Liberty Tap Room on the Lake serves cocktails with water views

If you can’t escape the Midlands to beat the heat this summer, you should put visiting Lake Murray high on your priority list.

In addition to activities with boats and other water toys, there are great restaurants and bars around the marina.

Take Liberty Tap Room on the Lake, for example – a watering hole within a watering hole that opened three years ago and is affectionately called “Liberty on the Lake.”

“Our locations are built at destination places, and Lake Murray is a destination in Columbia,” said Victoria Russell, assistant general manager. “We see everyone – from business people coming for lunch, to families coming in off the lake, to people who just want to come and listen to music on the weekends. There’s no set clientele here. Everyone is welcome.”

Probably best known for having 48 beers on tap, Liberty on the Lake receives two to three new beers a week, and that keeps the rotation – and the kegs – flowing. The small Southern chain also makes its own house brew at the New South Brewery in Myrtle Beach.

“We have a red ale and a white ale that we brew, and those are very popular,” Russell said. “The red ale is comparable to a Fat Tire (Fat Tire amber ale is an American amber-red ale-style beer by New Belgium Brewing). It’s a little hoppier than a Fat Tire would be, but it’s delicious. Our white ale is like a blend of Blue Moon and Bud Light. So it’s like a lighter Blue Moon. It’s really easy to drink, especially during the hot weather.”

As expected, it’s a little harder to pinpoint which wine is favored overall, but as we head into the warmer months, Russell points out, white wine will flow more freely.

“Everyone has their preference, but everyone enjoys a cool white wine like a pinot grigio or a chardonnay over the summer,” she said.

Another popular drink that pairs well with warmer weather is the mule. Out of the four offered, Russell said the cucumber pear is not only the most popular, but it’s also their specialty.

“It’s pear vodka, fresh-squeezed limes, you break up a cucumber and add the ginger beer on top,” Russell said. “It’s light and refreshing.”

The cocktail and martini menu changes a few times a year, but it’s not governed by corporate.

“All of these recipes are things that the bartenders and I put together ourselves,” Russell said. “We have that kind of freedom.”

“The Lake Murray hurricane is our specialty here,” Russell added. “That’s definitely our No. 1 seller. The blue Hawaiian, people love. Our Southern mojito is a twist on a mojito. We put sweet-tea vodka and lemon in it instead of rum and lime. It’s delicious.”

What’s also delicious, in its own way, is the tap room’s location.

Situated right on the lake – complete with its own docking slip that can accommodate 24 boats – the two-floor bar and restaurant has played host to a wedding, two receptions, holiday parties and corporate functions.

“Downstairs, there’s the main bar and outside seating, as well as inside, and upstairs, there’s a whole other outside patio and another bar, as well as a back dining room that closes off,” Russell said. “So technically, we have five different dining spaces on two levels.”

During lunch, only the downstairs bar is open, but at night, both floors are swimming with people.

“Our season starts beginning of April, and we’ll stay busy till September,” Russell said. “In the middle of summer, people will wait three hours to sit at a table.”

So be sure that when you plan your trip to the lake to also stop by Liberty for a cold drink on one of their patios. You might have to wait, but the view – especially at sunset – will be worth it.

This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Liberty Tap Room on the Lake serves cocktails with water views."