Forest Gimlet

The holidays are over, and most of us are finally coming out of some fabulous food and drink comas. Looking at you, egg nog. 

January is a time for fresh starts and newly made resolutions. For Alaskans, this also means crazy cold spells and winter days that get longer and longer, creeping ever so slowly towards spring.

The Forest Gimlet was inspired by just such days. The kind of day that is breathtakingly gorgeous, refreshing, and icy cold. Rosemary infused vodka adds a hint of warmth to this twist on a classic cocktail.

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Making an infused vodka is quite simple. All you'll need is a great vodka, like our Icy Strait Vodka, a large jar, and whatever you want to put in it.  

Rosemary is a ridiculously versatile herb with a flavor that can be a subtle hint at the finish of a drink, or a fresh slap to the face at the start, similar to the north wind we've had lately. It goes well with citrus, and makes a great twist on classic vodka cocktails. 

Rosemary Infused Vodka

750 mL Icy Strait Vodka

2-3 full sprigs fresh rosemary (I used pieces about 6" long)

Combine vodka and rosemary in a large jar, and leave somewhere dark for 2 or 3 days. Check it after the second day, if you want the flavor to be stronger, leave it to infuse for another day.

Forest Gimlet

1.5 oz Rosemary Infused Icy Strait Vodka

.75 oz Lemon Juice

.25 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Port Chilkoot Yule Nog

Festive drinks are an important part of a great holiday party, and nothing is more iconic than a glass of egg nog. Our nog recipe is boozy, simple, and ridiculously tasty.

What you'll need:

Blender

Boatwright Bourbon

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

Nutmeg

Blend sugar, eggs, milk, and cream until fluffy, then add whiskey to taste and blend again. We recommend about 1 1/2 cups for this recipe. Pour into the drinking vessels of your choice and spoon a little of the fluff from the top of the blended mixture into each glass. Sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy!

Spruce Gin Old Fashioned

In a mixing tin, stir together

• 2 spruce tips

• Lemon wedge

• Grapefruit bitters

Add

• 2 oz. 50 Fathoms Gin

• ¾ oz. spruce tip-infused simple syrup

• Ice

Stir and strain over ice-filled rocks glass. 

Garnish with a spruce tip.

Moscow Moose

2 oz. Icy Strait Vodka

1 oz.  ginger beer or ginger ale

1 lemon wedge

1 lime wedge

Splash of soda water

Stir ingredients together and strain in to a tin camping mug filled with crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel and sprig of mint.

What's better than a Gold Medal? A Double Gold Medal!

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50 Fathoms Gin wins Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the largest, most influential international spirits competition in America, is judged by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized spirits experts. Judging is based on a blind, consensual procedure, ensuring competitive integrity as it remains the nation’s most respected spirits competition.  Celebrating its 15th year in 2015, the Competition was held in San Francisco from March 19th through the 22nd.

First Batches of Rye Whiskey

That's right: we're now making a Rye Whiskey and the first batch just went into the barrels. This Mash Bill 70% Rye and we think it will come out with a nice spicy, yet balanced flavor. Now we'll let the barrels do the work for a while, while we cook up another batch!

50 Fathoms Gin wins Gold Medal

We are proud to announce that our 50 Fathoms Gin won the Gold Medal in the American Craft Spirits Awards (ACSA) this past weekend in Austin, Texas.  The ACSA is the largest gathering of licensed craft spirits producers in the United States.

This is a very rigorous, blind-taste judging of craft spirits from all over the country.  Apparently the judges like our gin as much as we do!

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Heather and Sean with their gold medal for 50 Fathoms Gin.

Hot Apple Ginger Toddy

We’re celebrating our first day of snow in Haines this winter! If you’re in town, stop by the Tasting Room for a steaming mug of Hot Apple Ginger Toddy.

Here’s the recipe to make at home:

• 1 1/2 oz. 12 Volts Moonshine

• 3 oz. Hot apple ginger cider*

• Add honey to taste

• Garnish with a dried apple slice or cinnamon stick.

*To make Hot apple ginger cider, simmer apple cider with freshly grated ginger, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to taste.

Tasting Bar Opening at Port Chilkoot Distillery

Haines local, Macky Cassidy joins the team as Tasting Room Manager

Port Chilkoot Distillery announces October 31 as Grand Opening date for their tasting bar.

With a recent change in Alaska State legislation that went in to effect on October 12, distilleries in Alaska are now legally allowed to offer taste samples, product sales, and limited drinks for on-site consumption, similar to what visitors have come to expect at breweries and wineries.

Almost a year to the date of the distillery’s inaugural Open House, visitors will now be able to order a drink made with spirits produced on-site.  Free taste samples will be offered for those who haven’t tried the spirits before, and products will be available for purchase for off-premise consumption.  The distillery will be offering finely crafted cocktails and seasonal infusions using local ingredients, as well as more traditional drinks.  The tasting room also plans to offer private tasting parties and small cocktail mixing classes in the future.  A variety of logo and label-design merchandise will also be available for sale.  Tasting rooms are restricted from having entertainment or seats, cannot be open after 8pm, and can serve up to two drinks per person per day.

Macky Cassidy, a life-long Alaskan and year-round Haines resident, will be managing the tasting room operations.  She comes to the Distillery with 8 years of experience in the food and beverage industry and great enthusiasm for local and wild ingredients. Macky looks forward to seeing you in the Tasting Room where she can explain the unique nature of each of the locally-made spirits and can mix you up a finely crafted drink.