Organic Liquors at Tales of the Cocktail

Posted on July 7, 2009
Filed Under Guest Blogger | 1 Comment

Steve Mirsky helps people explore different cultures and learn what makes their food unique at www.gastrotraveling.com.  He invites readers to  consider him as a free go-to source for better understanding anything potable or edible in their backyards or across the globe.

Our heightened eco-consciousness is shaping everything from the cars we drive to the cloths we wear.  So it’s only logical that transitioning from gas guzzling SUVs to hybrid cars and from high priced designer clothes to vintage and hemp based threads would extend to what we drink.  And I’m not talking about locally sourced fruit juices or recyclable water bottles.  A healthy variety of liquors showcased at Tales of the Cocktail will be certified organic.  Look out for the following:

Rain Organics Vodka

Rain Organics is hand-made from scratch, exclusively at Buffalo Trace Distillery, three-time winner of Malt Advocate Magazine’s “Distillery of the Year” award.  Crafting their small batches requires a 20 day production process which includes using cold water, white organic corn, sweet mash fermentation, and seven distinct distillations.  In the final polishing stage, they add pure limestone water for a distinct smoothness and taste.  Resulting vodka flavors include cucumber lime, red grape hibiscus, and honey mango melon.

TOC Tasting Opportunity: Martinis & Massages – Fri., July 9th, 4-6:00 p.m., Hotel Monteleone’s Royal Ballroom C.

LOFT Organic Liqueurs

A ton of earth friendliness is packed into LOFT liqueurs.  According to co-founders Lisa Averbuch and Sabrina Moreno-Dolan, their entire line is made from the freshest, as-local-as-possible organic fruits and botanicals available.  Absolutely no synthesized flavors or bright neon colors here!

You can’t get closer to nature than signature flavors like lavender, spicy ginger, and lemongrass.  You’ll notice that the lavender is clear, not purple, even after maceration but the flavor is unmistakable.  Another unique characteristic is that these liqueurs are mostly sweetened with agave nectar.  The whole package wouldn’t be complete without their tree-free paper labels made from bamboo fibers, biodegradable inks, and cardboard cases constructed from recycled materials.

TOC Tasting Opportunity: Cocktail Fresh Market – Wed., July 8TH, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, Hotel Monteleone’s Queen Anne Parlor

TRU Organic Gin and Vodka

Husband-and-wife team Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew began concocting Artisan gin and vodka as a hobby because they couldn’t stand the flavor of mainstream vodka.  Now they run Modern Spirits, offering a complete lineup of foodie-friendly flavors like Black Truffle, Celery Peppercorn and Candied Ginger.  Delicately balanced for food pairings and ideally suited for gourmet cocktails, they use 100% certified organic American wheat not only because it’s a gold standard ingredient but because it also reduces transportation pollution during production.  Artisan techniques include lemon vodka infused with hand-zested organic California lemons; vanilla vodka infused with hand-scraped organic Bourbon vanilla beans; and their 14-botanical gin made from whole-ingredient maceration similar to those made in the 16th century by European doctors.

Energy saving techniques include state-of-the-art column stills yielding purity in only one pass, filtering through activated charcoal, and utilizing vapor distilled water.  Beyond using 25% less glass than traditional bottles and recycled packing materials, they plant a tree in partnership with Maine-based Sustainable Harvest International for each and every bottle of TRU Vodka they sell.

TOC Tasting Opportunity: Cocktail Fresh Market – Wed., July 8TH, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, Hotel Monteleone’s Queen Anne Parlor