The Wicked Wolf is working with Black and woman-owned whiskey brand Uncle Nearest for the HBCU scholarship fundraiser.
What’s better than having an old fashioned cocktail? How about knowing you’re funding a good cause with every sip?
From now until June 19, Long Beach’s fantasy-themed lounge and bar The Wicked Wolf is donating $1 towards scholarships for a semester of tuition at Historical Black College or Universities (HBCU) every time someone orders an old fashioned.
The cocktail is traditionally made by mixing whiskey or bourbon, simple syrup, a few dashes of angostura bitters and a bit of water, typically topped off with an orange peel garnish.
The Wicked Wolf began its months-long fundraiser on Jan. 15, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in partnership with the woman-owned and Black-owned whiskey brand Uncle Nearest. Last year, Uncle Nearest launched its HBCU scholarship campaign and nearly raised $1 million towards a semester of tuition for nine campuses by donating a dollar for every old fashioned sold and every bottle purchased, then matching the money raised.
According to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, 80% of Black judges, 50% of Black doctors and attorneys and 40% of Black engineers and members of Congress graduated from HBCUs.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities began in 1865 with Shaw University, as a result of a law that required states to provide land grants for colleges for Black students if they would not be admitted elsewhere. There are 107 HBCUs nationwide today.
HBCUs have historically been underfunded by $12 billion, the U.S. Department of Education found last year. Uncle Nearest has partnered with hundreds of restaurants and stores that serve its whiskey around the United States with the goal of raising $1.4 million towards HBCU scholarships.
The Wicked Wolf has been serving Uncle Nearest whiskey — the most awarded and fastest-growing whiskey in the industry — since it opened in April 2023. Thea Mercouffer, who owns The Wicked Wolf, said the story and quality of the whiskey made her want to carry the brand and partner with them.
“We’ll carry it always,” Mercouffer said. “We’re happy to participate and we’ll match their donation as well.”
Uncle Nearest was established in 2017, but has a much older history with African-American roots. Nathan Green was a Black man and a slave in Lynchburg, Tennessee who was the head distiller for Dan Call, pastor and owner of the Dan Call Farm.
When Call’s congregation voiced their displeasure at his whiskey still, he turned it over to his associate Green, also known as Nearest, who had become quite popular for his skills as the head distiller.
Once Green became a free man, he chose to continue his role and refine his whiskey-making. Many believe he’s known for perfecting the Lincoln County Process, which is now used for nearly all Tennessee-made whiskey. It involves filtering whiskey through sugar maple charcoal before aging it in charred oak barrels, giving it the sweet and nutty taste unique to Tennessee whiskey.
Green went on to train a young boy that the pastor had adopted, teaching him his distilling process. That boy grew up and founded the Jack Daniels whiskey brand, and Green’s contributions went unacknowledged for 150 years.
Fawn Weaver, founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest, learned about Green’s history, collected thousands of documents to trace the timeline and contributions of Green, bought the land where he worked and established Uncle Nearest to keep his legacy alive.
The Wicked Wolf and Uncle Nearest will further extend this legacy by providing scholarships for HBCUs, wrapping up with a Juneteenth event in the summer. Every purchase of an old fashioned helps the cause.
The Wicked Wolf is located at 2332 Pacific Ave. and open Mondays through Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sundays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
