Pub Snippets..

Beverage Trends

Northwest Restauranteur - April 2002

By Patrick Haight

A number of years ago, there was the microbrewery craze. As it swept the country, it gained momentum in a category that seemed to be lagging in creativity and losing the interest of its customer base. Today we find that the same road may be taken on the spirits side of the business. And much like the beer business, it is new products that will capture the imagination of customers.

Recently listed with the Washington State Liquor Control Board is a new product that seems to have become quite a hit among Northwest vodka drinkers. The distillery is called, ironically, "Bendistillery," named after its founder, Jim Bendis, and it's from Bend, Oregon.

He has come up with four types of spirits that are quality crafted. Crater Lake Vodka, Cascade Mountain Gin, Hazelnut Espresso Vodka and Desert Juniper Gin are the portfolio for this company. Crater Lake Vodka is a softer, smooth vodka that is filtered 10 times through crushed volcanic rock and charcoal, and then aged in oak for the smoothness. Other vodkas boast of their "three times filtered."The Cascade Mountain Gin is made from handpicked juniper berries from Central Oregon.

The noticeable difference here is that most gins use extracts and artificial flavoring - this one is true to its origins. It has a clean and non-perfumic smell and it pours. For gin drinkers, this is a great substitute for the "usual."The exciting ingredient to this genre of spirits is that they are creating a wave of potential for micro-distilleries that will give the customer more of a choice and up the selection of handcrafted spirits. Supporting these products will present more creative ways for bartenders to up-sell and educate the clientele on wider ranges of choices.

In a subtle way, people like Jim Bendis are making spirits fun again.Bendistillery was showcased at Tini Bigs in Seattle this month, celebrating the listing with the state of Washington, which means it's not a special order anymore and can be found on the shelves on a regular basis. Tini Bigs brought the Crater Lake Vodka and Cascade Mountain Gin five years ago when he was just starting out. It had to be special ordered, and approval had to be secured through the state of Washington to bring it in. From that day on a cult following set up camp at the bar, which soon led to its official listing.

Speaking with Jim Bendis, he liked the idea of infusion - spirits marinated with various fruits and sometimes peppers - and said that they are his biggest selling item at his martini bar in Oregon. Fore example, he uses fresh cut lemons placed in a jar with vodka, and a mix - of your personal taste - of rock candy syrup to make the lemon juice bite less. Let it sit for three to five days until the lemons have released as much as they can, pour it up in a sugared rim martini glass, and use fresh lemon garnish to top it off. Simple yes, but fresh.