No Holds Barred

A monthly pop-up from Cobra Burger and Nightcrawler promises the unpredictable | Photos by CJ Payne

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There’s the phrase “the freaks come out at night,” an implication that certain behaviors, perhaps deemed unusual during the day, are more likely to be amplified once the sun goes down. For Alexyss Kaneubbe and Chris Mumford, bartenders and owners of the cocktail concept Nightcrawler, it’s a philosophy that aligns perfectly with their no rules late-night pop-up. 

Partners behind the bar and in life, the duo have stocked their well with everything from smoked olives and charred papaya to Duke’s Mayo, White Claw hard seltzer, beets, avocado and pink peppercorn-brined grapefruit. Their cocktail repertoire has included an MSG Old-fashioned, a Perfectly Pickled Paloma, a chamoy-rimmed Monster Blood and a Fernaquiri. Nightcrawler’s unofficial motto: “We f--- around, you find out.”

Embracing beverage elements from the zany and unusual to the savory and nuanced, Nightcrawler finds the fun behind every stir and shake, tapping into the potential of each ingredient, while backing it up with years of experience. Their definitive defiance for the norm has been warmly welcomed by pop-up attendees. It also led them to partner with a similarly minded business, Church Hill smashburger joint Cobra Burger. 

On March 23, Nightcrawler will join Cobra Burger for Night of the Cockatrice, a collaborative mashup held every third Sunday of the month featuring food and drink specials, including zero-proof sips. 

Teasing the use of pecans and collard green mustard seeds and hinting at chicken and waffles, Mumford says of their drinks, “We’ll be adding food ingredients, and mashing fun combos of Tiki, Texas and things we love all together.” 

Mumford and Kaneubbe originally met while working at a hybrid cocktail-coffee-wine bar in Austin, Texas. Seeking a change, the tenured industry workers moved to Asheville, North Carolina, in 2022 and a year later launched Nightcrawler. The pop-up held a weekly residency at Asheville’s TRVE Brewing Co. and quickly amassed a diverse and faithful following. Last year, however, the couple was forced to relocate after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the Appalachian mountain town. With friends in Richmond, they made their way to the River City, and in November they made their local debut at Union Hill cocktail bar The Emerald Lounge.

“The first event, there was a line down the block,” says Kaneubbe, who currently works at Stanley’s restaurant in the Fan. “The reception was wild, because we didn’t know anybody. And then doing it the first time [at Cobra Burger] it was busy, and then the second, and the third. There’s been 10 to 15 people just waiting outside each time.”

When asked what sparks their creativity and desire to experiment, Kaneubbe says, “Honestly, being haters.” But deep down, the hater-ade is really an analytical eye, an urge to understand, thoughtfully examine and potentially enhance. “And not being pretentious,” Mumford chimes in. “Some people are like, ‘Oh, why would you put that in a cocktail?’ It’s like, ‘Why wouldn’t you?’”

Playing with texture and aesthetics, the pair aren’t afraid to take a risk or a left turn and see what happens — an attribute Musselman appreciates. “Their philosophy is great, and I think it pairs well with ours here,” he says. “Again, that notion of not being pretentious; it was one of the things that sold me on [working with] them.”

Kaneubbe and Mumford stress the importance of making sure their cocktails are worth the price tag. “I want somebody to be like, ‘Holy s---, that was awesome,’” says Mumford, who is currently part of back-of-house operations at Edo’s Squid. 

Echoing his sentiment, Kaneubbe says, “We keep [value] in mind, we want to be proud of the price point, and be proud of the product that we’re serving. And we also really want you to get another one.”

A foundational element of the concept is providing space for all, including the sober community. Spirit-free cocktails are crafted with the same consideration as their boozy brethren. To add to their nonalcoholic options, they hope to introduce coffee service in the future.

“Not everybody drinks, but you still want to go out with your friends,” Kaneubbe says. Noting that caffeinated beverages became a popular offering in Asheville, she adds, “There are EMS people, or people who work graveyard shifts, or service industry people who want a cold brew before their shift.”

Much like Musselman’s ethos for Cobra Burger and dedication to composting, Nightcrawler is focused on sustainability and cross-utilizing ingredients, in addition to pickling and fermentation. 

For the Cockatrice pop-ups, Cobra Burger subs out its lacy smash patties for crispy chicken sandwiches. On the menu for March 23: The Cobra, a fried chicken thigh with the same fixin’s as the restaurant’s namesake burger; The Buffalo, featuring pickled celery relish, blue cheese dressing and shredduce; and The Plate Lunch, which brings together katsu sauce, macaroni salad slaw and pickled shiitake mushrooms. There will also be a brunch-inspired Chicken n Waffo’s, an Eggo waffle taco shell with fried chicken and braised collards topped with maple syrup and Crystal hot sauce. For sides, find smashed potatoes, patatas bravas-inspired Spicy Daddy potatoes with smoked paprika tomato sauce, vegan aioli, roasted corn and pickled pepper slaw; a Cobra-style wedge salad; and the zippy Third Winter salad with greens, pickled fennel, spiced pecans, roasted apples and a mustard vinaigrette.  

While the drink menu remains a surprise until the event, guests can expect the wild and weird, and to spot parallels between the sips and the snacks. Mumford says, “We always think, ‘What’s a freaky ingredient in there that we can, like, spin into a cocktail or change in a certain way,’ and then also just, ‘What’s something fun?’”

Night of the Cockatrice kicks off at 6 p.m. on March 23. Follow Nightcrawler on Instagram and Cobra Burger on Bluesky for details.