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The cocktail scene in Durham, N.C. is incredible, especially for its size, according to Sean Umstead, co-owner and beverage director of Kingfisher, a “ground to glass” craft cocktail bar in the city’s downtown.
“Kingfisher is one of two James Beard-nominated cocktail bars right across the street from each other,” said Umstead, whose establishment was a 2023 semifinalist in the James Beard Awards for Outstanding Bar, a major achievement for a city like Durham. The other James Beard-nominated bar in Durham is Alley Twenty Six.
“I do think we are pretty saturated at this point [in Durham], though,” revealed Umstead. “I’d like to see more wine bars, nerdy beer bars, and single-spirit concepts come in. As for food, I tell people all the time that they can close their eyes, throw a rock, and hit a great restaurant in Durham. Almost universally every spot takes great care in producing wonderful cuisine.”
Michelle Vanderwalker, co-owner of Kingfisher, said she’s grown accustomed to the cocktail and food scene in Durham, but every time she travels somewhere else, she’s reminded of how tightly packed downtown Durham is with notable cuisine and cocktails. “The fact that you can walk, easily, between so many great spots is really unique, especially for such a relatively small city,” she said. “Many of our bars and restaurants are on par with those in top markets, and to have such a great concentration here is remarkable.”
Vanderwalker said Durham is a special mix of people with a heavy emphasis on creativity, culture, and grit, and its people love to support small businesses like Kingfisher and its sister establishments – Queeny’s, a lively neighborhood bar and restaurant, and QueenBurger, a ballpark-adjacent smash burger joint. Both Umstead and Vanderwalker co-own the three establishments together.
“The [Durham] community is fiercely supportive, loyal, and protective of small businesses and puts a lot of value in maintaining the local focus of downtown,” shared Vanderwalker. “The south feels deeply connected to the land in a personal way and comfortable with ambiguity, which makes it feel very real and honest.”
Kingfisher: Showcasing Local Produce, Foraged Ingredients in Cocktails
Taking inspiration from what grows from the ground, Umstead and Vanderwalker have been on the bleeding-edge of farm-driven drink making at Kingfisher, which opened its doors in 2019.
“We specialize in showcasing local produce, foraged ingredients, and unique local products,” explained Umstead. “We start with an ingredient, such as corn, and work backwards to the spirit. The alcohol lifts up the local produce, and not the other way around.”
One of the most interesting or popular cocktails at Kingfisher is called the First Date. It’s a long-steeped, forage ramp leaf cocktail on their current menu. “A forager travels to the mountains to pick ramp leaves,” explained Umstead. “He does it in a very sustainable way. He only takes leaves and shoots while leaving the bulbs. This allows the ramps to flourish and not be over-harvested. The ramps are steeped in Ketel One, combined with dry vermouth and mustard oil. It is all topped with a dehydrated sour cream crisp.”
Other cocktails on their current menu (at the time of publication) include: a Salted Watermelon Margarita with local watermelons, blanco tequila, Cointreau, lime, and watermelon rind dust; the Morning Glory with N.C. purple sweet potatoes, Michter’s Rye Whiskey, and Bermutto Dry Vermouth; and Sandi's Highball with Row 7 purple Beauregarde peas, Footnote Farm chamomile, 1000 Piers Gin, Toki Whiskey, and pea jelly.
One Kingfisher cocktail they’ll always keep on the menu is The Bee Durham, which has been available since day one. “It is a combination of local honey, local gin, and local beeswax,” said Umstead. “It does a great job of being a 365-day representation of Durham flavors.”
While The Bee Durham cocktail has been available since the beginning of Kingfisher, the menu is constantly
evolving. “When produce is in high season, the menu can change every week,” said Umstead.
Vanderwalker noted that a few of the farmers they work with – Lil’ Farm and Footnote Farm in North Carolina, for example – have been friends of the two co-owners for over a decade, well before they opened any of their establishments. “It was important to us to highlight the passion and sense of place they have, as well as their care for the community,” she shared. “We aim to connect our guests, through our cocktails, to this particular place in the world and the people who care for the land, and the flavors that come out of it.”
Umstead said some of the industry’s current trends are really starting to align with Kingfisher’s long-term mission – cocktails with a sense of place. “You can’t get a Kingfisher cocktail anywhere else and why would you want to,” he said. “When I visit a new place, I want to see what makes it unique. I rarely want a Manhattan if I’m really trying to learn about the cocktail culture of a place.”
A James Beard Recognized Bar – Creating an Experience, Keeping the Menu Fresh
Both Umstead and Vanderwalker said they feel amazing that Kingfisher – a tiny spot in a less-recognized market – was recognized on the national level by the James Beard Awards. “It seemed like a long shot goal for the bar,” said Umstead. “It really speaks to the people who work and have worked at Kingfisher over the course of the last five years.”
Vanderwalker – who’s also a ceramic artist and designed and made Kingfisher’s tile bar and ceramic vessels – believes the bar is unlike anything else you’ll find in Durham. From the polished and inventive produce-inspired cocktails to the holistic design of the establishment, it’s a special place and experience.
In fact, Vanderwalker said there are many aspects of the Kingfisher experience that can surprise and delight a guest and make them feel both comfortable and really special. “I think the care and consideration of all of the details of the space and drinks, whether people know everyone or not, really make the difference,” she said.
For Umstead, Kingfisher embodies what he thinks is important for cocktail bars – it has a distinct point of view, it’s beautiful, the details are considered, and the atmosphere is transportive. “The completeness of the experience is what I think makes Kingfisher great,” he said. “You’ll have a cocktail you’ve never had before, often out of a house-made ceramic cup, in a space with the right lighting, texture, music, and hospitality.”
To keep things fresh and innovative with their menu and offerings, Vanderwalker said they balance boundary-pushing creativity with familiar, accessible options.“Keep the favorite things,” Vanderwalker said about a menu and updating it from time to time. “Build trust with your guests so they know whatever weird new thing you’re doing, it’ll be great.”
Umstead said he encourages bar operators to not worry about making mistakes when it comes to updating a bar’s menu. “At least in Durham, people love variety and experimentation,” he said. “I’d suggest bartenders around the country really push it.”
Beyond Kingfisher – Queeny’s and QueenBurger
In addition to the innovative Kingfisher bar, Umstead and Vanderwalker operate two other food and beverage businesses in downtown Durham – Queeny’s, which opened in 2021, and QueenBurger, which opened in 2022.
“Queeny’s is a multifaceted neighborhood bar, a truly inclusive gathering place for the community,” shared Vanderwalker. “We have a small bookshop with a window seat and comfy chairs where people can have more intimate conversations or read, a podcast recording room that is free for the community to use, and ample space to host all kinds of community events. Our bartenders are caring, interesting people who do a great job connecting with guests and our food.”
Vanderwalker said QueenBurger, on the other hand, was created as an outdoor pop-up during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep staff employed and to provide a fun and safe way to get out, communally, to enjoy great food. Today, they have a permanent spot near the Durham Bulls ballpark. “We serve regionally produced, pasture-centered beef smashburgers and a house-made veggie burger with fresh pickles and other house-made toppings,” she explained. “QueenBurger is a little nostalgic towards a youthful summer vacation and is a fast, lively, and fun experience.”
A Focus on the Care of People, Integrating That Mission into All Operations
Across all of their establishments, Umstead and Vanderwalker are innovating by centering on the care of people – producers, staff, and guests – and integrating that care into the core of their operations across all of their establishments.
“That care shows up in creating interesting, unique food and drinks, curating welcoming, comfortable, well-designed spaces, and fostering connection and sense of place,” said Vanderwalker, who hopes to grow their businesses sustainably, while continuing to focus on people and the community.
To engage the local community, Kingfisher hosts a weekly jazz night where world-class musicians gather and play together. Queeny’s hosts all kinds of events run by community members and produces a few huge parties each year, including a Halloween and Mardi Gras event, all with no extra tickets or fees. Umstead and Vanderwalker and their businesses are also “intentionally and overtly inclusive and supportive” of the queer community, as Vanderwalker noted.
Vanderwalker also pointed out that too much focus on product and profit over experience and community is an issue in the bar and restaurant industry. “The experience has become too transactional and focused on the Instagrammable moment, for both the industry and guest sides,” she said. “I think the industry was already going in this direction, but COVID really pushed it to an extreme.”
For the future, Vanderwalker and Umstead want to grow their business in a sustainable way while being deliberate in their choices and the opportunities they take advantage of.
“We hope to continue to grow by building the support structures necessary for a growing group to thrive,” said Umstead. “You can only operate like single-restaurant owners for so long. We want to build for the long haul.”
Umstead’s best advice for other bar and restaurant owners and operators? “Stay committed to your concept,” he said. “It may take guests a while to catch on, but if you compromise your vision, you won’t have the stamina or enthusiasm to sell it. You’ve got to love it.”
Aaron Kiel is an editor, writer and public relations professional in Raleigh, N.C., who’s worked in the beverage, tea and coffee industries for two decades, as well as hospitality and technology. He’s a journalist at heart, but he also wears a PR and communications hat through his consultancy, ak PR Group. Aaron is a contributing writer/reporter for Questex’s Bar & Restaurant News and he’s a past editor of Questex’s World Tea News. In 2023, he was a finalist and honorable mention in the “Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards” for Range of Work by a Single Author – B2B,” and in 2024, he won a Gold Northeast Region Award in the American Society of Business Publication Editors’ (ASBPE) Azbee Awards in the category of Editorial Excellence for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Aaron also received a 2024/2025 ASBPE Diversity Fellowship Award, which supports and recognizes diversity in the field of B2B journalism. Connect with him on Instagram: @adventurer_explorer or visit akprgroup.com.
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