Four new spirits created by 13 of the Winter class students in the Artisan Distilling Program will be released at the College’s Wine Visitor + Education Centre, August 18, during a Capstone Spirit Release Party celebrating the students’ hard work.
The event, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m., will give guests a chance to taste the spirits the students created for their final projects by way of signature drinks created with them. It’s also a way to bid them “a fond farewell” in a special way, said NC’s distiller David Dickson.
Among the spirits that will be released is Amaro Sparacci. It’s an aperitivo bitter not unlike Campari or Aperol, Dickson said. “It is less sweet and bitter than the alternatives with citrus, fruitiness, earthiness and complexity. The signature cocktail for the evening will be a riff on a Negroni.”
Rhys Higham, who was part of the group behind Amaro Sparacci, said she and her classmates decided early on that one of the main flavouring components would be asparagus. It was a challenge for her to make a bitter spirit, though.
“I’m really sensitive to bitter flavours, so making a bitter spirit really forced me to expand my palate beyond something I just enjoy, to think about the overall profile of the spirit,” Higham said. “Luckily [my group partners] both love bitter, so they were able to help push me out of my comfort zone.”
She said recipe building and flavour blending are her favourite things to do, so it was a treat to be at the distillery each week creating and testing different extractions.
“The actual recipe building–with all of our different botanicals–was amazing.”
Other spirits that will be released at the event are:
Coconut Milk Liqueur – a coconut milk-infused spirit that tastes like coconut, smells like coconut and looks like coconut milk. The base is a short-aged sugar spirit, not unlike rum. The signature cocktail for the evening will be a NC Colada.
Citrus Vodka साइट्रस – a lightly flavoured vodka with citrus notes coming from lemon grass, fruity notes from strawberries and floral notes from lavender. The signature cocktail of the evening will be a riff on a Lemon Drop.
Orange Bitters – Cocktail bitters are used to balance cocktails by adding intense aromatics as well as taking the edge off the sweetness by adding a bitter component. The signature cocktail of the evening will be an Old Fashioned.
“This is the first Cocktail Bitters from the Teaching Distillery, and it is proofed to 101 proof (50.5%) in honour of the 101 designation on the label,” Dickson said.
The three spirits and the bitters are available in the College’s retail store. Although the Orange Bitters will continue to be produced, the other three are available only while supplies last.
The August 18 event is open to the public. The entry fee is $10, payable at the door. Register online using this link. Cocktails are $10 and sample flights are $20.
The food truck will also be open during the event.
