Meet our crew: Kenzie Vaughan

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Jason Mattox. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

McKenzie (Kenzie) Vaughan

— — —

distillery production assistant at Cardinal Spirits

@kenzievaughan96 on Instagram

pronouns: she/her

— — —

Hi, Kenzie! Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I am a production assistant. I started on the bottling line, but have been a production assistant for a year now. I do a bit of everything throughout the process of producing spirits; I help with fermentations, distillations, blending, bottling production, and of course cleaning every tri-clamp and gasket we own multiple times a day.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I am from a tiny town in Texas, but moved to Terre Haute, IN, when I was 13. I moved to Bloomington for my undergrad and have stayed in the area since.

Any pets or family you’d like to introduce?

I have a cute chubby cat named Oliver. He is the sweetest boy and loves a good belly rub. I also live with my partner, Graham, who is finishing up his masters at IU.

My cat Oliver enjoying the sun, he’s always laying belly up. —Kenzie

Tell us about a skill that you have outside of work.

I love to knit and I’m getting into photography.

I’ve gotten into photography recently and this is probably one of the best photos I’ve ever taken. This was at Glacier National Park. —Kenzie

Do you have a side hustle? What is it?

I don’t have a side hustle, but here are my hobbies/things I do outside of work for enjoyment: I love doing anything outside. Camping, hiking, running, and gardening are some of my favorite things. I hope to one day own my own farm!

Hiking in Grand Teton National Park. Fun fact, scrambled a mile up to this point and was scared to death, but the view was worth it! —Kenzie

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits cocktail/spirit/dish?

Our Creekbend Brandy is my favorite spirit!

It’s happy hour. What are you drinking and/or eating?

Beer and some type of dip…probably spinach and artichoke.

Do you have any advice for people who want to make better drinks at home?

I found a website called cocktailbuilder.com that lets you input ingredients you have and it’ll give you recipes for drinks you can make. I have found it very useful when I don’t know what I am in the mood for.

What’s Cardinal’s best-kept secret?

Prince William (a purple, wacky inflatable arm man that belongs to our distiller Justin Hughey) — he can put a smile on anyone’s face.

What would surprise people about the work you do at Cardinal?

I think some people are surprised when I talk about dumping barrels and how much hard work goes into it. It is an exhausting process.

Kenzie dumping barrels

What’s your coffee order? 

At home I drink it black, but if I am out I order a dirty chai.

Do you have any morning or end-of-day rituals you'd like to share?

I usually do yoga when I wake up or before bed, I journal in the mornings while I watch the news, and I have perfected my skin care routine so it’s now my favorite part of the day.

Favorite place on the Internet?

I have gotten really into Tik Tok; once your feed is curated to your interest and hobbies, it is an awesome platform that isn’t just for Gen Z.

Can you recommend a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed recently and liked? We’re all looking for good recs right now!

Some of my favorite shows are: Adventure Time, His Dark Materials, Great British Baking Show, and Parks and Rec. My favorite podcast right now is Science Vs.

Go-to midnight snack?

A peanut butter fold over (one piece of bread, PB, fold it over – quick, easy, tasty)

I also love alpacas. —Kenzie

Favorite condiment? 

Classic ketchup, always has been and always will be.


Want to give a shout-out to anyone? 

My mom, she’s my biggest fan and is always proud of the work I am doing.

Thanks, Kenzie! We are so lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Jason Mattox

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Jason Mattox. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Jason Mattox

— — —

merchandiser at Cardinal Spirits

@tbk1977 on Instagram

pronouns: he/him

— — —

Hi, Jason! Tell us about your role as merchandiser at Cardinal Spirits.

I see every Big Red Liquors store in the state and make sure our displays are well stocked and looking snazzy.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

From Palmyra, Indiana, then moved to New Albany. After that I met a rad person and we moved to Bloomington so she could go to grad school and we just stayed in the area.

Any pets or family you’d like to introduce?

I have 4 cats: Taco, Cinder, Smokey and Bandit

Tell us about a skill that you have outside of work.

I can make some mean chicken tacos.

Do you have a side hustle? What is it?

I don’t know if you call it a side hustle, more of a 2nd full-time job. I have been an artist/motorcycle painter for 16 years.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits cocktail/spirit/dish?

I love the Cardinal Rye!

It’s happy hour. What are you drinking and/or eating?

Usually a mule made with Cardinal Rye or Bramble.

What’s Cardinal’s best-kept secret?

When the Birdhouse was open for dine-in, I really enjoyed the Bramble Screwdriver.

(Editor's note: Birdhouse = our nickname for our bar/restaurant/tasting room, which is currently carry-out only due to covid. Bramble Screwdriver = a simple yet delicious cocktail made with our Bramble black raspberry vodka and fresh OJ!)

What would surprise people about the work you do at Cardinal?

I’m very feral, haha. Also, I talk to a lot of people during the day finding out how our products are doing, what’s selling, and if they have any concerns.

What’s your coffee order? 

Black … always.

Can you recommend a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed recently and liked? We’re all looking for good recs right now!

One podcast that I really enjoyed was called “Relative Unknown” — it’s all told by a lady who’s father was in the Outlaws MC. 

Favorite condiment? 

Mustard-based BBQ sauce

Want to give a shout-out to anyone? 

The entire bottling line and distillery/birdhouse crew!

Thanks, Jason! We are so lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Bearmy

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome bears that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Bearmy. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Bearmy

— — —

Chief Morale Officer at Cardinal Spirits

— — —

Hi, Bearmy! Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

Sometimes you need to hear “You’re doing great, kid,” or “Keep your chin up” from a bear. Or, you need a bear hug. I’m your bear. I spend a lot of time looking out the window at Cardinal Spirits, quietly reminding folks to shop small and mask up.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

Tennessee, near the Georgia state line.

Any family members you’d like to introduce?

Mama Bear and Baby Bear.

Bearmy with co-workers (L to R): Ben Samuelson, Kenzie Vaughan, and Rick Mellinger.

Tell us about a skill that you have outside of work.

Sleeping for months at a time and stealing picnic baskets.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits product?

Honey Schnapps! Too on the nose? I can’t help it. It’s delicious.

Can you recommend a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed recently and liked? We’re all looking for good recs right now!

Grizzly Man. Charmin commercials are my guilty pleasure. I’m also a vintage Care Bears fan.

Coffee shop order? 

Honey with a splash of tea

What’s your favorite midnight snack? 

Fresh salmon. Black raspberries.

Most used-emoji? 

🙌

Favorite Condiment? 

I know what you’re thinking. But: it’s hot sauce.

Want to give a shout-out to anyone? 

Shout out to Dolly the Mash Tun, she's always got my back.

Thanks, Bearmy! We are so lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Renne Payne

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Renne Payne. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Renne Payne

— — —

front-of-house manager at Cardinal Spirits

@fazedcookies on Instagram

pronouns: she/her

— — —

Hi, Renne! Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I am a front-of-house manager at Cardinal’s bar, restaurant, and tasting room. I'll have been at Cardinal for 2 years at the end of this month! Prior to the pandemic, I floor managed and also planned any in-house events we had. I worked almost every Tiki Tuesday and brunch service for about a year and hosted special nights like Halloween and NYE. My daily tasks are significantly different now because we’ve been carry-out only since March 16, 2020, and have started doing virtual events. I have more of a project coordinator role now and help our kitchen, bar, and production teams get their creations to our customers. I’m in front of a computer a lot more than I used to be because so much of what we do right now is in a digital rather than physical marketplace.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I was born in Hagerstown, MD, but grew up in Greencastle, IN. I moved to Bloomington in 2009 to go to IU and stayed for my graduate program as well. I lived and worked in Taiwan (in Taipei) in 2019 and then started working at Cardinal when I moved back to Bloomington.

Renne and her friend Chaz at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Tell us about a skill that you have outside of work.

I can speak and read Chinese. I’m in the process of completing an MA in East Asian Studies at IU, if I can ever bring myself to finish writing my thesis.

Do you have a side hustle? What is it?

I design and screen-print T-shirts to generate donations to charity – which I sell off of my website www.fazed-cookies.com. I used to print them myself but have recently started printing with my friend Kaira (who runs Black Ink Press in Denver). Since 2017 we have raised over $4,000 in donations – some of which have gone to Monroe County Volunteers in Medicine, the Community Kitchen and the local chapter of BLM, among others. I also designed Cardinal’s B-line T-shirt!

Renne had the winning design for our T-shirt design contest among staff here at Cardinal. T-shirts are sold here.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits cocktail/spirit/dish?

Spirit: Creekbend Brandy is my favorite spirit we make – I like to drink it neat. 

Cocktail: Goody 2 Shoes – a kiwi-sesame-gin drink that our bar manager Maria Konermann had on our menu when I first started. 

Dish: When we were open for regular service I think I ate a Potato Poblano Hash every Sunday for about a year. Now I eat our Prime Rib Sandwich at least once a week and am always looking forward to when we photograph our Weekend Specials because I can usually sneak a taste.

Any favorite places on the Internet? 

Probably YouTube. I watch a lot of comedy specials, DIY tutorials and live music performances. Also the comments are always a goldmine on YouTube videos.

Can you recommend a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed recently and liked? We’re all looking for good recs right now!

Movies: Mississippi Burning, Repo Man (1984 - with a very young Emilio Estevez)

Books: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, Transmetropolitan (comic series) by Warren Ellis

TV Shows: Prime Suspect, Silent Witness (the original 8 seasons with Amanda Burton)

Albums: Patrick Cowley - Afternooners, X - Los Angeles 

What’s your favorite midnight snack? 

Pickles

Most used-emoji? 

😂

Favorite Condiment? 

BBQ Sauce

Want to give a shout-out to anyone? 

I’d like to give a shout-out to my partner Zack – because I can usually get him to laugh at some pretty stupid stuff and laughter has truly been keeping me sane over the past year. 

Renne and her partner, Zack, at Zion National Park in Utah.

Thanks, Renne! We are so lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Abel Garcia

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Abel Garcia. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Abel Garcia

— — —

executive chef at Cardinal Spirits

@eclectically_awesome on Instagram; Abel Garcia on Facebook

pronouns: he/him

— — —

Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I'm the Executive Chef! I create all the menu concepts, items, and weekend specials (fun stuff!) as well as handle all the administrative items for our kitchen team (not so fun stuff!).

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

Originally from Chicago but I spent most of my time growing up here in southern Indiana, specifically Columbus, IN. I went to Columbus North High School, go Bulldogs!

Any pets or family members you’d like to introduce?

Olivia a.k.a. Olive. Fun Fact: She was given to me as a tip when I was helping run a pizza shop!

Olive!

Tell us about a skill that you have outside of work.

Doing home-brew beers! Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to brew one in about 3 years due to space and temperature issues at my current house, but it always crosses my mind when I'm not busy with work.

Do you have a side hustle? What is it?

Yes, I do pop-up events whenever I can. They allow me to try out menu items that either wouldn't necessarily work in a regular service setting or within the current menu I'm running.

I also do local interviews with service industry folks for a local podcast named No Dishes! Our goal is to help people get to know our local service industry with in-depth conversations that include local business owners, managers, servers, cooks, etc. I specifically run the "Shift Change" portion of No Dishes, check it out, like and subscribe!

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits cocktail/spirit/dish?

I would have to go with our Terra Gin. This spirit and its botanical blend helped bring me back from a mental state of mind that always said, "I hate gin."

It’s happy hour — what are you drinking and eating?

That's tough...I'd say my usual "hydration station" looks like, water, beer, bubbles, and mezcal. (Go big or go home). And for food, if I'm not trying other local chef's food, comfort food all the way!

Cardinal Spirits carry-out dishes created by Abel Garcia + team.

Do you have any advice for people who want to make better food at home?

Of course! When deciding on a recipe, ask yourself, what can I do with the leftovers? Save it for tomorrow? Create a new dish? That path of thinking will get you the most bang for your buck when cooking not only at home but in any kitchen.

What cooking advice should people ignore?

Ignore reality kitchen shows, haha.

What is Cardinal’s best-kept secret?

Our Social Media! If you're missing out on specials — angry lobster roll fans, I'm looking at you — start following us! (Editor’s note: It’s true, we spill all of our secrets on social media first, including pre-order info for our amazing weekend food specials. Cardinal Spirits on Instagram and Facebook)

What would surprise people about the work you do at Cardinal?

I think they would be surprised by how many "cool" items never make the menu(s), due to space constraints, local farmers running out of items, etc. Sometimes I make a menu and by the time I'm happy with it, it looks like nothing I started with in my head.

What's your coffee order?

At work: Black, straight up

Home: None

Out: Vanilla Latte x2 espresso

Favorite places on the Internet?

www.nodishesmedia.com

www.archive.org

Tell us about a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed and liked. We’re all looking for recs!

No Dishes Podcast on Spotify, Apple, etc

Original Twilight Zone

Joe Rogan Experience podcast: Specifically Paul Stamets, Graham Hancock, Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews

Favorite midnight snack?

Chinese food or tacos

Favorite condiment?

Hot sauce

Want to give a shout-out to anyone?

Shout-out to my kitchen team — we're doing something special here, and they help make my ideas become reality, so don't miss out!

Thanks, Abel! We are so lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Kate Emery

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Kate Emery. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Kate Emery

— — —

bottling shift lead at Cardinal Spirits

@ kate.e.emery on Instagram

pronouns: she/her

— — —

Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I am the AM bottling shift lead. I oversee daily bottling operations and help ensure products have the proper fill lines, packaging, quality control and things of that nature. I also help with record keeping of each product we fill, as well as communicate things the bottling line may need to perform more effectively. We have a great team of people in bottling/production and some really knowledgeable production leads. Everyone works really hard (special shout out to Zack and Emily) which allows us to have fun with the work that we do. Currently accepting contract bottling work 🙋‍♀️

Kate working on the bottling line at Cardinal Spirits.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I'm a Bloomington townie, born and raised.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits cocktail/spirit/dish?

My favorite spirit is the Creekbend Brandy

It’s happy hour — what are you drinking?

Fries of any kind with a Sidecar, please

Creekbend Brandy, and a Sidecar cocktail — two of Kate’s favorites!

What is Cardinal’s best-kept secret?

I don't know how much of a secret it is but our bar manager Maria is an extremely talented mixologist.

What's your coffee order?

I like an iced quad Oahu with almond milk from Soma

Tell us about a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed and liked. We’re all looking for recs!

I've recently started reading segments of The Daily Stoic each morning before work. Great way to set the tone for the day.

Favorite midnight snack?

Bagel Bites all the way!

Most used emoji?

🥴

Favorite condiment?

Cholula hot sauce

Want to give a shout-out to anyone?

Shout out to Cardinal production manager Jason Hackett because he's standing right next to me. I like when you rap One Week by Barenaked Ladies.

Thanks, Kate! We are so lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Jason Hackett

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Jason Hackett. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Jason Hackett

— — —

production manager at Cardinal Spirits

@pribbleprob on Instagram

pronouns: he/him

— — —

Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I am the guy who takes care of the details. I work on compliance, order management, inventory control, and generally support the team wherever I can be of assistance. Those first three are the big ones, though.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I was a military kid so I’ve lived all over. TX, IN, Germany, IN, CA, IN, TX, MD, MA, IN.

Nano and Angstrom!

Any pets you’d like to introduce to us?

Angstrom is my orange cat and Nano is my brown/gray cat.

Tell us about a skill you have outside of work?

I do woodworking, bonsai, and general gardening as my hobbies.

A Marcello Spritzer and a Jason Hackett.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits cocktail?

The Marcello Spritzer (recipe here). It’s better than a margarita and I LOVE margaritas.

It’s happy hour — what are you drinking?

See above.

What is Cardinal’s best-kept secret?

Valencia is a wonderful triple-sec type spirit. I use it in my margaritas exclusively. It also works for baking
and cooking.

What would surprise people about the work you do at Cardinal?

The many ways people have thought up to regulate the production and sale of booze is surprising
sometimes.

Jason bottling our Bramble black raspberry vodka.

Have you ever thought of a good business idea? What is it?

Pre-covid, I wanted to open a table-top board game bar. Post-covid, I’m thankful that I didn’t.

What's your coffee order?

Iced latte or black coffee.

How do you typically start your morning?

I eat a bowl of cereal, get ready, then head to work. If it’s the weekend, my parter, Lina, and I make breakfast and plan our weekend adventures.

Favorite place on the Internet?

I like Youtube for the instructions.

Tell us about a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed and liked. We’re all looking for recs!

Podcasts: Critical Role Podcast, The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, Hello
From the Magic Tavern
Books: The Dark Tower, The Expanse, The Name of the Wind
TV Shows: Raised By Wolves, Lovecraft Country, The Boys

Favorite midnight snack?

Butter pecan ice cream

Most used emoji?

The salsa dancer.

Favorite condiment?

Mustard

Want to give a shout-out to anyone?

Carolina Yanson because she’s my favorite human.

Jason’s partner, Lina (right), with pal and former Cardinal bartender Chris Resnick.

Thanks, Jason! We are lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Justin Hughey

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Justin Hughey. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Justin Hughey

— — —

head distiller at Cardinal Spirits

— — —

Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I'm the Head Distiller at Cardinal. My job is to ferment and distill. This includes the day-to-day monitoring of fermentation, running the still after fermentation is complete, and scheduling when all of those things are going to occur . I also proof down, blend, and filter Cardinal Spirits products. I'm also responsible for our barrel program, which means I'm putting whiskeys, brandies, etc into barrels and tasting those barrels years down the road. Of course, tasting barrels is the best part, but there is a lot of work involved to get to that point.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I'm from Indianapolis. I moved to Bloomington for college in 2005, and never left.

Justin sampling from barrels of brandy made with locally-grown catawba grapes from Oliver Winery.

Any family and/or pets you’d like to introduce to us?

I have a freshwater fish tank full of fish, shrimp, and 100s of snails (the snails are invasive). I also have 7 laying hens. I also have a wonderful wife who somehow tolerates me.

Tell us about a skill you have outside of work?

I'm a pretty okay banjo player. I've been playing since I was 16.

Justin, left, busking with his band The New Old Cavalry.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits product/cocktail/dish?

Spirit: Tiki Rum. Cocktail: Terra Gimlet with a basil leaf. Dish: I'm not sure if it's on the menu, but our chef Abel Garcia works with The Chocolate Moose to make ice cream with our used spiced rum botanicals. It is phenomenal. (Editor’s note: Yes, this ice cream IS on our carry-out menu right now, served with our amaro cake!)

It’s happy hour — what are you drinking?

Probably cheap beer. Maybe cheap whiskey and Coke.

What advice do you have for people who want to make better drinks at home?

Make them stronger?

Justin monitoring the orange steep for Valencia Triple Sec.

What would surprise people about the work you do at Cardinal?

How much math is involved. It's all relatively easy math. The trick to it is being able to apply it. Think math story problems from 8th grade.

Prince William!

What is Cardinal’s best-kept secret?

I would say Prince William. He is a full-sized (20 foot) wacky inflatable tube man. I bought him on my last birthday. Best money I ever spent. On really busy days I take him with me to Cardinal and he helps out in the back.

Have you ever thought of a good business idea?

I have a ton of stupid business ideas, so a business that comes up with dumb business plans.

What's your coffee order?

Black

Favorite place on the Internet?

Reddit. I spend way too much time there, but it is entertaining.

Any TV/podcast/book recs for us?

I recently finished season 3 of Yellowstone. That is a pretty entertaining series. If you are into country music check out Cocaine & Rhinestones. It tells some really interesting behind-the-scenes stories about old country stars.

Thanks, Justin! We are lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Veronica Fazio

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Veronica Fazio. Photos by Anna Powell Denton

Veronica Fazio

— — —

bartender at Cardinal Spirits

pronouns: she/her

— — —

Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I’m a bartender, which right now means that I prepare all of the cocktails-to-go. I can be found helping on the production line and around the Birdhouse (Cardinal-speak for our tasting room) from time to time as well!

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I am from Roselle, IL, a small suburb of Chicago. I have also lived in the city of Chicago, but Bloomington is my favorite of them all!

Any pets you’d like to introduce to us?

I have a feisty orange tabby name Marigold, she’s the best!

Marigold!

Tell us about a skill you have outside of work?

I LOVE to dance. I used to dance competitively, but I can still be found tearing up a dance floor, or taking online classes from time to time.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits product/cocktail/dish?

Honey Schnapps! It’s so unique, not as sweet as it seems it would be, and provides a fun challenge when creating cocktails for the menu

Veronica and Portland-based bartender Jim Meehan pouring batched cocktails at Cardinal Spirits.

It’s happy hour — what are you drinking?

 I really enjoyed aperitivo when I was in Italy, so I love a good Campari or Cynar spritz.

What advice do you have for people who want to make better drinks at home?

Just have fun!! Don’t be afraid to try things that may sound weird, those can make some of the best drinks. This was a big thing I had to learn when I was learning how to create drinks at Cardinal.

What's your coffee order?

A decaf Little Wizard from our friends at Hopscotch!

How do you typically start your morning?

I am not a morning person, so I am typically rolling out of bed 20 minutes before I need to leave for work. 😅 

And how do you end your day?

This may seem weird, but doing the dishes! I’m a big fan of waking up to a clean kitchen.

Any TV recs for us?

Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation on Hulu. I learned so much about the amazing and expansive culinary traditions that exist across the country.

Favorite midnight snack?

Midnight pasta - it’s a mixture of really tiny pasta shapes with lots of butter and garlic that we used to eat at sleepovers at my Grandma’s house. I still make it often!

Most used emoji?

🙃

Favorite condiment?

Hot sauce!

Want to give a shout-out to anyone?

To my co-workers, thank you so much for making Cardinal such an enriching and enjoyable place to work!

Thanks, Veronica! We are lucky to have you on our team!

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Meet our crew: Ben Samuelson

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Ben Samuelson

— — —

distillery production assistant at Cardinal Spirits

Ben on Facebook

pronouns: he/him/his

— — —

Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

Currently I am a production assistant, helping to ferment, distill, blend, and package all the various spirits and canned cocktails we produce. However, I have worn a lot of hats in my time here at Cardinal and have also been the tour guide as well as working in front of house and events.

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I grew up here in Monroe County, over in Ellettsville. However, I was born in South Carolina and by the time I was two I had lived in three other states; Massachusetts, California, and finally Indiana.

What would surprise people about the work you do at Cardinal?

Probably just how much of my time is spent scrubbing and cleaning things. Holding tanks (inside and outside), fermenters, hoses, clamps, lab equipment, stills, bottling equipment, as well as floors and general surfaces all need to be kept clean. Making all these tasty beverages is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits product/cocktail/dish?

My favorite cocktail unique to Cardinal is the Terra Old Fashioned. I'm not sure off the top of my head which one of the lovely folks we have had tending bar here through the years decided to make an Old Fashioned using our Terra Gin, but it was an inspired decision.

What's Cardinal's best kept secret?

It's not exactly a secret as it has won more than a few awards, but I can't say enough about how much I love our Tiki Rum. Our head distiller, Justin Hughey, does some impressive things with molasses. It makes the best daiquiri or mojito, hands down.

What's your coffee order?

Light/Blonde roast with some cream and a little cinnamon. It's boring but it keeps me going.

Any favorite places on the Internet?

I can easily get lost for hours digitally wandering through Wikipedia.

How do you end your day?

I like to end my day with a nice bike ride on the B-line followed by a campy movie or maybe a good book.

What's your favorite midnight snack?

Wasabi peas. I like going to bed with a clear sinus.

Tell us about a podcast, movie, book, TV show, album, subscription, etc. that you consumed and liked! We're all looking for good recs right now!

My go-to tv shows have been and always will be Star Trek. Those series are decent at their worst and amazing at their best and there has just been so much of it produced through the years. In these trying times, some upbeat and optimistic Sci-fi does me wonders. I enjoy listening to history podcasts a lot, and would highly recommend Mike Duncan's Revolutions and History of Rome podcasts.

Favorite condiment?

Hot sauce, the hotter the better. Ideally, I like my food to taste like the heat of the sun.

Thanks, Ben! We are lucky to have you on our team!

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