Liquor? Check.

Pizza? Check.

Fixin’s for Bitters? Check

16 Bartenders. Check and Check!

Nothing’s more fun than having folks over to our humble “Fruit Lab.” We love having people understand how we make our spirits. Today was extra special because it was bartenders. Who else would understand (and appreciate) the geekery of what we do?

Melkon talked about the various base spirits and how no matter what the final product (grappa, vodka or brandy) is, each base spirit — potato, wheat, grape, etc. — had inherent qualities.

We also tasted TRU2 Gin two ways: in its final, macerated form, and as an experiment, going through a still. As you know, we are all about maceration as a final step. But the experiment was to see what our gin would taste like if it were to be redistilled. The aroma and flavor were super concentrated; not unpleasant but different. But the complexity and balance among the 14 botanicals were gone. This experiment illustrated what the properties of each method are.

The afternoon ended with a shake. Shakin’ jars, that is. We set out more than 30 different ingredients that our bartenders could use to make their very own bitters. Gentian? Got that. Oris Root? Yep. Foraged botanicals from LA parks? Got those too. We learned that bartenders are some very creative folks. Can’t wait to see how they all turn out. The next Pechaud’s could be out there, so keep us posted.