Three awesome things happening around the distillery

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

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

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

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!  

Bramble Boom cocktail recipe

A burst? A blitz? A blast? A boom? Yes, a definite boom. This cocktail recipe by our bartender Alyvia Cain booms with lush berry flavor from our Bramble black raspberry vodka and fresh citrus juices, plus it's flecked with bits of garden mint. 

BRAMBLE BOOM

By Alyvia Cain of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Bramble
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Fresh mint

 

Add all ingredients and ice to shaker. Shake well, then strain over ice in large rocks glass. Garnish with mint sprig.
 

 

Kickstart My Heart cocktail recipe

Two of our bartenders — Chris Resnick and Baylee Pruitt — got married recently, and their wedding felt so true to them, right down to the cocktails. 

You might know Chris and Baylee as the masterminds of Tiki Tuesday at the distillery. They collect rum and hunt online for cool tiki vessels and they even have matching pineapple tattoos on their arms. They are living la vida tiki. 

So, it was fitting that their wedding had the most perfect tiki touches: elegant birds of paradise bouquets, a delicious curry bar for dinner, tiki mugs shaped like giant pink elephants for the wedding party, pineapple sew-on patches as favors...

...and to drink...

Punch! Three delightful punches, in fact. One with rum, another with tequila and a third with gin. Punch glasses were set out on the tables, and guests took them up to the bar to be filled (and refilled, because you gotta try all three) at their leisure. It felt relaxed and fun and thoughtful, just like the rest of their wedding.

If you're wondering what these two bartenders would drink at their own wedding with a room full of their bartender friends (NO PRESSURE, GUYS!), here it is — the recipe for Kickstart My Heart, Chris and Baylee's herbal gin punch. It's adapted for a single cocktail, but feel free to batch it.

KICKSTART MY HEART

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

Makes 1 cocktail

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
1/8 ounce green chartreuse
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce Batavia Arrack
1 ounce green tea
1/4 ounce simple syrup

Add ingredients to a Collins glass with ice. Stir, then top with a splash of club soda.

Craftpack, Vol. 33

How to make a cocktail look like a sunset.

Loving these punch glasses from Dave Wondrich's new barware line.

This mojito recipe is anything but the usual suspect. 

A guide to American pét-nat — aka naturally sparkling, freestyle wines, aka the hot new-new.

This list of Saveur's annual blog awards nominees is a great cheat-sheet for food & drink blogs you should be reading.

Blackberry Mojito recipe

This mojito by our bartender Alyvia Cai is anything but the usual suspect — bursting with blackberries, plus our terrific, handcrafted Tiki Rum, fresh-squeezed lime juice and summer mint.

BLACKBERRY MOJITO

By Alyvia Cain of Cardinal Spirits

2 oz Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
4 blackberries
Fresh mint
Club soda

In a shaker, muddle 3 blackberries and simple syrup. Add the rum, lime juice, and mint to the shaker, and then add ice. Shake well, then double-strain over ice in a Collins glass. Top with club soda, then garnish with a blackberry and mint sprig.

3 things you need to know about our Pride Vodka

This bottle of vodka won’t solve the world’s problems, but it will directly support the LGBTQ community, and that’s a damn good start.

Here's the deal: When you buy a bottle of our Pride Vodka, we donate 10 percent of the proceeds to Bloomington Pride so that it can continue to celebrate, educate and strengthen our community in countless ways.

Bottles are sold at the distillery and other retailers in Indiana and Kentucky. 

Let’s raise a glass to allies, activists, friends and family who believe in equity and liberty and justice and glitter! Be proud and drink Pride! Here's three fun facts about Pride Vodka:

Bottle #1

ONE

We filled the first bottle of Pride Vodka on Friday, June 26, 2015 — the landmark day that the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

SM57, a cocktail at Pioneer in Indianapolis, made with our Pride Vodka

TWO

Bars and restaurants are creating cocktails using Pride Vodka, and giving it a shout-out on their menus — how great is that?

At Pioneer in Indianapolis, for example, try the SM57 cocktail (above) made with our Pride Vodka plus gin, triple sec, liqueur de violette, lemon, orange bitters and lavender bitters. 

Bloomington Pride board members (L to R): Kyle Hayes, Justin Ford, Kristina Simmonds and Sarah Gordon.

THREE

Pride Vodka is a special bottling of our signature Vodka, which earned an impressive 93 points from Wine Enthusiast.  

Our Vodka is made from white grapes, and it is fermented, distilled and bottled entirely on-site at Cardinal Spirits in Bloomington, Indiana. This is not your average tasteless, odorless vodka. It has character by design, with a very light entry and a bright floral finish. It's some of the smoothest vodka around.

Craftpack, Vol. 32

Links that make you go Hmmm...

First things first: We're hiring an Editorial Intern. Are you the superstar we're looking for?

Stranger Things drinking game

Cardinal Spirits and our Bramble Mules get a shout-out in this travel guide to Bloomington

The ultimate Midwestern summer job used to be ... what?!

Tasting notes for hemp vodkas if you're into that sort of thing

Why blender drinks are back (plus recipes)