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Eda Rhyne wants to turn North Carolina's legacy of bootleggers and herbalists into a source of pride-and a new generation of complex liqueurs.

Meet the producers reimagining amaro's most brooding style.

Prior to the booming popularity of bitter liqueurs, fernet was the mysterious cool kid'the bartender's handshake for those in the know. The traditional Italian amaro with menthol-forward flavors and a bracing bitterness isn't exactly approachable on first sip.

While Asheville is a popular spot year-round, many head there in fall to watch the leaves change. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, autumn is a truly beautiful time of the year, but June's temperatures are pretty moderate for the American South, with highs around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) and cooler, pleasant nights. Hiking is still comfortable this time of year � especially if you're near water or under tree cover. And, of course, there is a lot to be eaten and drunk here.

f you order a Martini at Post Haste, a new bar that opened this summer in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, you won't be prompted with the usual follow-up question: olive or twist?

Historically, digestifs were what you served after a meal to help aid digestion. They tended to be bitter, herbal, and culturally specific. Think of that mystery bottle your grandmother pulled from the back of the pantry to set out with the cookies.

For even the most experienced drinker, fernet is an acquired taste. The extra bitter Italian amaro is chock-full of herbs and botanicals that give it a deep, dark color and flavor. But once you get on the fernet train, you'll quickly realize that it works great in cocktails and is one of the most powerful digestifs on the planet.

We made the stuff that we want to drink," explains Rett Murphy, co-founder of Eda Rhyne Distilling Co. His reasoning is not an uncommon refrain. More small-batch spirits producers and winemakers say the same these days�an indication, perhaps, that the American palate is starting to shift.

The phrase Drink Local has been in the air lately. Asheville's expansion beyond the craft beer universe has moved us into other, less well-charted territories, and the future for one in particular, locally-distilled liqueurs, is bright.

Folks around here no longer need to buy illicit liquor from their plumber, although I don't judge them for doing so. Some of the best moonshine I've tasted was distilled by friends, and, for some reason, a number of them have day jobs wrenching water pipes. But these days, I have a few friends who are making legal distilling their day jobs.

Booze is big business in Western North Carolina these days, and everyone seems eager to cash in on the opportunity. There are 34 breweries operating now in the Asheville area, the wine scene is booming in the mountains, and the recent development of four new distilleries brings the area's total up to seven. But in a sea of clear spirits, sometimes cloudy waters breed the most intrigue.

Sometimes, the line between medicine and liquor runs mighty thin. For the proprietors of Eda Rhyne, a grassroots-driven distillery in Asheville, that's not only A-OK but also a fundamental part of the plan.

A farmer and a forager plumb wild Appalachia for a modern elixir.

The people of Western North Carolina have a rich history of foraging and harvesting a variety of herbs and botanicals. One example of this regional legacy is S.B. Penick & Company, an herbal pharmaceutical company that originated in Marion, and shipped medicinal plants and roots all over the world during the early 1900s.