Fall cocktail recipes
Erica Sagon
The Drop
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Four fun things happening at the distillery
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ONE: How does our Black Raspberry Bramble get its incredible, vibrant flavor? We toss satchels of whole black raspberries and hibiscus flowers into our vodka and let them steep. We started on the latest batch last week.
TWO: We juice a TON of citrus around here for cocktails. Emily crushes it on Mondays. Fresh juices make the best cocktails, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
THREE: Our head distiller Justin Hughey filtered a fresh batch of our Songbird Coffee Liqueur. We use freshly-roasted coffee from our friends and neighbors at Hopscotch Coffee to make this liqueur, never any flavoring extracts or coloring. (Speaking of our coffee liqueur, did you catch it on Uncrate?)
FOUR: We released our first Single Barrel Bourbon on Friday, and bottles sold out in three hours! Wow, that was fast. These early birds lined up before we opened to make absolutely sure they got a bottle. Want to know what spirit we'll release next, and when? Sign up for our mailing list - we reveal it all in our weekly newsletter.
Our first Bourbon: Everything you need to know
Erica Sagon
Here's our first bourbon, and the barrel it came from. The last time they'll be together.
Sad for them, good for you.
Our first ever Single Barrel Bourbon will be released at noon on Friday, Oct. 14, at the distillery only.
We have a limited quantity, and bottles will go quickly. If we were you, we'd line up at our door before we open at noon.
The price is $42 for a 375ml bottle, and sales are limited to 1 per person.
It's Cardinal Spirits' first bourbon, but also Bloomington's first bourbon — hurray! — and we're proud of that. It is made with 4 grains sourced from Indiana farmers: corn and wheat from Glick in Columbus, and barley and rye from Sugar Creek Malt Co. in Lebanon. It was aged in a 20-gallon new American oak barrel.
This bourbon is distinctly Indiana. We thought you might have some questions about it....
What's the mash bill?
60% corn and 20% percent wheat, both sourced from Glick in Columbus, and 10% barley and 10% rye, both sourced from Sugar Creek Malt Co in Lebanon. It's considered a high-rye bourbon because it has more than 5% rye.
How long did the bourbon age?
About a year and two months. The important thing to note is that we do not have any bourbon that is older than our distillery. Some distilleries choose to buy bourbon from elsewhere and simply bottle it, and that's how they get away with selling a spirit that's older than they are.
But we don't buy any of our spirits. We make them. Everything is fermented, mashed, distilled and bottled entirely on site at Cardinal Spirits.
But, wait: Doesn't bourbon have to be aged for at least two years?
No. Lots of folks have a misconception about a 2-year rule when it comes to bourbon. That rule only comes into play if you plan to call the spirit "straight bourbon."
These are the federal rules for making bourbon: It must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn, it must be aged charred new oak containers, it must be distilled to no more than 160 proof, it must be barreled at no more than 125 proof, and it must be bottled at 80 proof or higher. See, no mention of a 2-year rule.
Can bourbon be made outside of Kentucky?
Yes, yes it can! It's true that a lot of bourbon is made in Kentucky, but bourbon can be made anywhere.
Indiana has everything Kentucky has to make excellent bourbon: High-quality grains, limestone-filtered water, good, hard woods for making barrels and cooperages that manufacture them. And, of course, craft distilleries like ours!
What does this bourbon it taste like?
You'll notice a pleasant corn sweetness first, then a nice, rich mouthfeel, and a peppery finish. Some bourbons just taste like corn; ours is more interesting and finishes strong.
Because of the high-quality mash bill, it stands up against any big-name bourbon.
Why is the proof so high?
Our Single Barrel Bourbon is 110 proof, down from 123.2 at barrel proof. We intentionally kept a high proof to give you control of how you drink it. It also means that this 375ml bottle will go far.
Add a bit of water at a time to a neat pour to suit your taste.
Many distilleries want to get their bourbon into the hands of as many consumers as possible, so to fill more bottles, they add more water. That lowers the proof, but it also washes out the flavors we so enjoy in bourbon.
The bottom line is: You can always add water, but you can't take it away. This is your bottle, and we think you should be in control.
When will you release more barrels?
We don't have a schedule. Our head distiller Justin Hughey will keep checking in with them. He knows good bourbon when he tastes it, and he'll wait for that taste.
What's interesting is that we filled 12 barrels from the same cooperage with the same mash bill at the same time. And we've got 12 different-tasting bourbons. Barrel #9 is wonderful right now, and the others will be ready on their own time.
How do you recommend drinking it?
It's nice on it's own. So you can drink it neat, but it's your bottle - drink it how you want. We recommend that you try the whiskey first, then add a few drops of water and see how it changes. We find that a bit of water opens up even more subtle flavors, but it's all about finding what you enjoy most.
Tom Collins cocktail recipe
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The story of how the Tom Collins got its name is pretty widely disputed, but one thing definitely isn't: this drink is a classic for a reason. It's simple and delicious, especially with our Terra Botanical Gin.
Terra adds a bit of herbal flavor to this fizzy, lemony cocktail. Like we've said before, this gin doesn't take much dressing-up to be great, and this classic cocktail is the perfect example. A Tom Collins with Terra is light and refreshing, tart and sweet. Ease your way into the colder seasons with this twist on a classic.
TOM COLLINS
Makes one cocktail
1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Terra Botanical Gin
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Club soda
Lemon wedge and brandied cherry to garnish
Add gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and ice to a cocktail shaker and shake thoroughly. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with lemon and cherry.
Salty Dog cocktail recipe
Erica Sagon
Here's the amazing thing about our Terra Botanical Gin: you don't need to add much else to it to make a great cocktail. This a gin that you definitely want to taste in a drink, not cover up.
You need just two ingredients — okay, three if you count the salted rim — to make this Salty Dog. It is a classic cocktail that really lets our gin shine. The lovely botanicals in Terra play well with fresh citrus juices, especially the grapefruit in this drink.
SALTY DOG
Makes 1 cocktail
1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Terra Botanical Gin
3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, to taste
Coarse salt
Salt the rim of a large rocks glass. Fill the glass with ice, then add the gin, then add the grapefruit juice. Stir gently if desired.
Sage Gimlet cocktail recipe
Erica Sagon
What kind of cocktail do you make with a gin that you really love? Our go-to is a gimlet, which, when cheered on with a little fresh lime juice and simple syrup, lets a great gin shine.
Our Terra Botanical Gin is a knockout on its own, so you don't need much else to spin it into a fantastic cocktail. We happen to love it in a gimlet, and we know you will, too.
For this gin, we collaborated with Lior Lev Sercarz of the legendary La Boîte spice shop in NYC. Lior created the custom spice blend that gives Terra its woodsy, wild, fresh profile. It is wilderness in a bottle.
The best way to drink Terra is to dress it up minimally, with fresh lime and simple syrup — and a bit of sage, which bounces off Terra's other botanicals so beautifully.
SAGE GIMLET
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces Cardinal Spirits Terra Botanical Gin
.75 ounce fresh lime juice
.75 ounce simple syrup
3-4 sage leaves, plus another sprig for garnish
Add the gin, lime juice, simple syrup and 3-4 sage leaves to a shaker, then add ice. Shake well, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a sprig of sage.
Three awesome things happening around the distillery
Erica Sagon
ONE: The Pumpkin Drink is an early favorite on our new fall cocktail menu, which just came out last week. Have you tried it? It really hits the spot on these gorgeous fall days. We make The Pumpkin Drink with our Vodka (awarded 93 points by Wine Enthusiast), spiced pumpkin and fresh lemon juice.
TWO: We just released a beautiful botanical gin called Terra, which distilled with a custom spice blend from the legendary La Boîte spice shop in NYC. It's unlike any other gin, with botanicals that no one else would think to put together. Terra is available by the bottle and in cocktails at the distillery — try it in a Chai Wallah, made with Terra, ginger chai and fresh lemon juice.
THREE: Huge news! Our first Single Barrel Bourbon will be released Friday, Oct. 14. It will sell out. Fast. Probably within two days.
This is Indiana, distilled. We sourced four grams from Columbus and Lebanon, Ind., then mashed, fermented distilled and aged on site at this distillery. The result is a distinctive bourbon with a smooth sweetness from wheat and heirloom corn and a spicy oak finish from rye and a char #4 barrel.
There is one way you can get a bottle before it goes on sale to the public. Sign up for our Bourbon Cocktail Class on Thursday, Oct. 13. We'll teach you all you need to know about our Bourbon, fun ways to cocktail with it, and the science of drinking it straight, neat, or on the rocks. Your two hour class includes a free drink, history of bourbon, how we make ours and, of course, cocktail sampling. You will also have the opportunity to purchase this new spirit before anyone else, and that's pretty exciting.
Four fun things happening around the distillery
Erica Sagon
ONE: Our bar crew circled up to put the finishing touches on our new fall cocktail menu, which debuts Monday, Sept. 26. That means our summer menu will only be around for a few more days. 'Scuse us while we cry into our Dr. Feelgood.
TWO: We have some excellent news about these barrels of bourbon. Our head distiller Justin Hughey has given them the green light — time to bottle! Subscribe to our newsletter, because that's where we'll reveal the release date this week.
THREE: Did you know that the first spirit we ever made — Vodka — is still our best-selling? It is rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast, higher than Tito's, Grey Goose, Ketel One and basically ever other vodka you've had. We bottled our latest batch this week as we always do: by filling four bottles at a time on our small bottling line, then labeling, capping, sealing and boxing all by hand.
FOUR: Here's a fun little project we're excited about! We've partnered with our friends at Upland Brewing Co. here in Bloomington to make a stout liqueur that we'll release the last weekend of October. Here's our head distiller Justin Hughey (left) and bartender Kevin Hinkle (right) sampling some just this week.
11 things that blew us away at Oliver Winery's vineyard
Erica Sagon
We're making brandy in collaboration with Bloomington's Oliver Winery using its catawba grapes, and the great part about sourcing a raw ingredient close to home is that you can go see exactly where it came from.
So, our crew took a field trip to Oliver's vineyard, called Creekbend Vineyard. It's on 54 acres about 10 miles north of Bloomington (a separate location from Oliver's winery and tasting room), and it's like nothing you'd expect to find in Indiana.
We knew it was practically in our backyard; we didn't know how faraway we would feel once we got there.
We roamed the vineyard with Oliver's CEO Bill Oliver and plucked grapes right off the vine to taste. We popped ripe catawba and traminette grapes, and then, Bill pulled catawba and traminette wines from a cooler and we sipped them right there at the end of the rows. He showed us a new variety called crimson cabernet, a cross between cabernet sauvignon and norton, which yields wine that he calls "more exotic" than cab.
What started as Bill's father's hobby in the 1960s has turned into a winery that makes more than 50 wines and distributes in more than 20 states. It has been 100% employee-owned for 11 years.
Oliver is one of a handful of Indiana companies that have paved the way for craft distillers like us. For decades, the Olivers have changed laws, shaped the industry and proved that Indiana is a place where great things are made. We are standing on their shoulders.
After our visit to Creekbend, we asked our crew: What surprised/delighted/stuck with you? Here's what they had to say. (And more on that brandy at the end....)
Bill Oliver leading the pack with his dog, Pickles.
"The amount of work that goes into winemaking. People trim that whole vineyard by hand, which is crazy. Bill said they start when they're done harvesting in October, and they don't get done until April."
—Justin Hughey, head distiller
"The variety of different wines that they produce. I've only seen the classic Oliver white and red, and Creekbend sparkling white, but I had no idea they make a Noir and multiple different (and all tasty) white wines!"
—Alyvia Cain, bartender and server
"I couldn't believe how good those catawba grapes were. I could have sat there and ate them for hours — they were the best grapes out there, and here we're going to have them in our brandy."
— Doug Lingo, sales director
"Besides Pickles (Bill's dog) and his tiny little legs? Bill brought up a topic that really stuck with me. He mentioned Oliver's future plans of refining their bottle offerings. He aligned this goal with the term "Standard of Living," talking about becoming proficient in fewer things rather than spreading yourself thin just for the sake of having and doing more."
—Kevin Hinkle, manager and bartender
"Oliver has a limited-production sparkling wine that is hand-riddled, made in the méthode champenoise. They're doing it the traditional way. You see some places in California doing this, but I would not have expected Oliver to be making it in the traditional Champagne method."
—Robin Wirkerman, general manager
"I was surprised by the traminette grapes/wine. I had never had anything quite like that before and thought that the grapes had an striking color and the wine was delicious."
—Matt Swinehart, barback
"It was really exciting to see a non-California vineyard expanding past the sweet realm and trying some dry varietals."
—Sarah Swartz, tour guide
"What struck me was that there's this amazing plot of land to do this vineyard, and it's right here in southern Indiana. It just didn't feel like Indiana to me — it felt like maybe California? Just this idyllic microclimate for growing grapes."
—Adam Quirk, co-founder
"I didn't realize how different grapes could taste. The gewürztraminer grapes — that flavor was cool. And I didn't know that concord grapes would taste like concord grapes. That is a thing."
—Jason Hackett, production manager
"The thing that stood out the most to me was finding out how many different varieties of grapes they're able to grow and how vast their product line is (50+ products!). I was also particularly impressed with the frost/wind fans they use to raise temps across their whole lot."
—Gabe Garber, server/production assistant
"I really liked how smart Oliver is about the agricultural side of wine. It impressed and surprised me to see how well thought-out the vineyard was designed. The vines were planted on slopes to aid in drainage, and there is a flower patch to help attract bees, which then help pollinate the grape vines. There are also huge fans that aid in moving warm air down and cold air up and out during times of frost. All of these things were really neat to me. The puppy welcoming party was super delightful as well."
—Alex Utter, bartender and server
Thanks a million, Bill and Oliver staff, for having us at the vineyard. It was an unforgettable afternoon. By the way, the brandy that we're making with Oliver Winery is aging in barrels right now at our distillery. We're hoping it'll be ready within a year — but! but! but! — we often sample it straight from the barrel on our VIP tours.
Bramble Screwdriver cocktail recipe
Erica Sagon
Presenting the perfect day drink — the Bramble Screwdriver.
Perfect. Really. How can we be so sure?
Well, we've had our fair share of these in broad daylight.
But also: It has just two ingredients (it barely needs a recipe, really) and it's incredibly easy-drinking. And, it's familiar — this is a twist on a Screwdriver, which is simply vodka and OJ —but swapping regular vodka for our flavorful Bramble vodka makes it feel like more of a cocktail, without any of the labor.
Bramble is our black raspberry-hibiscus vodka — it adds a bright, lush flavor to cocktails, and it just happens to be dynamite with OJ. (Did you know that Wine Enthusiast just awarded our Bramble 92 points?)
Brunch, tailgates, Saturdays on the lake ... this is your drink.
BRAMBLE SCREWDRIVER
Makes 1 cocktail
6 ounces orange juice
1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble
Fill a mason jar or Collins glass with ice, then add orange juice. Gently pour in the Bramble, letting it float on top for a layered look. Garnish with a orange wedge, and give it a stir before sipping.
One more thing: Don't skimp on the quality of OJ. At the distillery, we make Bramble Screwdrivers with fresh-squeezed OJ, which will change your life. That's not always convenient at home, though. Pick a better-quality bottled OJ, or if your grocery store fresh-squeezes and bottles OJ, go with that!