Cooper River Distillers

I am so happy that I go to school within walking distance of this awesome place. Don’t let the exterior (or interior) fool you, they make excellent cocktails. The atmosphere is beyond chill (literally– it is cold in there during the winter so bring a sweater). It is perfect for kicking back with friends in one of their recliners and playing a game, reading a magazine, talk about life, etc. All of the drinks are so yummy and if you don’t know what to choose, the barkeep will help you. They were really friendly. I can’t wait to come back. Truly a hidden gem (the sign is on the back of a pickup truck!)

With the popularity of craft brewing in the US, it was only a matter of time before craft distillers started popping up.
Cooper River Distillers is a cool little distillery in a garage near downtown Camden. It’s a pretty random spot but actually decent and didn’t feel unsafe. Plenty of street parking on nights and weekends.
The rum was really nice and I tried a few different flavors during my visit. They were also making some mixed drinks which my friends enjoyed.
Price wise the bottles are a little expensive, but this is a true microbrew so I felt like it was worth it. I’ll definitely visit again.

After months of talking about making my way down to Cooper River Distillers, I finally did this past Friday night. Having no idea what to expect, I was surprised to find the place already packed by 5:30.
I was also surprised to find a diverse cocktail list, making it easy to find something I’d like but difficult to pick what to try first. I went with the cranberry lemonade, a nice winter-​y twist on a classic summer beverage, and was not disappointed — it was only $ 6 and completely delicious.
It’s housed in an old warehouse, yet with the barrels spread around as seating, twinkle lights, and mob of people, it had a cozy feel that perfectly complimented the warm winter night.
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to get here, but I loved just about everything about it, so it won’t be long until I’m back!
PRO TIP: There’s actually a parking lot across the street from the entrance that appears to be free, at least when there aren’t other events going on in town.

A diamond in the rough. Cooper river distillery is an awesome hidden secret that is well worth the trip if you’re in the area. NJ’s only legal run distillery (the questionable bath tub rum your uncle makes doesnt count) makes a nice, small selection of rum and whiskey at reasonable prices. They open up for tastings with a sizeable mix drink menu a few times a month, and frequently pair up with others (lunch trucks, live music, etc) to bring a nice local option for drinks in the city. The atmosphere is relaxed and it’s a nice place to hang out when you get off of work/​school etc. The rye oaked sour and hot cider are two of my favorites. They attract a pretty sizeable crowd for most of their events, and have a couple games (darts, jenga etc) if that’s your thing.

Spiced Rum. Two words that sum up this place and the upcoming holiday season experience. Boo Boo please know this, that if you plan to spend the holidays with ratchet relatives and need a tasty something to zone out with, and mix with anything or nothing then get yo wallet and head over here and get you some. I plan to spend my time abroad but I will be packing my flexible container to bring this goodness with me because it’s that good. They do mixed drinks on Friday only from 4 – 8 and the owners are mixing it up quite well if I do say so myself. I always say you can’t trust a man unless he has cheeks Sooooo yeas ask for the manager with the cheeks ;-). I love the space cuz it feels like uncle pookie’s basement with card tables and couches and a designated kids table but it’s a big garage space.

Let me tell you there is a gem in the heart of Camden. I went there with a groupon and got more that I expected. The tour was so informative and the personality of the owners and staff make you feel like you are in your grandmothers basement with family.
It’s at the last garage door of the coopersons bodyshop building.
Once you go there you will feel at home and want to go back. You will have that at home feeling. This gem is a life changing experience

Cooper River Distillery has a cool setting in a former garage in the center of Camden. This is a small three-​person-​run distillery that is especially known for its rum… specifically Petty’s Island Rum. On Friday evenings they have sort of an open house and serve up a flight of their rums or an assortment of cocktails. It’s def worth checking out. One quibble though — I have been on many tour of breweries and distilleries in North America and Europe — some big, some small. I’ve never taken a tour where you are not offered at least one sample at the end of it. After the tour of the Cooper River Distillery, I was offered no sample. Oh well, I then decided not to buy a bottle of one of their rums.

Super excited to see what spirits these guys crank out because the first wave that we had was amazing!
We bought one of everything and a few extras for hostess gifts – who doesn’t want a small local batch made spirit?
They stopped in a on Friday after work – its quick and easy ride on PATCO, literally right around the corner from City Hall Stop so a safe, nice area of Camden
The guys working there were very knowledgeable and personable and made fantastic craft cocktails
We did a rum flight and then had a few cocktails with their various spirits to get some ideas of what to make with our goods
All in all a great place – definitely recommend
Only knocking one star because the bottles we received had poorly adhered labels and inconsistent fill lines across the bottles so I would say QC needs a bit of work and making sure labels are fully adhered and aligned on the bottles makes for a better/​more professional appearance
I only cared since they were gifts so it irked me a little to have bubbles and cock-​eyed labels but the booze is good so that’s all that really matters in the end!

Oh you should definitely check out Cooper River Distillers. Even beyond the novelty of an old car garage in downtown Camden being turned into a rum distillery, the product that master distiller James and his crew put is *good*. I’ve been there a bunch of times now, and every time it gets better and better. Their open houses during Camden’s 3^rd Thursday art crawls are the best, with their very decently sized drink menu often being complimented by food trucks like Black Eyed Susan’s or Surf and Turf. James himself is super nice and always eager to give you a tour of his facility. It’s obvious he’s got a passion for what he does, and it shows up in the quality of what he puts out. So if you’re into rum or cool stuff happening in Camden, definitely check out Cooper River Distillers.

Take a tour of the Distillery room to get a sense of what goes into making their product. They also have a few shelves of items for sale, with books on the topic of rum, t-​shirts in various sizes, and souvenirs for connoisseurs, too. I have been to two events here and am impressed with the variety of drinks they have added to their repertoire, many of which you can take home with you after sampling.