How to Explore NJ’s Craft Beverage Scene From the PATCO
A dry-town distillery, fine New Jersey wines, local breweries and even THC cocktails — this is a bar crawl like no other.
The Collingswood Farmers’ Market under the PATCO line. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
Oh, New Jersey with your quirky dry towns. What’s a drink lover to do? Believe it or not, some of those alcohol-free towns have plenty of booze and booze alternatives to serve up if you know where to look. Two of those dry towns, Collingswood and Haddonfield, are just a few PATCO stops away, with Westmont — where liquor licenses abound — sits in between them. Hop on the high speedline from one of Philly’s PATCO stations and experience the best New Jersey’s craft beverage scene has to offer.
First Stop: Collingswood
Collingswood is BYOB restaurant heaven, but if you forget your bottle, don’t sweat it. Stop into Haddon Culinary before dinner for wine from NJ’s Auburn Road Vineyards — consider the dry rosé or Bordeaux blend gaia. Or dine at Italian Villa Barone, where they sell full bottles of Auburn Road’s wines.
Beer drinkers can hit up the new Raccoon Taproom by Swedesboro Brewing Company. Enjoy a beer or flavored alcoholic seltzer, and pay special attention to the current Our First Lady Saison Ale that pays homage to Lizzie Haddon, who was brewing beer in the 1700s. On your way out, grab some cans or have them fill a crowler to take home or to dinner at a BYOB.
The drink selection at Mercantile 1888. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
Not interested in imbibing? Belly up to the bar at Mercantile 1888. You won’t find a Shirley Temple at this zero-proof bar, but you will find an impressive menu of cocktails carefully crafted with N/A spirits, house-made syrups, and, for those who choose to partake, THC seltzers and cocktails. They also have a nice selection of non-alcoholic wines and cans of N/A beer. If you need a bottle of bubbly for a celebration, grab the Eins-Zwei-Zero Sparkling Blanc de Blancs, a bottle that’s proof N/A wine doesn’t have to suck. It’s also a great bottle to take to a BYOB. Mercantile’s Wednesday Happy Hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. is when you can try their zero-proof cocktails for $2 off.
Next Stop: Westmont
Hop back on PATCO for a two-minute ride to Westmont and check out the recently-opened Reunion Hall. With 56 beers on tap, many from local breweries, this spot is a must for beer lovers. The outdoor space is almost as big as its indoor seating area. It’s quickly become a favorite meeting place for locals to hang out, grab a couple of brews and snag a bite to eat from one of their three dining concepts (one of which is vegan). The bartenders can also whip up a mean paper plane cocktail, and the wine list, while small, is the most impressive of the beer-focused restaurants on Haddon Avenue.
Final Stop: Haddonfield
The next stop westbound drops you off in Haddonfield, where you can experience an array of New Jersey-produced beverages. This ostensibly dry town is home to a winery tasting room, brewery and distillery, all within a couple of blocks. At William Heritage Winery’s tasting room, order a flight or indulge in a whole bottle of some of the state’s most celebrated wines while nibbling on charcuterie. Pro tip: New Jersey produces awesome cabernet franc, and if it’s on the rotating menu at the tasting room, do not skip it.
Wildfether Distilling in Haddonfield. / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano
Kings Road Brewery and Wildfether Distilling both allow outside food, and there are restaurants a plenty to order from while sipping on craft beer or some of the finest cocktails in South Jersey. Kings Road’s beers, including their N/A brews, pair excellently with bangers and chips from the British Chip Shop across the street. Wildfether offers gin, vodka and whiskey cocktails with freshly made juices and syrups. The gin and vodka are distilled on-site, while the bourbon and rye are brought in, just until the year-old distillery can offer what’s aging in-house. Its menu changes seasonally, and in summer’s heat, the refreshing frozen cocktails change monthly.
When you’re done your PATCO bar crawl, the train will take you back to Philadelphia in less than 20 minutes; no designated driver required.
