The Craft Cocktail Version of the War of 1812

If you care about craft and cocktails, then you owe it to yourself to read the article that Kevin Alexander penned for Thrillist titled The Craft Cocktails Revolution Is Over. It’s an extremely well written and insightful piece that provides not only the argument for but the context behind the claim that the craft cocktail Renaissance has officially ended.

And it’s a difficult assertion to refute, especially when considered in such historically relevant terms. The Renaissance was a flowering of thought and art, a rebuttal of the Dark Ages, which is an apt metaphor for the blossoming cocktail culture that rose up in response to an epoch epitomized by Tom Cruise’s barback antics. Alexander’s reference to the Baroque period does well to sum up the current commodification of craft, where one finds “craft” cocktails in the sky box of a Giants game or being served by the thousands at Coachella.

But the fact is, that’s not craft. Those are just cocktails.

The revolution may be over, but that doesn’t mean that the craft is dead. Craft is Zen; it’s of the moment. You can no more box up and commodify craft than you can stop time. It’s in the process, not the outcome. Anyone can make a Manhattan. How good it is depends on the craft.

So perhaps the revolution isn’t over. Perhaps it’s just begun.

Craft is only dead if you yield it. If you surrender it as a delineator to the mainstream. If we allow it to degenerate into a mere sound bite, if it loses its ability to create any real differentiation, then it may as well be dead. And that will be on us.

To be clear, craft is a constant. Every bartender, every distiller, every person who engages in any occupation practices a craft. How well they perform that craft depends on how well they studied it and how much they practiced. A select few, those who give themselves over completely to the craft, become masters.

We were, not long ago, in the Dark Ages. Some intrepid and imaginative people brought us out of them. Now you can get a decent cocktail just about anywhere. But decent doesn’t mean exceptional. And it isn’t what we mean by craft.

A craft cocktail was made just for you. In front of you. By someone you can reach out and touch. Someone who will take the time to explain the nuance of why they’re using this particular method versus that. It costs more because that’s what it requires, to provide the time to do it properly, to source the best ingredients, to incentivize those involved to consider it as an end and not simply a means to one. It sure as hell doesn’t come ready-made in a can.

Calling something craft doesn’t make it so, unless we let it. And that “we” doesn’t refer to the people who made it, or some marketing company who found the label tested well with Millennials. We refers to those of us trading our hard earned money, hopefully money we earned while striving to master our own craft, for something we value - the time and attention of someone worthy of our respect.

Continue reading

Share:

Slutty Girl Problems But Craft Ain't One

As the early morning light shines in through my hotel window, my brow furrows, I squint my eyes and resist the temptation to close the black-out curtains. After a Monday night spent hopping from one speakeasy to the next, trying more cocktails than I care to admit, the sun reflecting off Lake Erie is more daunting than it was yesterday, when I began my 2-week road trip to explore craft culture in the first American West, and the glistening light looked beautifully inviting dancing on the water.

After several Advil and a cup of coffee, my eyes ease to the view. I enjoy it for a few minutes before I’m off to a local Cleveland distillery that’s the definition of small-batch; distilled in the owner’s own backyard, barrels aging inside a barn as his dog hops around the yard.

After a tour and taste, I’m given a bottle to deliver to the owner’s friend at my next stop, Louisville. I’ll spend several more days and nights tasting bourbon and indulging in local libations. Then I’m off to bachelorette hotspot Nashville, touring local whiskey… and finally, driving through the Smoky Mountains to eclectic Asheville, where craft and local ingredients are central to food and drink culture.

I hadn’t intended to spend my first 2 weeks of summer hopping around the country, exploring craft culture in cities I knew little about beyond stereotypes and the occasional country song. Then again, nothing about my career or personal life has been traditional or predictable, so perhaps this spur of the moment dive into craft culture fits perfectly.

For the past 5 years, I’ve worked as a writer covering sex, dating, and relationships for publications like Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Playboy, Thrillist, and my own sex-positive site for millennial women, Slutty Girl Problems. I’ve hopped between New York and LA for events, conferences, and activism, all the while documenting my adventures on my Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Professionally, sexuality and modern dating have been at the forefront of my career.

Yet personally, craft culture has always been a big part of my social life, from speakeasy cocktails to local foodie favorites. From the time I could sit up and hold a fork, I enjoyed my grandma’s home cooking with local ingredients. As I got older, I took classes to learn how to cook, bake, and make my own jams, pickles, pasta, and breads. With a passion for quality food, it’s only natural that a love for craft beer and small batch spirits would follow. As soon as I turned 21, my dad toured me around microbreweries, where I learned about brewing and different types of beer. In the years since, my love for spirits has evolved, steering me toward speakeasies and mixologists who value craft and cocktail culture.

Now, I’ve teamed up with Microshiner to explore the local craft and cocktail culture in cities around the US. I started with 4 cities within driving distance of my hometown in Philadelphia - Cleveland, Louisville, Nashville, and Asheville. Each city was incredibly unique, from a budding cocktail culture that’s just taken hold in Cleveland, to a rich bourbon history in Louisville.

Follow along on my craft adventures, and join me as I see each city through fresh eyes, here on Microshiner, and on Twitter and Instagram.

I’m Lorrae Bradbury, and I’m a microshiner

——

Lorrae is a Philadelphia-based writer with a passion for travel and edgy storytelling. Her love for craft spans from speakeasy cocktails and small batch spirits, to home-brewed beer and local foodie favorites. Follow her wanderlust adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Lorraejo

Continue reading

Share:

Some Key Ingredients in the Formulation of Craft Spirits

It is not at all surprising that, as a child of Seventies-era “back to the land”-ers, I am a fan of craft. For my uncle’s wedding in California, my mom made outfits for my brothers and I from Simplicity patterns on a treadle sewing machine. Our cabin in Montana was built from logs my Pops harvested himself with little more than a pickup, a chainsaw, and his own two hands. Admittedly, at that time there was more Rainier beer on tap in the Pacific Northwest than microbrew. But I do seem to recall jars of homemade wine and moonshine circling the fire at the barter fairs and potlucks we regularly attended.

This upbringing stood in sharp contrast to the lifestyle I encountered each time we traveled to visit my dad’s parents in Southern California. My grandfather was a successful international banker, and the modus vivendi they enjoyed leaned more to the club than the country. They were world travelers, having lived and worked overseas in Hong Kong and Australia, and exposed me to a manner of style and grace that I found utterly alluring.

Of course, on the heels of this came the Eighties, and the homogenizing effect of global satellite feeds from MTV and Ted Turner’s Superstation WTBS. It was the era of big hair and even big brands, and I have to admit to having enjoyed more than my fair share of Bon Jovi and Budweiser. But it was this period of consolidation, when the number of breweries in the US hit an all time low, that also saw the birth of craft.

I spent the Nineties, like many of my slacker peers, effectively dropped out of society, living out of my backpack and an apartment in a high school friend’s parents’ garage while studying economics and Eastern philosophy in an attempt to chart a path outside of the “system”. Craft was booming, an obvious adjuvant to the entire alternative movement, and I became a “beer snob”, snubbing the commodity brands of my past for the humblest, most local producers I could find.

During the 2000s, I finally found in land fire management a career that allowed me to live out the tenets of the Lloyd Dobler quote that had been my guiding star, and I became a near fully functioning member of society. Craft, organic, and local became a mainstay of my “low impact” lifestyle. I looked for every opportunity to live out the “reduce, reuse, recycle” credo that had been instilled in me during my formative years in the cradle of the environmental movement that was mid-1970s Seattle.

After a decade toiling under the weight of government bureaucracy, I was looking for a creative outlet, and I found it at the bottom of a glass of Rough Stock Whiskey. Blogs and YouTube were booming, and I had just stumbled headlong into the next chapter of the craft beverage revolution, micro and locally distilled spirits. As a kid in rural Montana without satellite television, magazines had been my lifeline to the outside world, and as I drove home I imagined a digital periodical that would serve to share this exciting new facet of craft culture with locavores, spirits enthusiasts, and conscious consumers alike.

That was several years ago now, and while there have been challenges and growing pains, we have enjoyed every moment of our journey. I mean, it’s hard not to considering the incredible community we get to be a part of, the wonderful people we meet, and the amazing craft spirits we get to enjoy. We’ve created a website, published magazines, produced videos, and generally done whatever we can to promote craft spirits and microdistilling to the world.

For me, it’s been an incredible gift. An opportunity to learn and grow, and to realize in this one endeavor all the factors that have influenced me over the years. Of returning to a more natural balance, of taking responsibility for my part in the cycle, of refining taste and experience. Of choosing a life, distilled.

My name is Cobey Williamson, and I am a microshiner.

Continue reading

Share:

A Toast to Independence

What better time than the Fourth of July to redefine ourselves, a day set aside to commemorate the declaration of independence made by a group of daring and intrepid souls who had the vision and fortitude to forge a new system of governance based on opportunity and equality for all. What better time than Independence Day to challenge the status quo, to reaffirm our commitment to our core values and the community of individuals who share them. Let this then be our own declaration, a declaration of our resolve to create a better world through a spirit of transparency and egalitarianism.

This is the mission of MicroShiner - to promote the craft culture and small batch lifestyle that we believe will drive and define the next epoch in human independence. Whether it’s craft spirits, bespoke clothing, furniture made of reclaimed hardwood, farm to table cuisine, or handmade shoes, our goal is to introduce you to the people who are filling the space that digital technology and automation have left behind.

The world is evolving at a breakneck pace, but some things never change. Our need for sustenance and camaraderie are as strong as ever, perhaps even more so. The things that leave us truly fulfilled - a firm handshake, a warm embrace, music, laughter, good food and fine spirits - these things are universal. They are the foundation of the human experience, and what we here at MicroShiner have committed ourselves to bringing you.

We are excited about the future. We are thrilled about the new partnerships we have forged with platforms like Barnraiser and contributors like Lorrae Bradbury that will allow us to reach even more people with even higher quality content. Because it is the people, and that brilliant streak of entrepreneurship and independence that separates them from a robot on the assembly line, that makes MicroShiner and the community it serves what it is.

Cheers ~

Continue reading

Share:

@barnraiser Brings Members of the Food Revolution Together Under One Roof

We're stoked to be sharing the news that our friends over at Barnraiser.us, the web's largest good food and healthy living platform, have finally unveiled their Discover search and recommendation engine.

Since raising their own roof in 2014, Barnraiser has served as the 21st Century incarnation of the traditional community barnraising, providing a platform for producers to connect with the deliberate consumers who are looking to support them. Just as people once gathered to literally raise a barn in an afternoon, Barnraiser brings members of the new food movement together with the tools necessary for building an agricultural economy for the modern era.    

With the launch of their new Discovery platform, Barnraiser connects the growing millions of people who care about how they eat and what the impact of that production has on our world with over 40,000 food makers, farmers, chefs and tastemakers. On Barnraiser visitors can access a vast and growing collection of ethical and sustainable options, sorted and filtered by any number of  user specific criteria. Looking for an urban CSA? Barnraiser can help. Want to go paleo? Click here. Edible insects? Barnraiser has them.

Barnraiser first launched its crowdfunding platform almost 2 years ago, achieving 3x industry standard success rates and raising millions for projects across 45 states. Today, they're expanding the site's feature set with Barnraiser Discover, a growing corner of the internet where a community of over 40,000 food makers, farmers, chefs and tastemakers are made available to users through both search and recommendation.

"Barnraiser’s modern day heros - artisan food makers, farmers and tastemakers - can both raise capital as well as build and claim free profiles that attract an engaged community of fans, supporters and customers,” said Eileen Gordon, Founder and CEO of Barnraiser. “People need a way to support their healthy lifestyles, environment and community and Barnraiser is that platform of support for the local makers and people who are at the forefront of this new food revolution."

We’re Building This Together. . .

For more information contact Barnraiser at: www.barnraiser.us/ and on social platforms as @Barnraiser.

Continue reading

Share:

@montanyarum Wants to See More #Diversity in Craft Spirits

Karen Hoskins of Montanya Distillers shares her thoughts on diversity and equal opportunity in craft distilling.

Continue reading

Share:

#DrinkBetter, #DrinkLocal

Beyond merely promoting craft spirits, what we here at MicroShiner aim to do is move the needle toward a more sustainable and fulfilling existence . We acknowledge the multitude of people engaged in this shared endeavor, and see ourselves as merely one facet of a greater effort. Our particular angle is to serve as a focal point for that community, to provide a curated media experience that further inspires engagement and collaboration, and to maintain a platform for connecting people with the producers and products that align with their personal values.

Throughout history, people have realized their need to be entertained, informed and inspired. Here at MicroShiner we extend that tradition, creating and relating media that tells the story of mankind's achievement of its fullest potential. Embedded in that story are the tools necessary for bringing it to  fruition.

MicroShiner is our vision of what is possible and our way of inspiring people toward that vision. And what better way to get something done than over a glass of craft spirits?

Craft distilling is only the latest in a series of shifts in the paradigm of production in America, but it is an important one. One reason why it is so important is because, more so than coffee and beer, spirits production is capital intensive. There aren't many cash flow businesses in the spirits world. So if an industry such as spirits can be distributed, there is reason to believe it can be done in value-added manufacturing across the board.

Unarguably, a distributed network is more resilient than a centralized one. A community that can meet its own needs internally​ is better off than one that cannot.  Motivating the development of that capacity, in communities as well as individuals, is the true purpose behind our project.

It is our goal, and our role in the craft movement as we see it, to raise awareness, the awareness that small is beautiful, that personal is better, that what happens locally is most important, because the whole is merely the aggregate of its parts.

#DrinkBetter #DrinkLocal

Continue reading

Share:

Cocktails, Yes. Craft Spirits, Not So Much.

Much like its island cousins offshore, Southern California has the perfect climate for enjoying cocktails. Wine rules the state further north, and while Napa Valley chardonnay can certainly be found on every menu, there is just something about the SoCal lifestyle that lends itself to the mixologist’s art.

Unfortunately, while a well made drink is easy to come by, finding one made with local, or even craft, spirits is a lot more difficult. A recent foray into LA and the Coachella Valley turned up lots of great places to enjoy a cocktail, but few that catered to craft tendencies.

First stop was the lounge at Melvyn’s, a Palm Springs classic. Once the haunt of such desert legends as Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, Melvyn’s is still the place to be for anyone wanting the ultimate martini bar experience. Just don’t expect it to include craft spirits.

With the Purple Room closed for renovations, the Amigo Room at the Ace Hotel played pinch hitter. Part of a worldwide collection of reimagined accommodations, the Ace in Palm Springs caters to the hip Coachella and LA Basin crowds that descend on the desert each winter season. In the Amigo is found an amalgamation of dank tavern and 70’s discoteque, but not much in the way of local spirits. A request for something made in California yielded Hanger 1 on one occasion and “how about Texas?” i.e. Tito’s the next, both of which were certainly craft at one point, somewhere in their distant past. Still, plenty of craft beer, the vibe and local musical talent made for a worthwhile stop, especially considering the swim club and late night menu at the salvaged roadside diner next door.

The highlight of the trip, however, was a visit to the Lincoln, a new project along Venice Beach designed by Matt Winter and executed by Cameron Dodge-White. Extremely well done, with attention to every detail, this is a bar that blurs the line between upscale and dive in a way that would seem impossible to do if wasn’t already a reality. Anchored solidly in Dodge-White’s Midwestern roots, the guiding tenet at the Lincoln is a place to go to have a real drink. No food (other than the complimentary hot dogs), no nonsense, just a highly curated selection of beer, wine, and spirits.

But even here the micro-distiller presence was lacking, and local spirits completely non-existent. The question of California spirits was answered by a lengthy dissertation on the inadequacy of native Golden State production. Journeyman Spirits’ Last Feather Rye, a nod to Dodge-White’s home state of Michigan, was the only craft label behind the bar, but a couple fingers of that over ice, along with the sublime atmosphere and exceptional service, helped make this fact much easier to swallow.

That’s not to say that craft is completely unheard of in Southern California, only that it is diluted and therefore slower to get noticed. A small producer is easily lost in the vastness of greater Los Angeles, and getting on the shelf in neighborhood bars challenging at best. The future of craft in SoCal, for the near term, probably looks more like a larger regional producer such as Our / Los Angeles, or in niche bars and restaurants that focus specifically on offering craft.

Which is exactly the recipe for success at Eureka! in Indian Wells. An established SoCal chain that is spreading its reach into other craft conscious locales as Austin, Boise, and Boulder, the spirits menu at Eureka! was a veritable who’s who of craft elite. Offerings included such reputable whiskey producers as Corsair, Westland, and Balcones alongside cocktail friendly spirits like Ascendant Spirits American Star vodka and Anchor Distilling Junipero Gin. Tasty gastropub fare and a trendy yet relaxed ambiance appealed to tourist and desert dwelling local alike.

The exciting thing in all of this is the massive potential for growth. With an ample market and plenty of industrial space just waiting to be repurposed, it’s only a matter of time before craft begins to really take off in Southern California. And with that comes the opportunity to explore a multitude of unique spirits, inspiring locations, and personal expressions. The incomparable essence of craft mixed with that quintessential SoCal style.

Continue reading

Share:

@timwenger1: Silver Linings

I rode alone up Loveland Ski Area’s Lift 6 up and tilted the whiskey flask to my lips. “Cheers to the best season of my life.” My friends Andy and Jeff were two chairs ahead of me, pointing toward the vast ridge on our right. As we drew closer to timberline the fresh white snow beneath reflected the brightness of Colorado’s springtime sun. The lift carried us up to chase the next clue in New Belgium’s spring skiing scavenger hunt. Watching my friends plot out our next run, I thought back on the past five months.

I had experienced the steep chutes and deep powder of Jackson Hole’s backcountry access gates for my bachelor party in January. I had hiked high above tree line at Whistler Blackcomb, dropping into terrain I’d seen in photos and videos for years but never thought I’d get the chance to ride. I had taken the snow cat to 13,000 feet and ridden the longest runs of the season back to the base just above I-70 at my home mountain of Loveland, and skirted down one of the area’s most difficult runs, the Number 3 Headwall. Not a bad winter - and the forecast for the next month looked promising for late season snow - good for recreational uses as well as an extra cushion of water to minimize the wild fire risk as summer creeps in.

We strapped in together at the top of the lift. To our right, a man dressed up in a bunny costume barreled past us. This had to be the next clue in the hunt, we decided. We rode as fast as we could after him and cornered him next to a tree about a half mile down the mountain. It turned out that the goal was to snap a photo of our team with this bunny. Check.

The bunny hinted at a group of people gathered around a makeshift sign at the bottom of the terrain park to our right. “Let’s cut through those trees and into the terrain park on the other side,” I said. “We’ll still be able to make it down towards the next clue.”

They both agreed. We headed through a sparse grove of trees under warm spring sun and dropped into the park area. I jetted down the left side of the run and approached a rail I had ridden before - a rainbow box with a smooth transition and easy landing. I checked my speed into the final approach and ollied onto the box. The nose of my board slapped the box. I careened off to the right and tumbled down the icy slope. My board caught on the edge of the rail and twisted my legs sharply to the left.

I hit the ground and slid to a stop. My left ankle throbbed. I glanced around in panic. I dragged myself to the side of the run. It felt as though the ankle was in a vice. A sharp pain shot up my leg as I lay down in the snow. Jeff rode up.

“Are you going to be able to make it down?” he said.

“I don’t know yet. Give me a few minutes. You guys can go on ahead if you want.”

“No, that was a nasty spill. We might need to call the Ski Patrol.”

“Stop being a bitch, dude, let’s go!” Andy yelled from below. “We’re going to miss the next checkpoint.”

“He might have a broken ankle,” Jeff said.

I sat up. The mountains spun around me. “I can make it down.” The perceived humiliation of riding the toboggan down was too much for me. These guys would never let me hear the end of it.

“Are you sure?” Jeff said. “I can call ski patrol right now.”

“I’ll be ok.”

I rode switch down the mountain, my bad ankle on the back half of the board instead of the front like in my normal stance. I fell down every three or four turns, embarrassed to look like a tourist. When I reached the bottom of the hill, my ankle still throbbed heavily and I struggled to unstrap from the board. Jeff and Andy assisted me in walking to a bench. Almost unbearable pain took over my leg. I knew my season was over. I told them to go back out and finish the scavenger hunt.

“I’m just glad this happened in April instead of December,” I said.

“Yeah but there are still two months left,” Jeff said. “Are you going to go to the clinic?”

“Not until we get back to town. I’ll be alright for a while, just don’t take all day. I can only handle watching everyone else ride for a couple hours at most.” I chewed on what I had said to them. Why is it that I have pursued this hobby so heavily? Riding a board made of wood and fiberglass down a mountain over and over must seem crazy to most people. I knew the answers: travel and adventure. This season alone, snowboarding took me to British Columbia, Wyoming, and all across Colorado. It provided an excuse to catch up with friends new and old. It helped me get outside and stay in decent shape. I’ve always enjoyed checking out the scene in different ski towns and always made a point to talk with other riders about where they have been and where they’re headed next.

It’s a labor of love. Much like craft distilling. A common theme in mountain states like Colorado and Montana - there is a lot of love going on. I’ve always thought that it has something to do with the region - those who prioritize living in the mountains seem to have a higher tendency of also prioritizing a strong work-life balance. Mixing in a love for the outdoors with a line of work built from passion is a common theme around here. Two weeks after I broke my ankle I took off to play a weekend of shows with my band. On the way to meet up with the guys down in Durango I stopped in at Wood’s High Mountain Distilling in Salida and spoke with owner and head distiller P.T. Wood. Wood and his brother Lee formed the business that offers lines of both gin and whiskey, their Treeline Gin and Tenderfoot Whiskey being the most well known. In line with his desire to increase the balance between work and life, Wood’s is gearing up to release spirits in an aluminum can, perfect for the outdoors. The Backcountry Bottle will be hopefully available by summer. “It’s for guys going on river trips, hut trips, backpack trips,” Wood said.  

“This came from being a river guide,” Wood said. “Going out and doing lots of river trips, sitting around the campfire drinking whiskey. On one of my early Grand Canyon trips in the early nineties one of the local bar guys brought three different ammo cans with a variety of different bourbons and Scotch and Irish whiskeys. We went through probably fifteen different whiskeys on that trip and talked about (distilling). That was the original inspiration.”

After years of talking and planning and a failed attempt in the early 2000’s, Wood gave up on the dream for a bit. “It started back up in 2008,” he said. Watching bigger names like Stranahan’s and Peach Street Distillers pop up around the state put a burning desire in Wood’s head to take his knowledge and put it into a distilling business. The market was tough, and the start-up costs were high. Craft beer took all the glory in those days. But Wood’s High Mountain Distilling took a small town DIY attitude and started bottling spirits that appealed to the mountain men and river bums living the outdoors lifestyle around the state of Colorado.

“The craft beer guys came into this world when there wasn’t any good beer to be had, so that was a pretty easy route to market. In distilling, the big guys are making great juice. There is crap for sure, but it’s a little bit different. That being said, people love small and they love local.”

Prominently displayed in the front of the distilling area is Wood’s original 50 gallon pot still, nicknamed Ashley. Built in the 1800s, Ashley is Wood’s original still and was used until P.T. and his crew brought in a larger 250 gallon homemade still called Frankenstill. Currently, Wood’s is in the process of acquiring a new 500-gallon system to increase their capacity above the their annual mark of 15,000 bottles. Not bad for a business that acquired their DSP on November 13, 2012.

In addition to the Treeline Gin line and Tenderfoot whiskey, check out Wood’s Mountain Hopped Gin, Alpine Rye Whiskey, and Fleur de Sureau Elderflower Liqueur. Order online at woodsdistillery.com. A little bit of Wood’s helped mask the pain of what turned out to be a broken ankle. While seriously affecting my work-life balance at the moment, I should be good to go for river season, with an aluminum bottle of whiskey sitting in my dry bag.

Tim Wenger is a Denver-based microshiner, journalist, musician, and avid snowboarder. Check in with him at @timwenger1 and catch more of his work at Colorado Music Buzz, Snowboard Colorado, and his weekly talk show on worldviral.tv

Continue reading

Share:

Who Are These MicroShiners You Speak Of?

The easy answer to that question is to say that a microshiner is a micro-distiller or someone who enjoys craft spirits, but that merely scratches the surface. In reality there is much more to being a microshiner than just the alcohol. 

It could be said that a microshiner is the modern version of Prohibition's scofflaw, except today it isn’t the law that is flaunted so much as convention. A microshiner is a reactionary, someone who took a look around and said, “Thanks for the inspiration, but I’m going about this my own way.” Microshiners are risk takers, explorers, pioneers. They are not content accepting the status quo. They realize living a deliberate life is the highest form of art, and they aim to live it well.

The first thing to note about a microshiner is that they choose to live by principle, and their choices are based on value. They are unwilling to settle for the convenient, choosing rather to seek out things of quality, items and associations that embody the manner in which they choose to live their lives.

Of course, they enjoy spirits. The name itself is a nod to small group of insurgents, sappers who are quietly tunneling their way beneath the edifices of the beverage alcohol market. Slowly breaching each fortification the industry had erected to insulate itself, this underground force has quietly taken the thread that began with the craft beer movement to its logical conclusion. 

They distilled it.

Distilling is about reducing something to its very essence, and the essence of a microshiner is authenticity, the authenticity that comes with the freedom of personal expression, in word, style, and deed. Being a microshiner is about being authentic. It is about taking ownership of every facet and instance of our lives, and being deliberate with our choices. And it is bigger than trends or fads because it relates to functions essential in the maintenance of a civil society, the manufacture of goods and provisions.

It begins with craft spirits, however they are merely the gateway to the journey. 

At its core, this movement is about relationships, between producers and their process, the process and the product, the product and those who make use of and enjoy it. A microshiner takes none of those relationships for granted, and in fact exalts them. 

A microshiner is a member of a larger craft culture, a growing community of producers and consumers who are creating a modern expression of quality. A tribe of individuals who find the subtle differences in style, texture, and taste that come from local materials and hands-on methods preferable to what is offered on the common market.

As microshiners, we concern ourselves with terroir. We savor the differences in weather that influences those in dress between the Pacific Northwest and New England. When we travel, we don’t want to see what we saw back home, nor do we feel there is any reason we should have to. We prefer our New England fisherman’s sweater be truly from New England, just as we would our clams. For a microshiner, this manifests in a focus on distillation, with a goal in mind of returning terroir to the realm of spirits and repairing our fractured cocktail heritage.

At its most elemental, a microshiner is an individual who enjoys life, distilled.

Continue reading

Share:

This is What MicroShiner is All About

Before MTV launched in 1981, there were really only 3 television channels in the United States. Which meant everyone in the entire country was tuned into the same programming. Prime time’s number one program in 1980, CBS’s Dallas, routinely captured over 20 million of the approximately 80 million US television viewers that year. This translates to nearly one quarter of the nation’s population walking, talking, and spending its money like JR.

The effect of this mass indoctrination was to teach us to all want the same thing. Hardly anyone in 1987 was combing the internet for obscure brands or otherwise looking for ways to set themselves apart. About the best one could ask for was a pair of Nikes and a Bud Light.

At that time, there was somewhere around four and a half billion people in the world. Soon that number will have doubled. Amidst this sea of humanity, creating a unique identity is paramount. Being extraordinary becomes more important than being like Mike.

In its quest for efficiency, the mass market served to homogenize. It capitalized on comparative advantage and inequality. It was designed around planned obsolescence. Individuality and autonomy was its sacrifice.

Today there is a different movement afoot. One focused on distinction, on originality, on personal expression. Out of the shadow of the assembly line, a new vision has appeared. It spans the recent dark age of craftsmanship, connecting the old world with our modern era. 

Around this movement, a community has grown. People who understand there is such a thing as quality in the world, and who aspire to attain it. People who want to experience life through personal connections. MicroShiner was created to serve them.

MicroShiner is a destination designed to unite the craft community and connect them with producers and purveyors who share their passion for quality. Our goal is to curate the very best in spirits, goods, and culture from the craft space and share these sources of inspiration with the world.

Ours is a vision of the future. A future in which, upon meeting our basic needs, we aim higher. Where the term craft carries meaning, not merely as a marketing buzzword, but as a vital economic force that serves to strengthen our communities while enriching our lives.

In the spaces between these loftier goals, we champion kinship and good cheer, fueled by fine spirits. We believe that by focusing on the simplest aspects of life - a cocktail infused with love and attention to detail, spirits bottled by hand, a pair of benchcrafted boots - and refining them, we make the world a better place.

It is our belief that the quality of our experiences determines their worth, not the quantity of them. To that end, we seek to bring together the stories, images, and understanding necessary for you to craft your own unique expression of life, distilled. We hope you’ll join us on this journey.

Continue reading

Share:

Zen and the Art of Micro-distillation

In his seminal work Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig argues for the existence of something called Quality. There's such a thing as Quality in this world, he says, and it's real, not style. According to Pirsig, pursuit of Quality is the impetus for all human endeavor, and the consequence of this effort, what we call art. In this case, the Art of Micro-distillation.

Like many who have contemplated the Path to Enlightenment in terms of their daily existence, Pirsig also hints to the fact that there is as much value in the practice of art as there is in actually creating it. The real beauty of any art, whether in practice or form, is that it serves as a lens, a mirror upon which we can reflect. A person who sets out to practice the Art of Micro-distillation may not initially intend this practice as zen, but as they develop mindfulness through the exercise of their craft they will undoubtedly begin to strip away the trappings, the gilding that is employed to mask the absence of Quality. Through practice, and an unyielding quest for Quality, they distill their art to its essential form, that of pure spirit.  

Inviting as that sounds, those of us not fortunate enough to be micro-distillers need not run out and become one. Rather we may rejoice in the inspiration of their example and seek similar attainment through our own pursuit of Quality. In craft, whether by practicing our own or supporting that of others, we can discover a personal path to Quality, the virtue of which is not its only reward.

Practicing a craft lifestyle is itself a manner of such pursuit. It involves developing awareness and making conscious, deliberate choices in order to bring about outcomes that align with a particular set of values, then providing space to appreciate not only those outcomes, but the process of attaining them. It is a manner of living that is based on the contemplation of our relationship with the goods and services we attain, not merely the consumption of them. It is about asking yourself “why am I buying this?” and finding contentment in the answer.

The craft lifestyle also serves to reestablish our connection with natural orders, our relationship with our community and our environment. It gets us thinking about where products come from and who made them, and the implications of the process of their creation. Craft culture is not content with simply taking a box off a shelf and blindly trusting what is written on it. Those who practice a craft lifestyle seek Quality, and will not accept a mere assurance of it. It is something they must determine for themselves.

My personal feeling is that this is how any further improvement of the world will be done: by individuals making Quality decisions and that's all. - Robert Pirsig

Continue reading

Share:

Atelier is Japanese for Netflix

Atelier is French for “studio”, which makes it an apropos title for a web series about a bespoke lingerie maker, as the term lingerie is itself derived from the French word for linen. All this francophonie influence could almost be considered de rigueur for a program based in the decidedly French world of haute couture. The twist with Atelier is the fact that it is set in Japan.

This Netflix creation, produced in association with Japanese conglomerate Fuji, is an example of the video streaming service’s new push toward creating native content for its now global audience. With Netflix reaching nearly every nation on earth, this Japanese-language series is a whole new type of cross-cultural programming designed for the world’s first global Internet TV network.

The storyline revolves around President Nanjo’s atelier in Ginza, where she and her staff design and create bespoke lingerie for an upscale clientele. Mayuko is a girl from the country with a fetish for fabrics, who along with friend Yuri, seeks to carve a niche for herself in the hierarchy of one of the most luxurious fashion districts in the world.

Cocktails and spirits abound in this study of Japanese craft culture, with exquisitely ritualized preparations of Nanjo-sensei’s afternoon coffee enjoying time in the spotlight as well. Routinely, the two young women meet at their favorite cocktail bar, a classy Tokyo speakeasy, to commiserate about the challenges of acclimating to the exacting world of Japanese high fashion. Here, as with much that is depicted, American viewers are presented with a situation that appears vastly foreign. None of the regulars in the place ever attempt to hit on the girls, instead maintaining a refreshingly respectful, and even fatherly, manner. Anywhere in the US, two attractive single women slamming drinks at a bar would ostensibly attract sharks like blood in the water.

The beauty of Atelier for a foreign viewer is found in this examination of Japanese etiquette, particularly its workplace culture. While to a Japanese national the show may seem more akin to The Office, to an average American the cultural landscape it portrays is wholly unfamiliar, challenging assumptions about our own deportment. For those willing to look past the subtitles, Atelier offers a charming, sincere, and often quite humorous alternative to the familiar American, or even European, lens.

Equally as important as the show’s individual merits is that with it Netflix has opened the floodgates for an almost endless array of programming aimed at providing its global viewership with a cultural insider’s perspective. Rather than the caricatures that often dominate non-native productions, Atelier is presented in the same light that the culture sees itself. Considering the appeal of this one, it isn’t hard to imagine, as Netflix chief of content Ted Sarandos put it, “great scripted series about contemporary life” in any part of the world.

Continue reading

Share:

Unearthed Arcana: Vol. 1 - The List We Would Make If We Had The List App

Every day, as we move through the virtual realm where many of us spend a large portion of our waking time, we continuously encounter new and intriguing developments. Some are tools, some are services, and some are communities such as ours. All of them are exciting, as they serve to disrupt a status quo that hasn't experienced change of this degree in quite some time.

With this regular column, we'll introduce you to some of our latest finds, and we encourage you to share your own with us in the comments, on Twitter, or via The List App.

Event Up - Looking for the perfect venue  to rent for your next event? Event Up lets you browse over 10,000 venues, or you can leave the planning to them. Surprisingly, there are only 4 distilleries listed.

Dinner Lab - Sign up for Dinner Lab and you may well find yourself in one of the venues listed on Event Up, enjoying an incredible pop-up dining experience. Curated from the best up and coming chefs and most adventurous dining companions, Dinner Lab is your ticket into the foodie underground.

Grasswire - The premise behind Grasswire is that we can all be journalists, similar to the way Wikipedia allows anyone to write an encyclopedia. Its an open newsroom with the potential to complete change the way news is captured and delivered. Whether Grasswire itself can leverage that potential is yet to be seen, but rest assured, its a disruptive concept with legs and likely the future of news service.

CultureMap Austin - Anyone who has been to Austin, Texas knows that you can pretty much throw a stone and hit something fun and tasty. And its seems that every town in America has its source for local lifestyle news, including where to eat and what to do. But in the rapidly evolving Austin scene, CultureMap ups the ante with its mobile content and daily updates.

Li.st - We're envious of iOS users, who already have access to The List App. Brainchild of BJ Novak, this nifty app is what BuzzFeed would be if it was cool and crowd-sourced. Members of the community can create, view, and share lists ranging from their favorite movies to the top washing machines you can buy for less than a grand. Can you say "sponsored content from Consumer Reports"?

Check them out and hit us up with your thoughts!

Continue reading

Share:

@TravelNoKids: Old South Meets New Craft

Savannah, Georgia is known for its history, slow pace and the oak trees dripping with Spanish moss that shade the 22 squares around the historic district. Local shop owners drawl “Welcome, y’all” when you pop in to look around. The deliberate pace and slower speech can trick you into believing it’s a sleepy little town. But high above River Street, overlooking the Savannah River, Rocks on the River stands in contrast to everything else you’ll likely take in as a tourist.

On the 9th floor of the Bohemian Hotel, Rocks on the Roof is the place to get a cocktail in this town.

 

Forget ordering a Moscow Mule. You’ll want the Savannah Mule. With house-made ginger liqueur, it’s unlike any Mule you’ve ever had.

Doug Snyder, the food and beverage director at the Bohemian Hotel, had just made a fresh batch of ginger liqueur the night I arrived. He estimated it would only last a few weeks, but six days later he was out.

A popular watering hole for both locals and visitors, the 300 person capacity at Rocks on the River puts pressure on bartenders to turn out drinks fast.

“Sometimes it can take five to six minutes to get a craft cocktail made for you,” said Snyder. “That’s entire too long for a place as busy as we are.

“After a busy day at work, when you belly up to the bar and you order that first drink, you want – and need – that drink. “

Instead of shying away from offering craft cocktails, Snyder decided back in April to try a barrel-aged cocktail program. The cocktails take anywhere from six to nine weeks to age, but you can get a drink in front of you within 60-90 seconds of ordering.

“I’ve always been very passionate about craft cocktails and just doing fun, unique ingredients and making things as special as possible,” said Snyder. “We want to be able to deliver that craft cocktail experience but be able to do it in a very timely manner.”

Currently, Rocks on the Roof has five barrel-aged cocktails and two draft cocktails.

“The draft cocktails are a little different,” explained Snyder. “They’re not barrel-aged, they’re in stainless steel kegs that are refrigerated so we can finish them with fresh juices and still provide that artisan cocktail in a quick service pickup environment.”

Five- and ten-liter barrels house the rest of the cocktails in the offering. The two most popular cocktails on the menu – the “Over the Barrel Perfect Manhattan,” with Four Roses Bourbon, and the “Blood Orange Margarita” take up four to five of the 10-liter barrels, with several five-liter barrels as backups.

Keeping it local

But the beauty of the craft cocktails at Rocks on the Roof goes beyond the barrel room. It starts with the liquor itself, which is sourced from regional small-batch distilleries. Snyder says it’s simply how he was trained as a chef years ago.

“When I was learning to cook, that’s what you did. You went to the farm down the street and bought your produce. You went to the guy who was making beer in his garage, and that’s what you sold on draught.”

“We want to be able to put a face with a name,” Snyder explained. “I want to be able to tell customers that if they come back in six weeks the guy who owns and distills this will be here for a tasting with us. Or if they’re headed south, I want to tell them to stop off in St. Augustine and go visit our friends at St. Augustine Distillery.”

It’s far from lip service. The night I visited Rocks on the Roof, four distillers whose liquors are found in the barrel-aged cocktail program were on hand for an event during the Savannah Food & Wine Festival.

I learned about how Fruitland Vodka, which you can find in the Savannah Tea, is named after Fruitland Nurseries, the birthplace of Georgia’s peaches – which used to sit on the land where the storied Augusta National now resides. I met Philip McDaniel, the cofounder of St. Augustine Distillery, and his wife, longtime St. Augustine residents and the city’s biggest ambassadors.

And it wasn’t the first trip any of these distillers had made to Savannah. They all spoke with Snyder –and each other – like old friends.

“They’re like us,” said Snyder, “they’re passionate about their product. They put a lot of love into it.

“We try and make something beautiful and special out of their product. It’s a kindred spirit kind of thing.”

Bartenders who are artists

It takes more than just Snyder to make the magic happen. You can’t have a successful craft cocktail program like the one at Rocks on the River without a talented staff. These aren’t college kids tending bar to make ends meet. They’re true professionals who take pride in their craft.

“Savannah is sort of known for finding out what the rest of the world was doing a year ago,” jokes Synder. “What we try and do is bring in some of these people who are moving to this area from high-profile markets.”

Rocks on the River has bartenders who relocated from Las Vegas and Philly, and another coming soon from Cleveland.

“Don’t knock Cleveland,” said Snyder. “People don’t realize it’s a crazy foodie and cocktail town.”

Snyder says the whole staff is involved in developing the craft cocktail menu, which rotates several of its drinks seasonally.

“We all travel around and pick up inspiration,” said Snyder. “Everyone comes back with ideas and we all talk about what we’ve seen, what we do and don’t like. As long as it’s not too crazy and off the wall and we think it’ll work here, we’re generally willing to try it.”

When you’re the one traveling and find yourself in Savannah, make sure you stop by Rocks on the Roof and give one of the craft cocktails a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Kristi Dosh is a Florida-based travel and sports writer, published author, microshiner and former practicing attorney. You can find more of her travel, food and beverage writing at www.travelingwithoutkids.com and follow her on Instagram: @travelingwithoutkids

Continue reading

Share: