Anyone who knows me knows that I look forward to Saint Valentine’s Day for one reason: all that fancy chocolate goes 50-percent off the following day! Well, this year was slightly different for two reasons. First, I received a bouquet of multicolored roses from a very thoughtful relative, which I complemented with a fresh cut roses candle (and maybe a glass of wine in the evening) to brighten my writing space. So that really made each day when I sat down to write or otherwise work on my computer. I was so sad when I had to toss them after they died.
Second, I registered for a “holiday” mixology class at the local distillery in the capitol on that Saturday night. I had been to several events at this location - ranging from their standard “open to the public” distillery tour to their tasting panels to evaluate their research and development efforts. So I was really looking forward to that, even though I felt a little intimidated that the event was sold out. That could mean too many people for me to feel comfortable.
The Event
Because the event was on a Saturday night, I was able to arrive early. In fact, I was the third person to arrive. They hadn’t finished setting up the production room for the event, so I hung out in the tasting room with the book that I had brought just in case. When we were invited into the event space, I chose a seat that I felt comfortable in at a table for four. But Hilary, the Lady of the Lair, asked me to move to the front and join a table of five ladies who had all come together. It was a little uncomfortable for me because they seemed a bit cliquish, but I did as Hilary asked. And it turned out that the mates at my corner of the table were very nice and inclusive. One of the ladies almost immediately asked about my book because she enjoyed historical fiction. By the end of the night, they were telling me stories and showing me photos of their past parties. I was so into the conversation with them that I didn’t even realize that I had forgotten my cell phone until one of them chased me down in the parking lot.
This event was basically structured just like the last mixology class that they hosted. It started out with an explanation of and a sampling of their current liqueur flavors. Then it progressed into some mixology basics and practice making three cocktail recipes. Finally, the night concluded with free time to play with the ingredients on the table to make more of the recipes or to experiment with variations on the recipes.
The first drink used both the Wild Moon Cranberry and the Wild Moon Lime liqueurs, in addition to some vodka, lime juice and ginger ale. I was hopeful that I would like it because I had a giant bottle of the lime liqueur at home. Even though the cranberry was a seasonal flavor, it was not hard to find - especially since I may have a bottle on my stationery chest at home. Apparently, the trick to this cocktail was to add everything except the ginger ale to the shaker and then top with ginger ale after the drink has been blended. My new friends had no problem figuring that one out and were very good at splitting the cocktail between the three of us.
I wasn’t surprised to discover that I really liked this cocktail. It had some of my favorite flavors, and was super simple to make. I could definitely batch this one up to a pitcher for pre-dinner cocktails at one of my dinner parties.
The second cocktail relied on the Wild Moon Rose liqueur, as well as some tequila, sour mix, and lime juice. This was a bit trickier to mix because the measurements had to be estimated in the unmarked jigger. Of course, that wouldn’t be a problem for me at home because, thanks to a thoughtful birthday present from one of my brothers, I had measuring implements of all sizes.
I wasn’t as fond of the second cocktail as the first one, because I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about how the taste of the tequila shone through the rose liqueur. Some of the ladies at the table thought that the rose liqueur was overpowering, but I actually enjoyed it. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I still have a Mason jar of Rose and Cucumber Gin and Tonic leftover from my Christmas Mason jar collection. Of course, the tonic isn’t in the Mason jar; it’s supposed to be added after the jar is well shaken.
The third - and last - cocktail was mine to make and serve. It was another shaken drink, so it came together pretty quickly. Lavender liqueur was the featured Wild Moon liqueur in the cocktail; curiously, the other ingredients were vodka, chocolate liqueur, and almond milk, which definitely made it a dessert cocktail. Since we had learned from Hilary that our table had enough ingredients to mix three cocktails, the ladies and I decided to mix a double.
Since I’m not a real fan of creamy drinks, this one was my least favorite of the three. Although I could see just mixing this at home with vodka, Melitti’s chocolate liqueur, and the Wild Moon lavender. Some of the ladies at the other end of the table thought that the lavender liqueur was overpowering, but I thought it was a nice complement to the chocolate.
The Status of the New Flavors
One of the best parts of the evening was a short chat with Hilary about the distillery’s progress toward bringing their new flavors to market. Recipes for two of the flavors had just been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and the other two would be approved in the near future. I was super excited that one of the approved flavors was sumac, which Hilary was surprised to hear that it made it through the approval cycle so quickly because of the confusion with poisonous sumac. Unfortunately, my other favorite flavor, seven lemons, was in the second set of approvals because of one of the leaves used in the infusion recipe.
Hilary did dampen my enthusiasm a little when she explained the remaining steps to market. Apparently, before they host their launch party, they still have to produce the recipes and get the labels through the FDA approval process. I totally get that the recipes have to be produced before they can be bottled and sold. That just makes good sense. But I was surprised to hear that, based on past experience with the launch of their lime flavor, the FDA approval of the labels could take months. So there doesn’t seem to be a launch party invite in my near future.
I did perk up a little when Hilary told me that they could continue to include their R&D sage liqueur in a cocktail in the tasting room on the post-tour cocktail menu. It is a gift with the purchase of the tour, rather than a sale of the cocktail itself. Although I did later learn that there is a petition by the state’s distilleries to change the law in order to allow the onsite sale of cocktails and food. The thought is to put the distilleries on an equal footing with the state’s breweries, which can be licensed to sell beer for consumption on premises and host food trucks.
The Verdict
In the end, I was happy to have gotten out of the house for a few hours on a Saturday night to learn some new things and to meet some new people. Especially since I’d consider making at least one of the recipes at home, and consider tweaking the other two at home to my specific and unique tastes.
I had so much fun with the ladies at my corner of the table that I was glad to have already registered for their mixology class at the end of March. That class is going to be a trick to attend because it is sandwiched between two out of town trips. But I’m hopeful that it will be a fun event as well.
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