Boutique micro-distilleries are popping up all over Arizona. What better time than now to sample some of these locally made spirits? These unique spirits are great for Arizona inspired cocktails and are the perfect gift or addition to any home bar!
Arcadia Coffee Vodka – O.H.S.O. Brewery and Distillery
When the original O.H.S.O. (short for Outrageous Homebrewer’s Social Outpost) opened in Arcadia in 2011, the focus was brewing beer. However, with its success at several locations, O.H.S.O. added distilling to the mix soon after. And we’re all so glad, because this nutty vodka – one of many spirits in their ever-growing stash – is a triumph. It truly tastes like medium-roast coffee, but also has hints of caramel, toasted sugar, and vanilla. Distilled from sugarcane, Arcadia Coffee Vodka is blended with cold brew coffee made in house and sourced from Infusion Coffee and Tea in Tempe. www.ohsobrewery.com
Blue Clover Pepper Vodka – Blue Clover Distillery
Blue Clover Distillery is Old Town Scottsdale’s first micro-distillery and tasting room. They distill their vodka with farm fresh corn and use water from a specialized reverse osmosis system, which gives their products the taste of the fresh waters of the Pacific Northwest. Among Blue Clover’s newest flavored offerings, this spicy sipper is handcrafted and infused locally with three types of peppers: Hatch green chile, red pepper, and jalapeño. Blue Clover Pepper Vodka is inspired by the Southwest and is homage to the founder’s New Mexico and Arizona roots. This libation is the perfect spirit to use in a Bloody Mary as the infused pepper flavor amps up the drink and brings a unique punch! www.bluecloverdistillery.com
Papago Dark Rum – Adventurous Stills
Similar to how chefs focus on farm-to-table dishes, Adventurous Stills focuses on grain-to-bottle distilling. The Tempe craft distillery, which was founded in 2015, is able to use 70% of locally grown grains in its products and makes everything in house with two hand-fabricated all-copper stills. Adventurous Stills has both light and dark rum options, among other winning varieties, but we love the Papago Dark Rum for its ability to be enjoyed on its own, or complementing Tiki-style cocktails. It bursts with candied tropical fruits and toasted coconut on the nose and makes us feel like we are on island time with each sip. www.adventstills.com
Whiskey Del Bac Dorado – Whiskey Del Bac
This southern Arizona distillery was founded by a Tucson furniture designer who used mesquite wood in his work to showcase the native Arizona plant. Many years later Whiskey Del Bac created Dorado, made by malting barley, which is at the core of the whiskey-making process, over mesquite wood. This achieves what the founder calls a “mesquited, not peated” flavor profile. As an Arizona Single Malt and mesquite smoked whiskey, this spirit is a true specialty. The Distiller’s Cut, which is aged for the longest and bottled at cask strength, is a limited edition offering that varies slightly from batch to batch and season to season. When a new bottle releases, run – don’t walk – to get your hands on one. www.whiskeydelbac.com
The Oatmeal Cookie – Flying Leap Vineyards and Distillery
Founded by a team of retired military pilots, Elgin-based Flying Leap got into the whiskey business as a natural derivative of their wine and brandy production capacity. The winemaking team began distilling in 2016 to increase the value of its grape harvest. So, they innovated a process to make distinctive blended whiskies, combining the intermediate distillates of grape musts and grain mashes, then co-distilling them to produce a hybrid spirit. Their releases are all single-barrel and very limited. Customers are able to purchase a limited edition Oatmeal Cookie offering which is a richly-flavored blended spirit of wine grapes and whole oats. www.flyingleapvineyards.com
Mission Vodka – Arizona Distilling Co.
This popular distillery, which is the second-oldest in Arizona, expanded to a 5,000-square-foot tasting room and cocktail lounge in Tempe in 2018. With products like Mission Vodka, it is easy to see why. This 100% Arizona corn-based vodka is inspired by 18th-century Spanish missions across the Sonoran Desert. It is crisp and clean with a touch of lovely sweetness. Insider tip: don’t sleep on the Park Rye whiskey, the first rye whiskey distilled in Arizona, or the Desert Durum Wheat, made with high-quality durum wheat grown near Casa Grande. www.azdistilling.com
Saint Anne’s Citrus Rosé Gin – SanTan Spirits
After over a decade of building its craft beer brand to one of the biggest names in Arizona, SanTan Brewing Company opened SanTan Spirits, a craft distillery. There are both traditional and experimental offerings in their current line-up, including this stunner. SanTan’s St. Anne’s Botanical Spirits brand uses a mix of traditional and unconventional ingredients to create distinctive flavors. A must in the line-up is this gin, which is only available at the tasting rooms and is an aromatic blend of nine botanicals, including rosebuds, grapefruit, lavender, and hibiscus. www.santanspirits.com
Written By Alison Bailin Batz
Photographed by Luke Irvin
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