Go Big Red!

It was a huge weekend for Cornell sports. The men's basketball team is on a roll, beating both Temple and Wisconsin to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in history. The men's hockey team also had a big weekend, taking the ECAC Championship and securing a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

To celebrate, we whipped up an impromptu Big Red Martini:

2 ounces Vintner's Wildberry Vodka

1 ounce FLD Raspberry Liqueur

1 ounce simple syrup

splash of fresh lime juice

shake, strain into martini glass and garnish with cherry

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Back in my college days, I would have already been out celebrating at this hour. Tipping back some artificially colored (green, of course) cheap domestic beer and having the time of my life.

Well now that we are all much more mature and the purveyors of fine spirits, what recommendations do we have for St. Patty's Day cocktails?

I really don't think you can go wrong with beer on a day like today - Guinness, Murphy's, or Smithwicks being my favorites. Irish whiskies seem appropriate, but the major brands that are most commonly available never have enough taste for me. Irish cream liqueurs? No thanks.

How about trying our McKenzie Rye in an Irish coffee? The spicy characteristics shine through and make a delicious dessert-style coffee when adding sugar and some fresh whipped cream. Also seems very worldly to have a Scottish-named, American whiskey used in an Irish coffee. Try it out.

For those of you that insist on making all things green today (I've even seen St. Patty's undergarments on the market), we recommend the following:


Chartreuse Martini

3 ounces Seneca Drums Gin

0.5 ounce Green Chartreuse (French herbal liqueur)

Shake or stir with ice and strain into martini glass. Garnish with a twist or fresh mint leaf.


Whatever you choose, here's hoping the wind is always at your back and that you have a happy and safe St. Patty's.

Joining the DISCUS Craft Distillery Advisory Council

For years, the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) has helped the largest spirits companies in the world shape public policy and perception with regards to high proof alcoholic beverages. A few weeks ago, it became clear to me that the growing craft distilling industry had caught their attention. I received a call regarding the formation of a Craft Distillers DISCUS membership. I also had the honor of being asked to sit on the 11-member Advisory Council for Craft Distillers. I consider this a testament to what we're doing at Finger Lakes Distilling, as there are now over 200 small distilleries they could have chosen from to serve in this capacity.

This news was released today and I'm thrilled to be involved. I believe we can help DISCUS achieve their goals of promoting the responsible enjoyment of spirits. We can also attest to the economic benefits of the craft distillation movement - new jobs, tax revenues, value-added use for agriculture products, tourism, etc.

I'm looking forward to getting involved with this organization, learning from its more established members, and helping to promote our industry in any way we can.

Nice McKenzie Rye review on Spiritsreview.com

What you should do this weekend

2 suggestions:

1. If you are in the vicinity of FLD, stop in to try our newly-released grappa. We offer 3 varieties - Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Muscat. Each has its own distinct character, but all are highly aromatic and a lot smoother than most grappa on the market.

2. If you live in the NYC area, come see us at one of our tastings this weekend.

We'll be pouring our McKenzie Rye at Crush Wine & Spirits on Friday from 5:30-7:30.

On Saturday, we'll be mixing up classic martinis and a specialty cocktail at Martinibowl from 2-5 pm at Union Square Wines.

We'll also be tasting our full range of spirits from 4-7 on Saturday at Bowery & Vine.


Hope to see you out and about.

NY Distillers show off their wares at industry tastings

Last week, we joined 6 other NYS distilleries to showcase the high quality spirits made in our state. The NY Wine & Culinary Center (NYWCC) sponsored two industry tastings (one in Saratoga Springs and the other at the Culinary Center in Canandaigua), as well as an evening seminar that was open to the public. In addition to giving the attendees some background on NY Farm Distilleries and the processes we use, 15 spirits were sampled. We poured our Seneca Drums Gin and McKenzie Rye which were both very well received.

It was great to see such positive reactions from those in attendance. While most were in the business as liquor store or bar/restaurant owners, there were a few media folks.

Renowned spirits journalist, Bill Dowd, had this to say about the event. He also took a liking to our Rye - click here to see his review.

Another blogger from the Albany area wrote this about the seminar and described our Rye as "haunting...so distinctive and delicious...(he) kept imagining the taste the following day."

I hope we get more opportunities to promote NY craft spirits a group. I think we opened a lot of eyes and can be proud of the products we're putting out. So, next time you're in your local liquor store, keep NYS spirits in mind.

The Young Guns on the Whiskey Trail

Great article about the distillery in American Public House Review...