pages to peruse, but many guests stop at Chemist Spirits Gin & Tonics. Philip explains, “For our first few years, we were known as the gin distillery and to this day, gin and tonic is always among our top sellers.”

There are four to choose from, and a quartet of highballs, a result of Chemist’s whiskey program reaching maturity. Classic Remedies – which include a Vesper Martini, Boulevardier, House Negroni and La Louisiane – each have a little twist.

The Seasonal Cures are just as the section implies – made with seasonal ingredients and changing out about four times a year. “Each one of those cocktails is ‘owned’ by one of the bartenders on the team,” Philip points out. “All the bartenders get together for tastings and share feedback on each other’s cocktails. Once everyone approves, it goes on the menu.”

The beverage menu also has tasting notes for each cocktail — earthy, bright, fruity; lively, citrus-forward, aromatic; bold, oaky, bittersweet – which just for fun, might be matched to guests’ personalities.

Absinthe service is an experience unique to Antidote that requires active participation from the imbiber.

Though Antidote prioritizes beverages, food service is available from open to close for breakfast items, small plates, boards, bar snacks, savory sharables and sweet treats.

“The back of Chemist’s bottles has the saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, a nod to the Prohibition era, the time of apothecaries and experimentation,” Philip says. “We experienced that in our own way through the months after Helene and it demonstrates that even in really challenging times, the need for creativity can result in wonderful things.

[Chemist will soon be opening a new location in Biltmore Village in a 100-year-old building that was once a post office. While still under development, it will include a parlor for the coffee program and evening service, as well as a speakeasy.]

More about Antidote.

— Written by Kay West

— AIRfare is sponsored by McGuire Wood & Bissette

Photos courtesy of Antidote.