Great Lakes Distillery

Day 307, Cocktail 309

On Saturday Gwen’s Newcomer’s group set up an outing to the Great Lakes Distillery.  GLD is the first distillery in Milwaukee since Prohibition and began operation a few years ago with their flagship Reehorst Vodka.  Since then they have branched out to include Reehorst gin, Roaring Dan’s rum (made with maple syrup) and absinthe.

We got a quick tour of the distillery, hosted by Jason Neu.  The tour was quick because essentially they have the still (pictured) and a few racks for aging (they are experimenting with bourbon and brandy right now), and … that’s it.  It really is booze production at its most elemental!

While I had the opportunity to sample the rum and absinthe I’m going to focus on the gin since I was able to enjoy a Reehorst gin martini while waiting for our tour to start.  The mix was pretty simple – a generous (probably 5 oz) pour of gin, a dash of cherry bark bitters and a twist. 

It was a pretty good martini.  GLD makes their Reehorst gin unique with the addition of Wisconsin grown gingsen and basil.  The addition of these flavors takes some of the edge off the juniper, making this a more accessible gin – several in our group who profess to not like gin enjoyed this one.

All in all it is great to see a local producer making high quality spirits from local ingredients.  I look forward to tinkering with the Reehorst gin and the Roaring Dan rum in the future.  Stay tuned!

Cheers!

LuLu’s and Bryant’s

Day 255, Cocktails 253 & 254

My good friend and associate Miles was in town Wednesday night and we got together for a few cocktails.  Getting together with Miles is always fun, in part because he is knowledgeable about wine, beer and spirits (I guess that part time gig at the wine store helps) and we always have some good conversation as well as good drinks.

Miles is a huge Bryant’s fan, but I suggested we try Cafe Lulu first since he had not been there and we could grab some food if need be.  The menu, cocktails and patrons at Lulu are an eclectic bunch, which makes the place that much more interesting.  The cocktail I had there was a Sweet Violet and consists of Rehorst vodka (a locally distilled product), Pages Creme de Violette and a splash of sour.  The attraction of this cocktail is the Creme de Violette, which until just a couple of years ago, was virtually unavailable in the US.  Fortuntately, it is back and is helping make tasty cocktails again.  This was a good cocktail, with the floral flavor of the Creme de Violette nicely accented by the sour.  Since vodka was the base, there was no disconcerting collisions in this drink.  Definately a winner!

After our drink at Lulu’s Miles was ready to head back to Bryant’s and I was happy to oblige.  John and Emily were manning the bar when we arrived.  I asked for something with bourbon and ginger flavors.  John obliged me with something he called a Dana and Dan cocktail.  It was bourbon, ginger beer and peach schnapps, served in a collins glass on ice.  It was delicious!  The strong and slightly spicey ginger of the ginger beer held up well against the bourbon and the peach schnapps provided a nice fruity note on the end of this drink.  Well done, again, John!

After a cocktail at Bryant’s we were both ready to call it a night (hey, it was a school night!).  You can be sure, though, that I’m looking forward to Miles’ next visit!

Cheers!