by TM Petaccia

Larry Suggs is a man of ideas and is always willing to act on them. After successfully opening Humbug just over a year ago, the long-time Charlotte mixologist has left the Villa Heights bar to focus on two new projects: Ramble Drinkery, a pop-up concept operating since May, and Jean’s Cold Drinks, a new brick-and-mortar bar slated to open in The Alley at Latta Arcade by the end of the year.

“I named the place after my grandmother, Jean Everett,” he says. “I have memories of walking with her through Latta Arcade when I was a kid. So this is special to me — to open in a place I have fond memories of.”

Part of the Jean’s build-out involves restoring much of the Latta Arcade look. “When we came in there, the space had linoleum flooring,” Suggs says. We ripped that up and revealed this beautiful old tile. Jean’s is going to have a more retro vibe to match the original Arcade feel.”

Jean’s Cold Drinks will serve two purposes. During the day, it will serve the workday lunch crowd with fresh-ingredient NA beverages and light cocktails. Evening service will focus more on spirit-forward cocktails. “It’s going to be one of the smallest bars in Charlotte,” Suggs says, “so we’re going to be able to do some really creative and fun stuff.”

One of the concepts Suggs will be adding is “Five Dollar Top Shelf,” a rotating series of high-quality cocktails at a low price. “This is something we tested with our popups and residencies,” he says. “It was very successful, so we’re bringing it to Jean’s.”

The Uptown space will also offer a select selection of local draft beers. “We’re gearing it toward a place we want to drink at,” Suggs says. “We want to be approachable to the daily Uptown business crowd as well as service industry people in Uptown who I think are underserved. We want to attract those people to late night.”

In the meantime, Suggs’ Ramble Drinkery has just finished its slate of summer popups and collaborations with Free Range Brewing, L’Ostrica, Customshop, Maneki, Elsewhere, Substrate Wine & Vermouth, Katsu Kart, The Vintage, and The Green Room.

“During the summer, we figured out what worked best and what we may not want to do again,” Suggs says. “What got myself and our team most excited was collaborating with local chefs. We’re going to build on those relationships and work more with those chefs and others.”

He is still finalizing the fall schedule of collaborations, which will include his “Let’s Get Ready to Ramble” bartender competition. “We bring together six local bartenders to present a cocktail,” he says, “inviting the public out to attend and vote on their favorite. It’s a combination of public ticket voting and a small panel of local judges.”

Suggs plans to hold the competitions once per quarter with the winners from each quarter going head-to-head in a “Royal Ramble” finale event.

He also plans to incorporate more spirit-free beverages in Ramble events. “There’s a big push to drink less,” Suggs says. “Each of our events is going to have a non-alcoholic component to be a little bit more inclusive.”