In a recent post, Grub Street NYC shared their list of 50
outstanding cocktail recipes, one each from every state in the Union. Not
surprisingly, craft spirits featured heavily in that inventory, playing a role
in over a quarter of these concoctions.
That’s a rather high percentage relative to the share of the total
spirits market that craft currently captures, and indicative of a trend that, we feel, speaks
loudly about the future.
While we highly encourage that anyone with an interest explore
the entire country, trying each and every one of these amazing recipes, our
personal interest is with those highlighting craft spirits, so here’s a whirlwind
tour.
In Alaska, as evidenced in the words of our own Will Lascelles, the fisherman’s drink of choice is a Bloody
Mary made with Alaska Distillery’s salmon flavored vodka. Delaware steps Into
the Wild using Bulleit bourbon. The Denver speakeasy Williams
& Graham offers up its Mixology
featuring Old Tom Gin
while Dry Fly provides the
foundation for The
Spring Whiskey Sling from Red Feather Lounge
in Boise, Idaho. The key to Indianapolis watering hole Tavern on South’s contribution, the North
Shore Flower, is the namesake’s own Distiller’s Gin No. 6.
The signature
drink at the Devotay uses Templeton Rye. Amazing Grace in Maine is Dust
to Dust, a ginger based cocktail made with Cold
River vodka, and you’ll find Copper
Fox at the core of the Manhattan-esque Lancaster
from Rye in Baltimore, Maryland. On the lighter side, Jackson’s Parlor Market creates its Maridel
from Mississippi’s own Cathead honeysuckle vodka
and Montana distillery Montgomery
serves up the Black
Diamond in its tasting room. New Hampshire’s Bad
Apple, found at Portsmouth eatery Moxy,
makes use of Flag
Hill brandy.
Further south, Redemption hits the spot in the Rye
Malvado from Mateo Tapas in Durham,
North Carolina. OYO
represents Ohio in the Crème
Spritz at Mouton. Oklahoma’s
version of the Manhattan, the St.
Thomas Porter served at the Valkyrie,
uses Low Gap
whiskey. Great
Lakes Distillery does the honors in Milwaukee bistro Distil’s Wisco
whiskey sour, and Vermont’s own Dunc’s Mill
provides the spiced maple rum for Crop Bistro’s
Lost
Sailor.
Last but not least, bridging the gap across the Mason-Dixon
line, Bluecoat gin from
Philadelphia Distilling finds its way into Richmond, Virginia café Heritage’s Brooklyn
Stunner, while their neighbors to the West at the Bluegrass Kitchen offer a
gin & tonic variation using a barrel aged gin from Smooth Ambler.
Clearly, artisan spirits are already well entrenched in the
burgeoning craft cocktail and mixology scene. But given the exponential rate at
which micro-distilleries and small batch producers are surfacing in every
corner of the land, it won’t be long before every drink on this list finds its
basis in a craft spirit.
