New cocktail garden lets you drink under the stars in Smyrna

After 2-1/2 years of planning and construction, Smyrna’s Painted Stave Distilling is ready to officially unveil its new 6,000-square-foot cocktail garden.

Even though the patio had a soft opening a couple of weeks ago as soon as the weather warmed, Painted Stave (106 W. Commerce St.) will give its new outdoor area a proper welcome at its inaugural garden party Saturday at 6 p.m.

The ticketed event will feature Painted Stave cocktails and catering by Elkton-based Downtime Refreshment. There will also be live music, a magician and a fortune teller — all under the stars.

Tickets cost $100 at facebook.com/PaintedStave and are available online until Friday.

The cocktail garden isn’t the only new addition to the Painted Stave property. A new barrel house used for aging whiskey is not far from the new garden.

The cocktail garden includes a fire pit, a stone patio, a grassy lawn, a dedicated spot for food trucks and an area that can be used as a stage for outdoor concerts.

Two events are already lined up that will feature bands out back.

First up is Homegrown & Homemade, a Firefly Music Festival pre-party May 31 with performances by acts including Dover hip hop act Cypher Clique, which performed at Firefly in 2015.

Also on the bill: Wilmington's Less Than Five and Reverse Giraffe, The Wet Bandits (Kent and Sussex County), along with Philadelphia's BoyWonder and Lovelorn.

As a bonus, popular Firefly food vendor Island Noodles will be on site selling its wok-fired soba noodles.

And then on June 8, Smyrna at Night takes over downtown with national funk/soul act Robert Randolph & the Family Band headlining and other bands performing in the Painted Stave cocktail garden.

While the complete line-up has not yet been announced, Hoochi Coochi, Nalani & Sarinam, The Susquehanna Floods, Stacia LaChole and Chaplin the Kid have all already signed on.

Both Smyrna at Night and Homegrown & Homemade are free.

Got a tip? Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).