Cocktails Distilled

You may not think that liquids can tell stories, but when you look at Laure like Sorel, which has basically traveled from West Africa through the Caribbean, into Harlem, and then across the river to Red Hook, you can bet that there are some stories to tell. There are stories of commerce both through the slave and spice trade. There are stories of tradition as displaced peoples kept the original sorrow liquid alive, and there are stories of migration as many went to New York seeking a better life. Additionally, there are stories of family as recipes got passed down from one generation to the next. There are stories of creation as the non-alcoholic Sorrel is transformed into a liqueur. And there are stories of determination as the brand starts on its mission to re-establish itself and communicate everything that has come before. To hear some of these stories, we talk to self-proclaimed custodian of the brand. Jackie Summers about flavour, identity, and the origin of the red drink. 

While you might think the use of hemp and cannabis for medical use is fairly new, it has a long history that goes back centuries. In the 1800s in the United States, although they weren't called that at that stage, physicians started to prescribe hemp-derived concoctions for all sorts of maladies and afflictions, and elixirs could be readily purchased in general stores. But then came the 20th century with its inclination to basically prohibit everything. And hemp and cannabis products found themselves lumped in with opioid drugs. And well, you know, the rest. Yet as the attitude towards hemp and CBD products has changed, there has been renewed interest in the elixirs from the past and the flavour as well as the health benefits that can be imparted. One brand that is fully exploring what this means is the Seattle-based fermented and distilled non-alcoholic hemp liquid brand, The Pathfinder. To find out more, we speak to global brand Ambassador Kraig Rovensky about alchemy, blazing new trails and being a destroyer of bad vibes. 

When you think of agave spirits, your mind naturally goes to places like Lesko and its surrounding areas in Mexico. But what if, instead, it went a little further north of the border? That is what mean mule distilling wants your mind to do when you think of the agave spirits that they are producing in Kansas City, Missouri, located slap bang in the Heart of America. Mean Mule was born of generations of distilling tradition, but this time all above board and legal and with a whole new ingredient. But what does it mean to be an American agave spirit? To find out more, we talked to Jeff Evans about moonshine and agave gin. 

While you might have heard of the Spirit Pisco, there's a fair chance that you don't really know a lot. Sure, you might know that Pisco is basically a young brandy. You might even know that it's mainly produced in Peru or Chile. But you probably didn't know that there are eight approved grape varietals that range in taste from pepper and smoke to almond and roasted walnut. You also probably didn't know that there are five different Pisco growing regions with 42 valleys and over 500 producers, most of whom are small batch. And in the midst of all that liquid is the Peruvian Pisco brand Suyo that aims to help you understand a little more about what Pisco can offer. To find out more, we talked to Alex Hildebrandt and Ian Leggett from Suyo about small batch producers, grape varietals, and creating an impact in the US market. 

We're all used to whiskey being made from barley, corn, rye, and even wheat. But what about rice? Rice is the world's third most abundant cereal crop, and yet historically, you would be hard-pressed to find a whiskey distiller that used it as the base of their spirits outside of Japan. But recently, that has all changed. Distillers like Louisiana-based JT Meleck are amongst a small number of US producers who are crafting a contemporary image of what rice whiskey can offer. And the subsequent liquid is distinctly different from what is being created by their Japanese counterparts. To find out more, we talked to Mike Fruge from JT Meleck about fermentation, flavour and the future of rice in a country where corn is king. 

Whether you grew up with one or only read about them in books, secret gardens have always promised a world of possibilities. And there is one such secret garden at the foot of the Pentland Hills on the outskirts of Edinburgh that fulfils some of that promise by not only providing a refuge for nature but also a location to distil gin.Rooted in nature, Secret Garden Distillery was conceived as a place where nature would not only allow the brand to create liquids, seed to sip, but also inspire everything they do.To find out more, we talked to Daniel Cunningham from Secret Garden Gin about sustainability, botanicals, and, of course, a little Christmas gin. 

As happens when any particular spirit booms, the US saw a barrage of sourced whiskey come onto the market when the interest in Bourbon began to peak. But one brand, Old Elk, decided to turn sourcing on its head. They went, as a lot of sourced Bourbon brands had before them, to the massive Lawrenceberg, Indiana distillery, MGP but rather than just accept a little bit of tweaking on the liquid, they engaged Master Distiller Greg Metze to create a whole new mash bill. That collaboration would not only see a unique spirit produced but also ended up with Metze taking the reins as the brand's master distiller. We talk to the man who has really been at the helm of old elk since its inception about smooth Bourbon, malted barley, and the legacy that comes from Infinity.

Many of us have heard stories about property or businesses that our not-too-distant ancestors owned, and if you have, you probably thought, ‘what a shame that got closed down or sold', but what if you could resurrect the past and re-establish what had been lost? This is exactly what the descendants of P&H Egan, an old Irish Whiskey brand from Tullamore, in county Offaly, decided to do. Known to produce some of the finest Irish whiskey in the world for over 100 years, Egan’s (which also dealt with general groceries) was forced to close at the end of the 1960s due to the advent of retail supermarkets. But back in 2013, fifth and sixth-generation family members got together to reprise the dormant enterprise and have since been sourcing and ageing expressions that celebrate their lineage. To find out more, we talk to Egan’s Master Bonder, Rupert Egan, about legacy, conviction and how to plan your future after resurrection. 

As the summer in the Northern hemisphere progresses, most of us will at some stage, indulge in an aperitivo hour or even afternoon with friends and family. The perfect time to unwind, the aperitivo moments are ideal for socialising as they are light, refreshing, and come with a low ABV. And to make the moments more special, the Cucielo brand denoted with its brilliant blue migrating cuckoo has just introduced a new expression, a dry Vermouth di Torino that embodies all the flavour and craft essential for capturing the essence of golden hour, an Italian aperitivo culture.To find out more about this new martini orientated liquid. We talked to founder and artisan spirit CEO, Andy Holmes about herbs, Italian vermouth and the perfect aperitivo cocktails.

When you think of New Zealand, you probably think of extensive green hills and forests full of lush vegetation. But Mark Simmonds, one of the three founders of Broken Shed would also like you to think about the purity that can be achieved in a distilled Vodka. Launching in 2009, Broken Shed has brought the future to Vodka drinkers around the globe and shown that with a little New Zealand ingenuity an amazing liquid can be created from only three ingredients (two of which are water). We talk to Simmonds about the purity of water, whether whey really is the way and how difficult it has been for a New Zealand brand on the global spirits stage