Over the last decade, New York has passed several bills that have engendered the first distilleries in the state since Prohibition. In Brooklyn, people of various backgrounds jumped at the opportunity to alter the course of their lives and focus on crafting a product they cared deeply about. Some are NYC transplants, some born-and-bred natives. Prior to distilling, some worked in finance or magazine publishing, some had shitty desk jobs that they couldn’t wait to quit. And some still maintain a day job while simultaneously putting in many hours a week at their distillery. But the common thread that binds them all together is a passion for spirits, a willingness to challenge the corporate liquor juggernauts for a (miniscule) share of the market, and a desire to pay tribute to the long and storied tradition of distilling.
The Brooklyn Spirits Trail, sort of urban version of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, is more of a concept than an actuality. It’s essentially a consortium of distilleries, blenders, and one liquor store that has created a map to guide people to various locations in the hopes of drumming up business and promoting the nascent industry. You can read more about The Brooklyn Spirits Trail in this week’s issue of the Paste mPlayer, coming out later today. In the meantime, here are 11 great microdistilleries on the trail:
King’s County Distillery
Neighborhood: Brooklyn Navy Yard
Spirits: “moonshine,” bourbon
Recommended cocktail: “white” Manhattan, mint julep
King’s County Distillery’s “moonshine” is really an un-aged, white whiskey, since it’s made legally and can’t really be considered moonshine. It has a bold but smooth corn whiskey flavor, while the bourbon, which is currently aged between 12 and 18 months, has a nice, woody taste.
Breuckelen Distilling
Neighborhood: Sunset Park
Spirits: 77 Whiskey, Glorious Gin
Recommended cocktail: Manhattan or old fashioned, Negroni
Breucklen Distilling produces a 7- to 12-month-old wheat whiskey, with hints of maple, cinnamon, and wood—the distillery has referred to it as a “French toast breakfast”—and a rye. Their gin is also wheat-based, with pleasant, floral hits of juniper, rosemary and ginger.
Van Brunt Stillhouse
Neighborhood: Red Hook
Spirits: Due North Rum, Red Hook Grappa, Van Brunt Stillhouse American Whiskey
Recommended cocktail: best drunk neat
Due North Rum drinks almost like a whiskey—slightly sweet and a hint of oak—and can easily be enjoyed neat. The whiskey features four grains—wheat, malted barley, corn, and rye, and is complex but smooth.
NY Distilling Company
Neighborhood: Williamsburg
Spirits: Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin, Dorothy Parker American Gin, rye whiskey (not yet available)
Recommended cocktail: gimlet, martini
The navy strength gin has higher alcohol content than most. At 57% ABV, this is “the historical proof at which gunpowder might still be fired should it unfortunately be soaked by spilled spirit.” The Dorothy Parker has lower alcohol content, and both are floral but not overpoweringly so.
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