The 12 Days of Speakeasy: Day 12

“Ho, ho, the mistletoe, hung where you can see. Somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me.”
With the hot sun safely tucked below the northern hemisphere, Christmas time is the hour of the Ginger. Only now will your favorite redhead begin shedding her habitual layers of SPF. Like most Gingers one might find under the mistletoe, this holiday cocktail is a little tart and a slightly sweet. So pucker up buttercup, or someone else may slide in and steal your Ginger Kiss. Cheers!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love poured for me a:

Ginger Kiss

6 ounces Speakeasy vodka
The juice of 1 lemon
A 1 inch piece of ginger root, thinly sliced
½ ounce simple syrup
Splash of water – fizzy or flat

Add all of the ingredients into a large shaker with ice.  Shake it like a Polaroid picture. Strain and serve up. Makes 2 doses of mistletoe kiss potion  (serves 2.)

The Meriwether Cocktail

Meet the Meriwether. She’s a sassy little thing that packs a real punch.

Bartending genius and owner of The Blue Glass, Patricia Bellafanto is the master mixologist behind this delightful, slightly tart creation featuring Speakeasy vodka.

The Meriwether Cocktail begins with a generous pour of Speakeasy vodka. Add fresh lemon juice and a splash of Luxardo. Shake well and serve up. Add a float of Crème Yvette before serving to create a lovely layering effect. Drink with or without a twist of lemon (the bartenders at The Blue Glass have varying views on the subject.)

 

Here’s the answer to your next question: Crème Yvette is a delicious liqueur made from a blend of natural berry fruits (mainly blackberries), spices and violet petals. Their bottle claims it has “…been a favorite among bartenders for more than a century, it has been heralded as one of the most important cocktail ingredients of all time.”

Obviously the marketing folks at Crème Yvette are quite humble about their product…

The Blue Glass is the only bar in city where you can order your own Meriwether Cocktail. If you’re trying to impress your date, order this tribute to our namesake next time you’re out.

It works 80% of the time, 100% of the time.

The Blue Glass

704 NW 65th St

Seattle, WA 98117

206.420.1631

theblueglass.net

Speakeasy Vodka

Meriwether Distilling Company is excited to announce the upcoming release of Speakeasy Vodka.

In grand speakeasy tradition, our vodka is about cutting loose and coming together. Made from locally grown, organic heirloom rye, Speakeasy is distilled in small batches at our distillery in the Georgetown District of Seattle. We think it’s simply the best vodka you’ve ever tasted.

The first bottles will be available for purchase on June 22^nd, 2012! Buy your own and request it at your favorite bar or restaurant!

Due to a high volume of requests, individual bottle sales will be first come, first serve.  For information regarding sales or to reserve a case, please contact Michelle at michelle@meriwetherdistilleries.com.

Washington State’s Repeal Day

This Friday, June 1^st Washington state stores over 10,000 sq. feet will legally be allowed to sell liquor for the first time since prohibition. Although this issue has been hotly debated in the craft distilling world, we are very excited to see craft products available in more locations. Please support craft distillers by purchasing local spirits at a store near you!

Bottoms up Washington, here’s to our first Repeal Day!

Brand Evolution

In the eight months since I announced the launch of my distillery, I’ve been working tirelessly to get the doors open. Like the majority of craft distillers, I came into this business because I love spirits and felt a pull to create them. There is something truly American about the desire to build and invent things.

Within the last month our progress has accelerated. Nearly all the pieces my team has been working so hard on have fallen into place.  I have finalized my recipe and am producing the best vodka I’ve ever tasted. After purchasing and installing a larger still, we are now running five times the volume and producing spirits six days a week. Lastly (and most excitingly), we have been working with the TTB and expect to have our label approved within the next 10 days. Once we are given the final thumbs up, we will release our label and begin selling immediately.

Surprisingly, over the course of these eight months, I’ve seen my company change in unexpected ways.  We’ve explored who we are as a distillery and have created a foundation for who we’ll be in the future. Just like our vodka has evolved into something better, so has our brand. We believe these changes should not only reflect on the inside, but on the outside as well. Before we release any product, we wanted to release this: The new Meriwether Distilling Company logo.

We wouldn’t want to you confuse our products with anything sub par.

Approved!

I just received word this morning that Meriwether Distilling Company has been APPROVED for a Federal Distilled Spirits Permit (DSP)! This means we are now federally licensed and are only one small step away from producing alcohol. The federal paperwork is already in the mail and once the state receives a copy of it they will  issue our state permit. As soon as both the federal and state permits are in hand I can begin distilling! This should be sometime next week.

Cheers!

The End of an Era

Between 1919 and 1933, IRS agents known as revenuers destroyed thousands of stills used to produce illicit bootleg liquor.  During prohibition organized crime took over the booze market, creating a multi-million dollar criminal empire.  From Roy Olmstead in Seattle to Chicago King Pin Al Capone, everyone was in on the grift.

Prohibition fashioned a new style and excitement of drinking.  Speakeasy patrons ducked through secret entrances; disappeared through trapdoors and occasionally, ran from federal agents. The wealthy and fortuneless alike regularly took risks to enjoy a couple cocktails with friends and strangers.

Law enforcement, politicians and supporters of prohibition eventually realized a countrywide ban on liquor was impossible to enforce. They ultimately came to understand what we already know, that enjoying spirits is ingrained in modern society. To take it away is not only foolish, but a shift in the culture and freedom upon which our country was founded.  Albert Einstein said, “The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the Prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.”  Well said sir.

On this day in 1933, thirsty members of congress ratified the 21^st amendment, ending Prohibition and lifting the ban on alcoholic beverages. To this we raise our glass and toast the repeal of Prohibition, “For the teetotalers who knew not what they were thinking, because there is no good living where there is no good drinking…”

Make sure to duck into your favorite Speakeasy tonight and toast with a prohibition inspired cocktail. I’ll be drinking one of my all-time favorites, the Sidecar.

Sidecar

 1 ½ ounces brandy (or mix it up and try it with Bourbon)

 ½ ounce Cointreau

Juice from one lemon

Shake with ice and serve up with an optional sugar rim.  Cheers!