The Kingdom Buck
A “Buck” is a category of cocktails that contain spirits, citrus, and ginger beer.
LIQUID ASSETS
Caledonia Spirits
It's All About the Bees
Every bottle of Barr Hill vodka is distilled from four pounds of thick, golden raw honey, an expensive base element that speaks to the company’s commitment to agriculture. One sip reveals the sweetness of honey and the essence of wildflowers.
Agriculture cannot exist without bees as pollinators. Or take it one step further: No bees, no booze. Caledonia Spirits’ mission is to support pollinators and responsible beekeeping. That little honeybee hovering on the label is small but mighty. Every bottle of Barr Hill vodka is distilled from four pounds of thick, golden raw honey, an expensive base element that speaks to the company’s commitment to agriculture. One sip reveals the sweetness of honey and the essence of wildflowers.
Caledonia Spirits was founded in Hardwick in 2011 by Todd Hardie, a lifelong beekeeper and farmer from the Northeast Kingdom, and head distiller Ryan Christiansen, who brought a passion for fermenting and distilling anything and everything. Todd passed the keys to the kingdom to Ryan in 2015 so he could focus on other agricultural ventures. Continued growth spurred Caledonia Spirits’ move to Montpelier in 2019, where they transformed an abandoned brownfield into an urban oasis of sustainability that has become a community hub less than a mile from the center of town.
Inside the distillery are stacks of 55-gallon steel drums packed with raw honey that becomes the soul of their flagship trio. Barr Hill Gin’s (“America’s Most Awarded Gin”) unique flavor arises from a mere two elements: regional raw honey and hand-crushed organic juniper, the lush honey balancing the botanical’s piney, resinous character. Anything but flavorless or neutral, Barr Hill Vodka tastes creamy with soupçon of sweetness. And then came the amber-hued Tom Cat Gin. “In 2013, I had a pallet of new American oak barrels but couldn’t afford to buy corn to make whiskey,” Ryan explains. “So, I put the gin into the barrels to see what would happen.” That early experiment evolved into Tom Cat, a whiskey drinker’s gin with warm, sweet, piney depths.
The gleaming columns tower like magical flutes within Caledonia Spirits’ Montpelier distillery. Photo courtesy Caledonia Spirits
Around the same period, Ryan started distilling small batches of whiskey using 100 percent Vermont-grown rye and malted grains. The team continues to fill new, charred oak barrels each week and to send them to the aging room to slumber. Keep your eyes out for the first bottles of Caledonia Spirits rye whiskey to be released later this year.
Experimentation is essential to the distiller’s craft. In the Barr Lab (officially known as Experiments in Agricultural Rectification), Ryan and his cohort develop small-batch spirits arising from collaborations with farmers who supply both common and unusual crops such as maple, apples, and burdock root (who knew?). “The lab helps our distillers to stay innovative, and our bartenders use these limited-run spirits to create unique cocktails.”
This Landcrafted© quality infuses every aspect of Caledonia’s cocktail bar. Patrick Amice and his team of hospitality professionals create seasonally inspired cocktails that showcase the spirits. Uncut Gems blends Tom Cat Gin with cardamom, ginger, lemon, and hibiscus. Holy Mole features guajillo Barr Hill Vodka, dark chocolate Campari, sfumato, and sweet vermouth. Six Sides merges Barr Hill Gin, amaro, lemon juice, and honey capped by foamed egg white and bee pollen. Each specialty cocktail credits the creator on the menu, a meaningful sign of respect. Deeply committed to sharing knowledge, Landcrafted© educator Sam Nelis has posted more than 40 of their specialty cocktail recipes on their website in addition to offering cocktail classes and other educational events in the distillery.
At Caledonia’s Cocktail Bar, Patrick Amice and his team of hospitality professionals create seasonally inspired cocktails that showcase the spirits. Ready to welcome guests at Caledonia Spirits’ bright and sleek cocktail bar
Ready to welcome guests at Caledonia Spirits’ bright and sleek cocktail bar. Photo courtesy Caledonia Spirits
In the kitchen, chef Brandon Arms, formerly of Michael’s on the Hill in Stowe, takes bar food to an exquisite level with small-plate and shareable offerings designed to complement the liquid treasures. Thick, crispy pork belly glazed with a reduction of Tom Cat Gin and maple syrup; melt-in-yourmouth chicken-fried quail served with bacon-braised greens; crispy potatoes—crunchy golden cubes alongside garliclemon aioli; and roasted mushroom crostini with sherry walnut puree and Vermont Creamery goat cheese. And that’s just a teaser.
Hourlong tasting tours are available Saturdays at 12:30 and weekdays at 5:45. The $20 ticket includes the opportunity to explore the entire facility and to taste flagship products. The retail store adjacent to the cocktail bar is stocked with beethemed merch, bar and glassware, mixers, and house-made syrups (tonic, honey, and ginger) in addition to the full line of Caledonia Spirits that include limited editions. Sounds like the bee’s knees to me.
Tropical flavors infuse uniquely crafted cocktails at Caledonia Spirits. Visit their website for more than 40 recipes you can prepare at home. Photo courtesy Caledonia Spirits
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