Art in the Age: An Evening of Tastes
While adventuring at our local watering hole a number of months back the Mrs. and I had a palette changing experience. She ordered up a Ginger Snap and I a Root & Ginger. We had been experimenting at home with different bourbons and ginger beers and it seemed right up our alley…an understatement to say the least.
We searched high and low for these Art in the Age liquors with no such lucky. Then, there was the artisan, hipster font bottle sitting on the shelf again at another of our Friday haunts for the Honky Tony Happy Hour and it replenished the thirst for this versatile and delicious liquid. A chance stop off at a renowned store in the next biggest town to us in our rural little safe hold saw not one, but 3 of the intriguing concoctions from craft distiller Art in the Age. So, what was going to be a quick stop for a 40 dollar bottle of bourbon to have a finger or two of on a cold winter evening turned into a packed carriage of clinking glass and about 6 times that number rung up in green dashed numbers at the check out counter. And an escapade in a flavorful palette party soon ensued.
AITA prides themselves on taking historical herbal remedies and mixtures and infusing them into a delicious piece of a craft drink exploration of sorts. They delve into the medical concoctions as far back as the 1700s where teas and infusions from herbs and flora in your surroundings were used as cure alls…delicious ones at that. The company has a plethora of interesting and somewhat strange at initial glance type flavors (think sweet potato or beet root). We went pretty basic for this first go around. Check out more info, the recipes we whipped up and initial thoughts below.
Taste 1: Sage, lemon peel, crushed mint and tonic water
Refreshing, a summer type crispness with a back corner of the mouth bite. A botanical bouquet nose with every sip. Sage is extremely gin like in its initial taste with a more in depth flavor profile. Like your herb garden made into a refreshing boozy drink. Perhaps not the right drink for a cold night in mid January to take the sting of the winter’s air away, but delicious nonetheless.
More about Sage: Certified organic neutral spirits distilled with North American garden herbs and botanicals.
Taste 2: Root and birch beer, orange rind
This was like a grown ups root beer float. I know there is the “not your fathers” and all, but the depth created by the hints of various spices, tea and citrus was far less sweet and more balanced. The birch beer flavored soda water did sweeten it up a bit but wasn’t overly candied or artificial tasting. I feel like root would be great on it’s on or with a bourbon and bitters. The possibilities with this one are endless.
More about Root: Certified organic neutral spirits distilled with North American herbs and pure cane sugar.
Taste 3: We ended our tasting evening with the Snap…a ginger based alcohol. Mixed with soda water, apple cider
For me personally this combo left a little to be desired. I’m not one for a juice mixed drink and one of these might top of an evening as a “dessert” type beverage or be good as a mulled cider kind of a hot drink on a late fall day. After two drinks it was a little heavy though. I definitely want to experiment more with this liquor in other realms.
More about Snap: Certified organic neutral spirits with blackstrap molasses, ginger and North American Spices.
