A bottle of herbal liqueur will make your home bar more versatile and seasonally appropriate. These liqueurs are made with a wide assortment of ingredients—barks and roots, herbs and spices—that add up to something woodsy, warming, and bittersweet. Here are three made locally, their constituent flavors, and some ideas on how to use them. • … [ Read more]
Craft Cocktail: Branch Water at Norseman Distillery
On the first beautiful day of spring, I was admiring the Wüsthofs at Eversharp when I noticed the patio at Norseman Distillery. A single table was bathed in golden sunlight, as if the heavens had sent down a reservation placard for me and my girlfriend. We skipped across the parking lot to that table and, … [ Read more]
Spirits Close-Up: Water
This month’s Craft Cocktail is the Branch Water at Norseman Distillery, a remarkably uncomplicated whiskey and water. So, for this month’s Spirits Close-Up we decided to take a look at how water can enhance the whiskey-drinking experience. Are you telling us to water down our cocktails? You’re doing it already. Water is an important ingredient … [ Read more]
Craft Cocktail: The Dark Storm at Norseman Distillery
“These are all cocktails you can make at home,” says Keith Mrotek, beverage director at the Norseman Distillery cocktail room. “They all have three or four ingredients in them. Super simple. I want you to be able to come here, have a cocktail, go to a liquor store, buy our gin or rum, and then … [ Read more]
The State of Minnesota Whiskey
The Minnesota craft-distilling scene is looking to find its place in the geography of whiskey. With a handful of distilleries now past that two-year mark, it’s nearing the time for many to make the jump from barrel to bottle and start bringing aged spirits to market. Adrian Panther of Panther Distillery in Osakis believes Minnesota’s … [ Read more]
Craft Distillery Bottle Sales Start Friday in Minnesota
The rise of craft breweries and cideries in Minnesota has coincided with a renaissance of craft distilleries throughout the state. There are 14 microdistilleries currently in operation (or soon to be). But unlike taprooms, which can sell their beer directly to customers in growlers, distilleries were unable to sell bottles of their liquor on site. Until … [ Read more]
Wander North Distillery Opens, Vodka Released This Weekend
Wander North is located in what’s becoming a new destination district for the city’s alcohol makers – just down Broadway from Norseman Distillery, and in the same building as Northgate Brewing’s upcoming taproom and production facility. Their first spirit, Outpost Vodka, is made from 100% Minnesota-grown corn sourced from Fluegel Elevator in Rosemount. It’s milled into … [ Read more]
The Rise of Minnesota-Made Spirits
After the license fee for small distilleries was lowered in 2011, multiple operations in Minnesota bought stills, sourced grain, and filed their paperwork. Get ready for an explosion of local spirits on the shelves in 2014. By John Garland Scott Ervin of Norseman Distillery fills his bottles of vodka by hand, one at a time, … [ Read more]