Tag: spirits

Love, Through Rosé Colored Glasses

Having reached the ripe old age of 37 with zero romantic prospects, I’m clearly not the person you should be seeking for Valentine’s Day advice. I may not know a thing about conventional relationships, but that doesn’t stop me from celebrating love in all forms. The traditional view of love feels the most foreign to me, defined more by what it isn’t than what it is, reserved for just one, rather than all. Beyond fireworks and butterflies, grand gestures and soul mates, love is in the details; love is as simple as kindness.

Cheers, to All Forms of Love

I’d like to raise a glass to love, to those with and without partners. Even if you’re alone on Valentine’s Day, let’s not forget about self love, which is arguably the most important kind of all. Selfish? Yes, and it’s important to be selfish at times. As many have told me when I grouse about the idea of “deserving” x, y, or z, you can’t pour from an empty cup. To that, I’d suggest you fill your own champagne flute first.

French 75, with a Twist

One of my favorite drinks of the moment is the French 75. Classic, classy, and always welcome at any party, it’s been described as a Tom Collins in a Tuxedo. That is to say, a combination of gin, lemon, and simple syrup topped off with champagne. Variations are endless given that simple start: A French 95 swaps gin for bourbon, and a French 125 opts for cognac instead. Personally, I’d like a rosier outlook for a lovely little indulgence.

The Pink of Perfection

Prickly Pear & Rose Waterloo Gin was the inspiration, lending a floral flavor and tint to the drink. Finishing with sparkling rosé instead of plain Brut Champagne was only natural, softening the hints of juniper to an incredibly nuanced, gently blushing spritz. The prickly pear adds a subtly rounded sweetness, the rose wafts through like perfume on a silk scarf, and the bubbles do what bubbles do best, by lifting everything up.

If Valentine’s Day feels heavy, complicated, or hollow, let this be your permission to reclaim it. Make something beautiful just for yourself. Toast to the people you adore, the ones who lift you up, and the version of you that’s still growing, learning, trying. Love can be as soft as a pink drink in a chilled flute, enjoyed in your own quiet company.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

A Clear Case for Vodka

Pulling off the road at the sight of the water tower looming overhead, the Dripping Springs Vodka distillery appears suddenly, like an oasis in Texas Hill Country. Established in 2005, it’s hard to imagine a time before these award-winning spirits splashed across the country, and even harder to believe that they were only the second to obtain a legal distilling license in the entire Lone Star State. Moonshine not withstanding, vodka is what paved the way forward to our now highly spirited landscape.

You can walk straight in, as if it was any other bar, and order one of many classic cocktails, or something more contemporary and creative, like a raspberry mojito or a watermelon cooler. The staff behind the counter won’t give you a scripted sales pitch; they actually talk to you. They’ll tell you about their personal favorites, what’s new, how the lemon vodka gets its bright, zesty bite from real peels, not syrup. If you ask about the stills, they’ll probably suggest you take the tour. If you hadn’t already come for that express purpose, you should.

Behind the Stills

The tour, like the actual distillery itself, is small. You’ll see the copper stills up close, where you can smell the midwestern sweet corn mid-ferment and feel the heat still lingering in the air. Guides will talk you through the history of the brand and the process of converting starches into drinkable alcohol, with plenty of samples along the way. Be sure to take notes if you hope to remember what you’ve learned from the experience, because they’re not stingy with their tasters.

“All vodka tastes the same.”
“Vodka has no flavor.”
“Only people who don’t like alcohol like vodka.”

Statements like these, and worse, have been bandied about by misinformed people since the inception of pot stills. I used to be one of them. Loudly, proudly declaring that I knew better than centuries of distillers and drinkers alike, I was unafraid of being so distinctly wrong. I’ve come to realize that my half-baked opinion was formed on a very limited sample of bottom shelf bottles that could have been easily swapped for household antiseptics without anyone noticing. Perhaps this is shocking, but the fact is, for vodka and every single other thing on this planet, quality changes everything.

Dripping Springs Vodka is quality. An easy way to judge, without ever putting a glass to your lips, is to look at the unique factors that define every bottle:

Small Batches in Copper Pot Stills

Working in 50‑gallon batches, Dripping Springs Vodka may be a huge national brand, but they still treat the business like an artisan upstart. Each patented, handcrafted copper pot still gets individual attention through its 13-hour cycle separating the heads and tails from the drinkable portion, known as the heart.

Distillation and Filtration

Often vodka brands will say “distilled multiple times,” but the exact number is less important than the approach. Just because a vodka is distilled 20 times doesn’t necessarily make it better than one that’s distilled only twice. Final clarification through activated charcoal is part of the signature flavor, too. The idea is to purify the elixir without stripping away its character.

Water Matters

As with New York pizza and San Francisco sourdough, the quality of the water makes a huge impact on the end results. After all that distillation, they finish with mineral‑rich artesian spring water from the Texas Hill Country. The water’s purity, minerality, the local terroir, is what really gives it such distinctive character.

Natural Flavoring, Minimal Intervention

Their flavored vodkas use real, natural ingredients (like fresh citrus zest and whole vanilla beans). Sugar is never added, despite the subtly sweet finish.

All About That Base

Vodka is known as a “neutral spirit,” so it’s hard to know what it began life as. Just about anything can turn into vodka, including wheat, rye, barley, corn, sorghum, rice, buckwheat, quinoa, potatoes, beets, sugarcane, molasses, honey, maple sap, apples, whey… We’ll be here all day if I can continue. Anything high in starch or sugar, mixed with yeast and water, is vodka fodder.

Anything can be added to it without affecting that designation, unless you venture into the territory of juniper. Add the smallest bit of juniper, and now it’s suddenly gin. As such, Dripping Springs Vodka also offers two types of gin; a more traditional take on London Dry, which is very juniper-forward, and a softer, more contemporary blend with hibiscus and cardamom.

More In Store

Behind the scenes, they’ve got their hands in a growing lineup of other spirits brands. Also in their vast portfolio, you’ll find:

Your best bet for stocking your own home bar is to visit the gift shop on your way out, where you’ll find limited runs of specialties not found anywhere else. The price is right, especially when you buy two bottles or more, and get a tasting flight for free.

Whether you came for the vodka, stayed for the whiskey, or just followed the water tower off the highway in search of a rest stop, you’ll find more than you expected, and probably leave wondering why you ever settled for anything less.

Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Desert Door

J.R.R Tolkein once said that of all the phrases in the English language, of all the endless combinations of words in all of history, that “cellar door” is the most beautiful. I would argue that this is only because the phrase Desert Door hadn’t yet been introduced to linguistic discourse.

Tucked away in a sleepy corner of the Texas Hill Country, Desert Door feels more like a southwestern resort than a distillery. Adorned with carefully curated cacti, earthen textures, and playful string lights, the dog-friendly patio implores visitors to come on in and stay a while. The spirited hum of live music drifts in and out of animated conversations between friends, all while beverages slowly dwindle.

So… What Is Sotol?

Comparisons to tequila are unavoidable; both come from Mexico, both are distilled spirits, both are made from resilient desert plants. Sotol, however, is made from the Dasylirion, also known as the desert spoon. Native to West Texas and northern Mexico, it’s a scrappy little plant that survives on limestone, sun, and stubbornness. Another near neighbor is mezcal, which is a similar agave-based spirit that has a much smokier, more savory character than sotol. Aging, infusing, and generally tweaking the distilling process can create many overlapping qualities that makes their differences increasingly difficult to distinguish.

How It’s Made

Harvested wild by hand, the hearts of the desert spoon are steamed, fermented, and then triple distilled into a crystal-clear spirit. Desert Door crafts three distinct expressions of their sotol, each telling a different story of the land.

  • The Original is smooth and bright, with hints of citrus, green herbs, and a clean finish; this is the one most would compare to traditional tequila.
  • The Oak-Aged spends at least one year resting in American white oak barrels, soaking in notes of toffee, dried fruit, and warm baking spices, not unlike whiskey.
  • Most unique and my personal favorite is the Conservation Series infused with botanicals like mesquite, honeysuckle, and sage that evoke the impression of gin, but without the polarizing taste of juniper.

The folks at Desert Door are passionate about doing things right: sustainable ingredients, zero-waste operations, and a fierce loyalty to their Texan terroir. Even if you’re not usually a spirits person, sotol feels surprisingly accessible. It’s the kind of versatile liquor that plays well with others, be it citrus, herbs, fresh fruits, or just a single ice cube, melting slowly like a summer sunset.

A Taste of Texas in a Glass

Naturally, I couldn’t leave without trying a cocktail (or two). While the tasting flight gave me a deep appreciation for the spirit on its own, I found that sotol truly sings in cocktails, where its earthy elegance can mingle and unfold alongside bright, bold flavors. The on-site bar offered a handful of inventive, locally-rooted options, but one drink in particular bloomed on the palate like a cactus flower after rare desert rain: a Prickly Pear Margarita. Vibrant, jewel-toned, and ever so slightly wild, it balanced sotol’s herbal backbone with a sweet-tart burst of prickly pear and just enough lime to make the whole thing sparkle. It’s grounding and uplifting all at once, much like the distillery itself.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments