Spring has sprung: J. Carver Distillery Events and Bourbon Whiskey

Some say good news, bad news. At J. Carver Distillery, we say good news and great news. The good news is we have a number of special events and liquor store tastings occurring in the Twin Cities highlighting our line of J. Carver spirits. Store locations and times are detailed on our website Events tab. Looking for an event that will certainly make your taste buds do a jig? One of these fabulous events is being hosted by Sanctuary Restaurant in Minneapolis. Sanctuary Executive Chef Patrick Atanalian has created a special one night menu this Thursday, March 24, from 5-9 pm incorporating J. Carver Distillery gin, vodka, and whiskey. For reservations, call 612-339-5058 or go online. Stay tuned for details regarding a speculator gin event at Black Forest Inn Minneapolis on April 6th. Erica and team have some great surprises up their sleeves or lederhosen as the case may be.  

Sanctuary Restaurant Minneapolis 

The great news is spring is in the air just in time for the release of one of the first grain-to glass bourbons distilled in Minnesota. J. Carver Bourbon Whiskey has a mash bill of 75% local corn from Plato, MN and 25% local rye from Clear Lake, MN, and has been aged in oak barrels coopered in Avon and Park Rapids, Minnesota. We are thrilled with the response we have received. Check out the feature written by Loren Green with City Pages and another by The Whiskey Wash, a website dedicated to all things whiskey. 

J. Carver Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. 1

From our press release: "J. Carver Bourbon Whiskey offers the sweetness of corn with a spicy rye finish. While it is crafted for straight sipping, its notes of cinnamon, toffee and oak make it ideal for drinks with bourbon as the central focus. J. Carver Bourbon Whiskey mixes exceptionally well in classic cocktails including the Old Fashioned, Manhattan and Sazerac." 

J. Carver Bourbon Whiskey Old Fashioned served straight up

Try our featured specialty J. Carver Bourbon Whiskey Ginger Old Fashioned. Enjoy straight up or on the rocks. Here is the recipe:

2 oz J. Carver Bourbon Whiskey
½ oz Ginger Simple Syrup
3 dashes bitters Jamaican #1
Shake and strain in a chilled martini glass or serve over ice in a low ball glass and garnish with an orange slice and a bourbon cherry. 

Another thing putting a spring in our step is the celebration of Easter this weekend. Not too early for the Easter Bunny to start making his rounds. Maybe there is a basket of J. Carver spirits hidden for libation lover in your family. Speaking of Easter, J. Carver Distillery will be closed this weekend so our team can spend time with family and friends.  We will resume regularly scheduled cocktail room hours and tours and tastings on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. Enjoy the spring season everyone and don’t forget to take time to smell the flowers, breathe the fresh air, and enjoy some J. Carver spirits and specialty cocktail to welcome the new season. Happy Easter from our J. Carver Distillery Family to you and yours. Cheers!

J. Carver Distillery - Ringing In The New Year 2016

Today is a day we gather around and celebrate the dawn of a sparkling New Year. May it bring gifts of joy, good health and time with friends and family gathering around the table celebrating traditions with good food and tasty libations. J. Carver Distillery has much to be thankful for in 2015.

A line up of J. Carver Specialty cocktails: J. Carver Rye Frisco, Mulled Cider and Apple Brandy, a spin on a  J. Carver French 75, Grimm Farm Bees Knees, Lake House Cosmo, and the J. Carver Barrel Gin Old Fashioned

We launched 9 new products this year including gin, grappa, apple brandy, and rye whiskey that were all aged in barrels coopered in Minnesota.  J. Carver Barrel Gin has quickly become the new darling of craft bartenders. We are humbled and grateful to Spoon and Stable, FireLake Grill House and Cocktail Bar at Mall of America, Coalition Restaurant in Excelsior, Lolo American Kitchen in Stillwater, and South Lyndale Liquor, all who purchased hand-selected barrels of J. Carver Barrel Gin this year. These fine restaurants are creating delicious eats and tasty drinks! If you are in their area, you must check them out and see what they are creating with J. Carver Barrel Gin. Bottled at 96 proof, we see enthusiasts enjoying drinking this gin straight and it is perfect in classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned (Check out the last issue of the Spirits of Discovery Blog for the recipe), Manhattan and Bees Knees. You can create these and other tasty cocktails this New Years with the recipes on our website and others listed below.

We are grateful to our distillery friends and fans who have stopped by our cocktail room for a tour and a taste and then went out to their local liquor stores to buy J. Carver products. A huge shout out to our partnering liquor stores and restaurants, without a blink, they brought in our newly released Marquette grappa, Apple Brandy, and Rye Whiskey all created with local fruit and grains. We are grateful for the collaboration with our local wineries in Waconia, local farmers, and Sponsel’s Minnesota Harvest Apple Orchard to make these J. Carver products possible. 

Let’s raise a glass to the amazing accomplishments in 2015 and celebrate all that’s possible in 2016. From our J. Carver Distillery family, we thank you for the support and wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!

J. Carver Distillery Recipes:

Lake House Fig Martini

2 oz J. Carver Lake House Vodka

1 oz Fig Simple Syrup* (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 2-3 tablespoons fig preserves)

1 oz freshly squeezed lemon Juice

3 dashes orange bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain in a large coupe

Garnish with an orange wedge

Grimm Farm Bees Knees

2 oz J. Carver Grimm Farm Gin

3/4 oz lavender honey Simple Syrup

1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon Juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain in a martini glass

Garnish with a lemon peel

Rye Frisco

2 oz J. Carver Rye Whiskey

3/4 oz Turbinado Simple Syrup* (1 cup water, 1 cup demerara sugar)

3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon Juice

3 dashes orange bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain in a martini glass

Garnish with a lemon peel

Diamondback

1 1/2 oz J. Carver Rye Whiskey

3/4 oz J. Carver Apple Brandy

3/4 oz Ginger Simple Syrup* (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons fresh ginger)

dash of orange bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain in a martini glass

Garnish with a lemon peel

Enjoy! And Yes, J. Carver Distillery Cocktail Room will be open during regularly scheduled hours for cocktails and tours and tastings this weekend. Bring in your friends and family to learn about our grain to glass approach to distillation. Looking forward to seeing you! Cheers!

Friday, January 1st: 3-8 pm

Saturday, January 2nd: 12-5 pm