North Shore Distiller's Journal

Upcoming Events

Saturday, Oct 13
Independent Spirits Fest
W Hotel, San Francisco
5.30 - 10 pm PST

Friday, Oct 19
In-store tasting at Fox & Obel in Chicago from 5 - 8 pm

Sat, Oct 20
In-store tasting at Europa Galleria Market (340 W. Superior in Chicago) from 5 - 8 pm

Watch for More Events
We're working on the rest of our 2007 events calendar, so check our events website often for updates on what we're up to.

Tales from the Spirits Industry Continued...

pursuing their passion, and to represent the Midwest as an exciting home for craft distilling. We have some of the best grain in the world in these parts; why not show off the liquid art we can create with it?

In our next edition, we’ll highlight some of the amazing spirits we were able to try and the interesting characters we met at the Fest. In the meantime, if any of you are going to be in SF next week, why not come out and join in the craft distilling excitement? Visit the event website for details.

Cheers!


October 2007 News Tales from the Spirits Industry, Vol. 1 Read the first in this new series about our adventures in the spirits industry. Want an insider's look? We're starting now... Connect with us in more fun ways, including Sonja's new blog, our page on Myspace, and the new video of our distillery from our friend the Boozehound (aka Kyle McHugh)! Find recipes for the Ginger Gimlet, Pear Basil Cooler, and Strawberry Rhubarb Martini, and a few more ways to say "cheers" Check out the Dish (look for "Lucky Six") and Chicagoist on Rhuginger No. 6 and get it now while you still can! Like our stuff and want to help us spread the word (and make some extra holiday cash)? We're looking for some folks to do in-store tasting events with us!
Ginger Gimlet This recipe is a variation of a cocktail by Dan Sviland at Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, its one of our favorites 1½ oz Distiller's Gin No. 6 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice 1 oz Ginger Syrup (see below) Combine ingredients over ice in a shaker; shake well and strain into martini glass. Garnish with lime wheel. Ginger Syrup 1 cup Sugar 1 cup Water 3 or 4-inch piece ginger root, peeled & sliced to ½" thick pieces Put ingredients in small saucepan, stir well. Heat to slow simmer, stirring often. Simmer (and stir) for 3-4 minutes more. Allow syrup to cool, strain into storage jar. It will keep in your fridge for a few weeks. You can also do this with mint, basil, or any other herb, as well as a variety of other flavors - this is a great way to add a little spice or something extra to a cocktail and get a genuine flavor.	Tales from the Spirits Industry, Part I As many of our newsletter readers know, we were new to the alcoholic beverage industry when we started North Shore Distillery. Along our journey, we’ve made some good friends and met some fabulous people. The craft distilling movement is a very young industry, and it’s an exciting time to be in our business. Much like the micro-brewery trend (which is of course continuing to evolve), we are seeing new craft distilleries pop up all over the country. When we started, there were around 65 small, independent distilleries in the U.S. Now the number is approaching (and/or past) 90 – it will be very interesting to see where we go from here. Collectively, we’re still a very, very tiny segment of the market. All that said, it’s a very tough industry and the competition is fierce! Most of the brands you see behind the bar and at the liquor store are produced by very large companies (or their subsidiaries), even many of those that masquerade as small-batch or hand-crafted. And of course those companies have millions to spend on marketing and advertising to draw your attention to their brands. Since we don't have that kind of budget, we’re always looking for creative ways to tell people about what we’re doing and about our industry. This weekend, we are participating in the first-ever Independent Spirits Fest in San Francisco. Most of the participants are from truly small, independent distilleries across the US (and a few from across the pond). This will be an exciting opportunity for us to meet some others --->	Upcoming Events Saturday, Oct 13 Independent Spirits Fest W Hotel, San Francisco 5.30 - 10 pm PST Friday, Oct 19 In-store tasting at Fox & Obel in Chicago from 5 - 8 pm Sat, Oct 20 In-store tasting at Europa Galleria Market (340 W. Superior in Chicago) from 5 - 8 pm Watch for More Events We're working on the rest of our 2007 events calendar, so check our events website often for updates on what we're up to. Tales from the Spirits Industry Continued... pursuing their passion, and to represent the Midwest as an exciting home for craft distilling. We have some of the best grain in the world in these parts; why not show off the liquid art we can create with it? In our next edition, we’ll highlight some of the amazing spirits we were able to try and the interesting characters we met at the Fest. In the meantime, if any of you are going to be in SF next week, why not come out and join in the craft distilling excitement? Visit the event website for details. Cheers!
Great New Recipes Now that pears are in season, give this one a try: Pear Basil Cooler 1½ oz North Shore Vodka ½ oz Mathilde Pear Liqueur 4-5 Fresh Pear Chunks 2-3 Basil Leaves Club soda Muddle basil, fruit & liqueur lightly. Add vodka, then top up with club soda. Strawberry Rhubarb Martini 4 oz Rhuginger No. 6 1 oz Simple Syrup 5 Strawberries Place 4 sliced strawberries in shaker, then add ice, Rhuginger No. 6 and syrup. Shake vigorously, and strain into martini glass. Garnish with whole berry on the rim.
	Toasts Around the Globe Continued or how to say "Cheers!" a few more ways* We had so much fun with last month's toasts, we thought we'd bring you some more: Afrikaans- Gesondheid! Catalan - Salut! German - Prost! Polish - Na zdrowie! Portuguese - Saude! Russian - na zdorovye! (or на здоровье in Russian) Serbocroatian - Ziveli! *Source - Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany by Ben Schott, p. 12	North Shore Distillery is the first and only artisanal distillery in Illinois. We have a passion for spirits, and for developing creative new products. Learn more about us on northshoredistillery.com. We hope you enjoy our products!