August 2020 NEWS

Somehow, we're almost at the end of summer! The nights have been a bit cooler lately, and we're enjoying every moment of the sunny days and breezy weather on our patio. The fun continues into fall - we'll be changing our cocktail menu soon to reflect the changing season, but we're holding onto summer a little more for now.

Distillery Updates

We're so excited to continue our progress with updating our packaging and marketing materials. This month, we made some meaningful updates to our website with new graphics, an updated cocktail section & more. If you haven't been on our site in awhile, check it out!

Our new Gin No. 6 is making its way around the Midwest - it's already in Missouri and Wisconsin, and getting out now across Illinois. Look for it in your area! Up next, we'll debut the updated Gin No. 11, and then the updated vodkas. We can't wait to share them all with you!

Thinking of Drinking

For several years, Sonja wrote an influential blog called Thinking of Drinking (old one, new one). Recently, she started writing articles again, like one about gluten in spirits and the new FDA guidance.

Hand Sanitizer News

Due to popular demand, we are making a few more of the 8 oz refill bottles, and we have a limited number of 2 oz spray bottles available. Feel free to put in an order if you're looking for more of our terrific unscented, no-methanol hand sanitizer and you're able to pick up at the distillery (we are not able to ship).

Cocktail Insights

It's Shrub Season!

Summer in a Glass

Nothing says summer quite like a handful of fresh berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries - we love them all! As the end of the summer approaches, a homemade shrub is a great way to preserve the flavors of these and other delicious fruits well beyond their 'fresh by' date. We've made quite a few shrubs here in our tasting room over the years, and have written up two guides to making your own shrub at home.

What Exactly is a Shrub?

It's best to think of a shrub as a fruit syrup with vinegar. When you combine fresh fruit with sugar, the resulting maceration intensifies the fruit flavor, resulting in a sweet fruit syrup. A shrub takes that process one step further and adds vinegar to the fruit syrup, which helps preserve the fruit flavors as well as add a tangy acidic element.

Variety in the Land of Shrubs

The exciting thing about shrubs is the amazing variety of possible flavor combinations. Basically any combination of fruit, herb and/or spice is worth a try - although you might want to test the particular combination you choose to make sure they work together before going to all the work of making them into a shrub! Some combinations that sound interesting to us, or that we've enjoyed before, are peach-ginger, rhubarb & strawberry-mint, but the possibilities are endless.

Here's a basic cocktail recipe to get you started - adjust based on what you have on hand:

Summer Berry Shrub

1½ oz Vodka or Gin of Choice
¾ oz Mixed Berry Shrub (or whatever shrub you made)
Club Soda

Add spirit and shrub to a glass over ice. Top with club soda, give it a stir, and garnish with a lemon swath. Many shrubs are delicious simply with club soda (no booze), if you're not in the mood for a cocktail!

Who Knows the History?

Since a shrub is a great preserver, it's no surprise that they were originally popular in Colonial America, as they provided a safe way for people to enjoy fresh fruit flavors well beyond their harvest, when other methods of preservation had not yet been developed. While they aren't necessary anymore for preservation, shrubs still are a way to experiment and have fun in cocktailing, and delicious in their unique flavor.

Tasting Room Tidbits

Open for Business!

Our tasting room is open now for guests indoors, as well as on our outdoor cocktail patio. If you're in our area, we'd love to have you visit us. We take reservations, and we also offer cocktail kits for making great drinks at home - you can find all those details on our website.