The Local Roots of
BULRUSH GIN
Now found in trendy bars up and down the east coast and throughout the Midwest, Bulrush is a Lowcountry success story. BY BARRY KAUFMAN
If you ever find yourself in Cincinnati, Ohio and in need of a drink, we have a recommendation for you. Simply tell your Uber driver to head toward the trendy Gateway Quarter at the south end of the OTR District to a little speakeasy by the name of Sundry and Vice. There you’ll find a beverage of unsurpassed refreshment called the Garnet, artfully blending Gin, Jamaican hibiscus syrup, lime, pineapple, ginger and burlesque bitters. If the first sip draws your mind back to your home in the South Carolina Lowcountry, it’s not just because of the drink’s namesake connection to USC’s colors. No, that hint of home comes from the gin at the heart of the cocktail, a fullflavored, carefully crafted Lowcountry spirit by the name of Bulrush Gin. Of course, Sundry and Vice doesn’t have a monopoly on the delectable balance of juniper, lavender and botanicals Bulrush brings to their cocktails. You’ll find Bulrush in trendy cocktail bars and retail liquor stores up and down the East Coast, from New York down to Georgia. But this being a Hilton Head Island-based drink, it only makes sense Ohioans would embrace it. “It’s not as closely related to the Hilton Head/Ohio connection as you think,” said Bulrush founder Tony Bagnulo.
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PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN
“When we first launched in Ohio, I just spent a lot of time there. I met a lot of bartenders and got to know people. They just dug it. And the Cincinnati bar scene is awesome – probably one of the most underrated in the U.S.” And Bagnulo would know. For years before founding Broad Creek Spirits Company, for which Bulrush Gin is the flagship product, he worked in liquor marketing. His territory was anywhere good times were found, leading him to crisscross the country as he met with bartenders and retailers. It’s a network he’s put to good use after forging his own path. Bulrush Gin was crafted from meticulously cultivated ingredients from juniper and cardamom and ginger, but its reputation was built on pure hustle. “It’s been a lot of just being there, just being present,” said Bagnulo. “A lot of the time it’s just connecting with people and sharing the story. Rinse and repeat. It’s all about building those relationships.” Of course, those relationships were first built on Hilton Head Island, which is why you’ll find Bulrush in virtually ever bar and liquor store in the Lowcountry. “We celebrate the spirit of the Lowcountry,” said Bagnulo. “We’re probably one of the few gins you would ever drink on the May River sandbar.”
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