Green Options

I’m feeling a little guilty about my posting last week, When Life Gives You Raspberries, Add Vodka. No guilt on the idea of blending raspberries and vodka, it’s just I recommended “cheap vodka” as an ingredient for the Raspberry Cordial recipe. Shame on me. There’s no point in praising the glories of local, organic raspberries and then regress to mixing them with no name, no good sustainable karma vodka just to save a buck.

Turns out I have better options, thanks to the burgeoning rise of “micro-distilleries.” Over 100 of these small, independent, locally owned distilleries can be found across the county and continue to pop up at the rate of ten to twenty a year. Turns out one of these sits just north of my farm in Madison, Wisconsin: Yahara Bay Distillers, making small batches of vodka, white rum and other spirits using local ingredients from family-run farms ideally within 100 miles.

“A year ago I couldn’t spell distillery, now I’m making the stuff,” confesses owner Nick Quint with a smile. Unlike wineries and breweries, small micro-distilleries can get up and running with a much lower investment and learning curve. “Folks are drinking less but drinking better and they want to be aware of what they’re drinking, and that’s where local spirits fit in. People want to slow down and consciously enjoy a quality cocktail.”

I’m convinced. But just to set me permanently straight on why I shouldn’t fall for cheap vodka again, Quint offers these three reasons to seek out micro-distilleries: