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A spirit that is not afraid

Mama Mocha’s adds wine to list of beverages for sale

<p>Mama Mocha's Coffee Shop&nbsp;in Auburn, Ala. on Sunday, April 8, 2018.</p>

Mama Mocha's Coffee Shop in Auburn, Ala. on Sunday, April 8, 2018.

Mama Mocha’s on Gay Street now offers wine to customers in addition to coffee and beer.

At the Sept. 3 City Council meeting, the Council approved Mama Mocha’s request for an alcoholic beverage license to sell wine. The store received that license in mid-October.

Some of the shop’s wines for sale include a Freakshow Cabernet Sauvignon, wines from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and various other wines. 

Mama Mocha’s started selling beer in 2017, which Sarah Barnett, the owner of Mama Mocha’s, said was the result of a demand at the shop for drinks besides coffee. Patrons of late-night events at the coffee shop often didn’t want to order a caffeine-rich coffee drink.

Many other coffee shops in the U.S. sell alcohol in addition to coffee. The concept is not too common in the Auburn-Opelika area though, which Barnett said she thinks is becasue of the number of bars in the area.

Mama Mocha’s beer selection, with the exception of Pabst Blue Ribbon, is mostly craft, including beers from Opelika’s own Red Clay Brewing Company as well as the Mexican Cake beer from Westbrook Brewing. For a time, the shop was one of the only local places to sell Mexican Cake, Barnett said.

Some customers’ dietary restrictions or personal drink preferences motivated Barnett to start selling wine in addition to the craft brews.

“We started trying to sell wine because so many people had gluten issues or really didn’t like drinking these 8%, 9%, 10% beers,” Barnett said. “They wanted something a little bit lighter and easier and different.”

The wines in stock are sold by themselves or can be made into a mixed drink, Barnett said. Some of the flavored wines are intended to taste similar to liquors like vodka or gin.

“It’s not going to be where you could go in and get an old fashioned, or some kind of crazy cocktail,” Barnett said. “But if it’s a mixer and a flavored wine, we can do that.” 

Ultimately, Mama Mocha’s is not a bar, and Barnett said that the environment in her shop isn’t like one. She also hasn’t had to deal with any of the hassles that come with operating a bar.

“We’ve never had any kind of alcohol problem, knock on wood,” Barnett said. “It’s not as much of a party scene as it is just kind of relaxing, sitting on a couch, having a drink and just talking to people.”

For those that come to enjoy a beverage, Barnett said that she is trying to keep drinks affordable — around $5 or $6 a drink, she said.

“Even if it’s not a college student, even if it’s someone just working to pay their bills, I wanted to give them a space where they could come and afford to have a drink with a friend and not be broke,” Barnett said.

Alcohol is only available at the Mama Mocha’s location in Auburn on Gay Street.

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Evan Mealins | Editor-in-chief


Evan Mealins, senior in philosophy and economics, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.

@EvanMealins

ecm0060@auburn.edu


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