Cardinal Spirits on Earth Eats

Have you ever noticed a shelf behind our bar, to the right and waaay up high, holding a bunch of mason jars with handwritten labels and filled with who-knows-what?

What's in those jars, anyway?

Earth Eats, a wonderful podcast about local food, got us to climb up on the counter to reach the shelf, pull the jars down and crack them open.

Listen to Cardinal Spirits co-founder Adam Quirk reveal what's inside.  

Four fun things happening at the distillery

ONE

Our head distiller Justin Hughey distilled rye whiskey on our small test still on Monday afternoon — just an experiment for the moment...

TWO

Hellooooo new red chairs...

THREE

This was the very first person to buy a Mules to Go kit, as a thank you gift for her babysitter. How fun is that! Our Mules to Go kits have everything you need to make Moscow Mules with our spirits in a snap. It's the easy way to bring craft cocktails to a party. And, it's an awesome gift. $35 at the distillery.

FOUR

Here's a fresh batch of plum syrup that goes into Little Jack Horner, a cocktail on our summer menu made with vanilla-hazelnut-infused White Oak Whiskey, lemon, egg white, whiskey barrel bitters, and yes, plum syrup.

Craftpack, Vol. 31

Don't you think this phenomenal series (which is back for a 3rd season on Sept. 2) could do a spinoff on bartenders? 

You loved Rabble Rouser when it was on our cocktail menu months ago. Now try making it at home. 

Lava bitters, Birkir and sheep dung: a fascinating look at Iceland's craft cocktail movement 

A behind-the-scenes peek at Cardinal Spirits 

Aaaaah-what? Matthew McConaughey is the new creative director for this bourbon brand. 

Rabble Rouser cocktail recipe

This cocktail recipe combines our Standard Dry Gin with blackberries and sage, but the real beauty of this recipe is that you can play around with the types of berries and herbs you use. How about raspberries and mint? Strawberries and basil? 

Pluck whatever herbs from the little pots sitting on your patio. Use up whatever berries you scooped up at the farmers' market. Go to town. 

Our Standard Dry Gin is up for the mix-and-match challenge. We distill it with whole natural botanicals and spices — aromatic juniper, orange zest, fragrant coriander seeds, and earthy angelica root — and it really sings when it's combined with fresh ingredients in a cocktail like this.

RABBLE ROUSER

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
.75 ounce simple syrup
3 blackberries, plus one more for garnish
2 sage leaves, plus one more for garnish

Muddle simple syrup, blackberries and sage in a shaker. Add gin and lemon juice, then fill with ice. Shake well. Double strain into a small rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a blackberry and sage leaf.

Craftpack, Vol. 30

Everyone's been freaking out about this twist on a Moscow Mule

PSA: Margarita burn is a real, terrifying thing 

Historic punch paraphernalia coming soon to Cocktail Kingdom 

Not a craft spirits link, but holy smokes: Dollar Shave Club, the brand with these genius commercials, sells for $1 billion.   

Would you drink a Cha-Chunker?

3 spicy cocktail recipes

Can a spicy cocktail actually cool you down on a hot day? It's a theory worth testing...

FIRE AT THE PAGEANT  vodka / hibiscus tea / jalapeno / lemon / blood orange

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SERRANO DAIQUIRI  Tiki Rum / serrano pepper / lime

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SLOW HAND  Coffee liqueur / vodka / cocoa-cayenne syrup

Craftpack, Vol. 29

Links that make you go Hmmm.

Would you drink canned cocktails? Yay or nay? 

7 ways to make boozy Oreos (and 1 boozy Nutter Butter idea)

Who knew that a certain long, green garden veggie could be turned into beer?

This Blood Orange Punch is a guaranteed crowd pleaser for summer

The story behind the Hoosier 76 cocktail at Yogi's in Bloomington

Cardinal in the Wild: Yogi's

Say hello to our favorite PokeStop in Bloomington: Yogi's.
It's also one of the wonderful establishments that serves Cardinal Spirits.

VITALS >>  Yogi's, an indispensable Bloomington sports bar and restaurant with a soft spot for local booze. Full bar, family friendly, game-day favorite.

THE SCENE >>  Classic sports bar adorned with jerseys of former Indiana alumni who have turned professional — located just down the street from the Indiana stadiums and arena its patrons so avidly support. A venerable shrine to beer and sports. 

CARDINAL SIGHTINGS >>  Yogi's makes a cocktail with Cardinal Spirits Vodka, champagne, and grenadine, called the Hoosier 76 —  it's a nod to the legendary, undefeated 1976 Indiana University basketball team that won a national championship.  "We do a toast an hour before a game, whether that be football or basketball," says Yogi's manager Jessi Olry. "We started that tradition and officially put Hoosier 76 on the menu — it’s a delicious cocktail."

GOING LOCAL >>   "Believe it or not, our local products are our top sellers. It’s awesome that we can offer a little bit of Bloomington," Olry says. "We offer Bloomington Brewery Company and many other breweries as well as Cardinal Spirits products."

GAME TIME >>   If you can't be at the game, Yogi's is the next best place. “Whenever there’s a big Hoosier game, whether that be basketball, football, even baseball, it’s something really special to see,” says Brian Hettmansperger, a Yogi's bartender and IU alum.

MEEEEEEMORIES >>  “I was here for the “Wat Shot," Hettmansperger reminisces. (That was the infamous buzzer-beating 3-pointer by IU's Christian Watford in December 2011 that defeated top-ranked Kentucky and made everyone's head explode.) "I was giving people their checks and this guy was trying to talk to me about his tab. I stopped him and said, ‘Just wait a bit and watch this.' Watford’s shot went down and the whole place went crazy.  Something you could never replicate. The guy thanked me and I made it clear that I was doing it for me. I just really wanted to watch the game."

BEST IN CLASS >>  On Tuesday nights at 7, school is in session at Yogi's. Well, beer school, that is. Each class focuses on a different brewery, and gives people a chance to learn more about its brews and, of course, sample them along the way. New Holland, New Belgium and Tow Yard out of Indy have been some of the recent beer school subjects.

Hoosier 76

Brian Hettmansperger

The Yogi's team visits Cardinal Spirits

Rubus Punch recipe

When it comes to summer punches, let's make a pact. No sugary pre-made mixers that come in jugs with handles. And, no Very Berry Blue Typhoon Wave Cooler.  No tubes of frozen juice, either.

When it comes to summer punches, let's keep it fresh, OK?

This Rubus Punch recipe by our bartender Chris Resnick, made with a trio of fresh juices and our terrific Bramble black raspberry vodka, is a fruity, fizzy cocktail that's fit for a crowd. Chris tips this punch into tiki territory with cinnamon syrup (the secret ingredient that all of your past summer punches have been missing). 

RUBUS PUNCH

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

Makes about 8 cocktails

12.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble (about 1.5 cups, or half of a 750ml bottle) 
4.25 ounces fresh lemon juice
4.25 ounces fresh watermelon juice (you can give a few big chunks a whirl in a blender, or simply mash them with a muddler or fork)
2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
2 ounces cinnamon simple syrup (recipe follows)
Club soda, to taste
Lemon wheels, for garnish

Combine Bramble, lemon juice, watermelon juice, grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup in a pitcher. Add a few big scoops of ice, then stir several times to combine. Pour into small rocks glasses filled with ice, then top each glass with club soda. Garnish with lemon wheels.

*To make cinnamon simple syrup: In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 4 cinnamon sticks, and let simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool completely then remove cinnamon sticks before using.