September 2020 NEWS

Fall has started to arrive here in the Midwest, and we're enjoying the cooler nights but wishing we could send some of our recent rain to the west coast. At the distillery, we've put in some patio heaters to help us extend our outdoor season, and we just updated our menu with some great fall cocktails featuring apple, pear, ginger, rosemary and other fall flavors.

Meet the New Gin No. 11!

As you know, we're updating the look of our spirits this year, making sure they best reflect the artistry and craftmanship that we have always taken pride in. With Gin No. 11, we created a clean, bright spirit that evokes the quintessential nature of gin – fresh juniper, hints of citrus and spice, and a crisp, clean texture. Gin No. 11 exemplifies the best gins from the heyday of gin, the late 1800s to early 1900s.

In designing its new look, we took inspiration from the Impressionists, specifically the still life paintings of that era, such as those by Paul Cezanne. Of course, our still life was of a Martini rather than fruit or other food, but the feeling is the same, evoking that moment in time when it's perfectly ready to enjoy. The gin inside is even better than before, too. We made a very slight adjustment to the recipe - it is unmistakably Gin No. 11, just a bit brighter than before. The proof has not changed.

Stay tuned! As we continue through this fall, we'll have more updates - next up are our North Shore Vodka and Sol! We can't wait to share them with you.

Latest Press Coverage & Such

The Lake County News Sun wrote our about reopened tasting room this week, and Sonja has written about pay-to-play in the liquor business, our branding project, and recruiting on the blog this month.

Cocktail Insights

Cin Cin to the Negroni!

It’s officially Negroni Week, and bartenders and home cocktail enthusiasts around the world are making, serving and celebrating this delicious & bitter cocktail. In past years, bars all around the globe have celebrated this drink with special events for Negroni Week. This year, in light of the pandemic, it’s a virtual event – the folks over at Imbibe Magazine and Campari are raising funds to help bars and restaurants (and their staffs) who have been devastated by Covid-19.

Want to make one? Here's the standard recipe:

Negroni

1 oz Gin No. 11
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (we use Dolin)

Either: stir with ice, then strain into a chilled coupe glass, or combine in a rocks glass over ice, and stir well. Garnish with an orange swath - flame the orange peel if you're feeling fancy.

Variety in the Land of Negronis

There is a lot of room for experimentation with this cocktail, whether with the proportions or the ingredients themselves. Try it with different styles of gin, or with different vermouth; substitute Aperol for the Campari if you want to tone down the bitterness a tad. Or, substitute whiskey for the gin (a Boulevardier), or use Mezcal - another interesting variation. Our current menu includes the Il Scandinavo, which uses our Aquavit in place of the gin (a trick taught to us some years ago by the folks at 15 Romolo in San Francisco).

Who Knows the History?

The origins of this drink are disputed, but most accounts attribute the name, and the drink, to Count Camillo Negroni, who stepped up to a bar in Florence, Italy in 1919 or 1920 to request a stronger version of his usual Americano (vermouth, Campari and soda) by replacing the soda with gin. The new cocktail was a sleeper success, rather than an instant hit; but no matter, since we're still enjoying it a century later!

Tasting Room Tidbits

Fall Updates: along with our new cocktail menu for fall, we've updated our cocktail kits for the season also - you can find all those details and more on our website. In addition, we've made a few seasonal updates to our patio space, with more ambient lighting as the nights get longer, and heaters for the cooling temperatures. If you're in our area, we'd love to have you visit us!