BY COMBINING PAINSTAKING SOURCING, A SINGLE CHRISTIAN CARL COPPER POT STILL, AND AN INSISTENCE UPON STAYING SMALL, BROOKLYN GIN HAS GOTTEN BIG

In 2010, and in kinship with what they termed “the craftspeople who embody the Brooklyn Spirit,” Brooklyn Gin founders Emil Jättne and Joe Santos set out to make a high-quality, small-batch
American gin by hand, and on their own terms. Since then, the company they built remains proudly independent, and purposely small.

A craft spirit made in New York with fresh citrus peels and hand-cracked juniper (“By hand-cutting the citrus fruit, and releasing the essential oils in the juniper berries, we make a more vibrant gin than the distillers who use frozen or dried citrus peels,” the owners added) — the traditional “London Dry”-style product is fresh and flavorful, but doesn’t allow a heavy juniper taste to steal the show. This means that, among other desirable qualities, it’s perfect for mixing late-summer cocktails. Winner of a double gold medal at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and another at the 2015 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, a gold medal at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and yet another at the 2015 Craft Competition, Jättne and Santos’s elixir is made using just one Christian Carl copper pot still (based in Philadelphia, Carl has been producing distillery systems of distinction and innovating associated technology for more than 140 years). Each batch yields 300 bottles, with the entire distillation process taking three days, utilizing locally-sourced fruit and 100% small farm-derived American corn.

“Unlike mass-produced factory gins, we do everything by hand,” added Jättne and Santos.

“Our small company got its start in the wake of the financial crisis. At that time, due to our available resources, we were unable to build our own distillery. We were lucky to find a remarkable partner in the Hudson Valley to help bring our vision of a handmade, small-batch American gin to life—the Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery in Warwick, New York. It is our greatest dream, however, to build our own distillery in Brooklyn, and the realization of that dream is closer than ever.” Prices vary, but hover around $45.

Brooklyn Gin
brooklyngin.com