good life
Spirits
[continued from previous page] available in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio at retail stores such as The Austin Wine Merchant, Specs and Twin Liquors, as well as bars and restaurants such as Drink.Well, Midnight Cowboy, Volstead, Grackle, Tigress Pub, the Four Seasons and Vespaio.
It’s a Texas Gin Revolution After nearly five years of dreaming, scheming, planning and experimenting, Revolution Gin cofounders Aaron Day and Mark Shilling are nearly Aaron Day, Jennifer Querbes ready to introduce their craft and Mark Shilling, distilled gin to Texas. of Revolution Gin “Aaron and I had been talking about our desire to make a spirit for awhile, and one thing led to another and we decided to stop talking about it and do it,” Shilling says. “Gin is what we want to do first. Craft distilling is wide open to experimentation, with flavors and styles that the big guys can’t do.” “We were inspired by what we are seeing in the craft distilling industry,” Day quickly adds. “Tito [Beveridge, of Tito’s Handmade Vodka] showed it can be done. [Dan Garrison, of Garrison Brothers Whiskey] showed that it can be done in a craft way.” The two choose to seek the counsel of other distillers and found an eager group of mentors willing to share advice. (In fact, the meetings and conversations led to the formation of the Texas Craft Distillers trade association, of which Daniel Barnes is president.) “The mentorship we’ve received has helped us get off the ground,” Shilling says. “We had many productive conversations, and now it’s off to the races.” Revolution Gin has secured a site for its distillery near Dripping Springs, in the same neighborhood as Argus Hard Cidery, Jester King Brewery and Thirty Planet Brewing Company. They see the area as a cultural corridor leading from Austin to the wineries near Fredericksburg. They aren’t alone in thinking that the area has appeal for day-trippers and tourists alike. Treaty Oak Distilling plans to move its operations to the neighborhood this fall. The gin is in the planning stages as Revolution works on getting its license. The intent is to make a neutral base spirit with red wheat—or
34 ATX MAN summer 2013
may even use non-GMO corn to make a gluten-free base that is consistent and reliable so they can focus on the botanicals. To gather inspiration for the flavor summer teeth profile, Revolution has met While Revolution Gin isn’t yet available Combine all in a shaker filled with ice, and shake briefly to to taste, Jason Stevens, the bar manwith bartenders and opinion integrate. ager at Bar Congress, created a special makers, including the folks gin-based summer cocktail that he’ll at Bar Congress and Bobby *For a boozier cocktail, double mix for you using any Texas-made gin. Huegle of Anvil Bar in strain into an old-fashioned glass Houston to better understand 1 K ounces local gin filled with cubed ice. Garnish with the specific style of gin that is K ounce Gran Classico a grapefruit peel. wanted in Texas. L ounce dry Sherry (like Fino, *For a lighter, more refreshing “Simple is sometimes better. Manzanilla or Amontillado) cocktail, single-strain shaken We are looking at using seven 1 barspoon simple syrup cocktail into a Collins glass botanicals in our gin,” Shilling 1 ounce fresh-squeezed Rio Star filled with crushed ice and top says. The focus will be on Grapefruit Juice with soda, then stir to integrate. Texas-sourced botanicals such N ounce lemon juice Garnish with grapefruit peel and as citrus, lavender, rosemary few drops Bitter Truth Celery fresh mint. and ash juniper berries. Bitters Revolution is shooting for a 1 ½ ounces soda water (optional) continental style, rather than a London dry, that brings complexity to cocktails. The star of the botanical show will be rosemary. about $30. To get the word out to prominent “Rosemary is distinct and has real legs,” Day mixologists, they hired an experienced spirits says. “We’re excited to see what that brings.” broker, Jennifer Querbes, as partner and COO. Revolution expects to release its gin in area What are you waiting for? Let the Summer of restaurants, bars and stores in early fall for Gin begin.