There’s a reason we’re obsessed with wellness and clean diets. We live in a dirty, polluted world and have to undertake rigorous efforts to make sure the beauty products we apply, the foods we consume, and beverages we imbibe on a regular basis are free of a long and growing list of toxins and ickies. As recent revelations that a staple of modern diets and fitness plans tested exceedingly high for lead, the OG contaminant, and that last year a beloved h20 brand recalled almost 2 million bottles of water “from the source,” the purity and origin of ingredients matter more than ever. This especially applies to products that are the result of distillation – a chemical process of concentrating the ingredients – like spirits.
Spirits might seem simple and straightforward but fermenting grains and botanicals into an elixir that is appetizing and of a certain proof demands savvy and artistry at every step. From the land of volcanoes, glaciers, and idyllic green, craggy landscapes known as the world’s best exporter of grass-fed lamb, Broken Shed Vodka combines sustainable ingenuity with multiple pristine water sources. The brainchild of 3 adventurous travelers at a country-side shed, the clear and award-winning spirit eschews typical grains and potatoes for whey, the protein-rich byproduct yielded by the cheesemaking process typically found in protein powders. A bath of pure waters, from a North Island spring and a naturally-filtered South Island aquifer, and whey is then triple-distilled in Wanaka, New Zealand.
The result is a noticeably crisp, smooth gluten-free vodka with zesty top notes of citrus, sweet vanilla mid notes, and a complex, slightly peppery finish. If ever there was spirit begging to be sampled on the rocks or neat without any mixers, it’s Broken Shed. For less picky drinkers, the signature notes will blend beautifully in dirty martinis and cosmopolitans. For mixologists, the notes are perfect for daring citrus, herbal, and even savory cocktails, as well as mezcal concoctions such the brand’s signature Smoke on the Water. The simplicity of Mezcal and Broken Shed Vodka with just a grapefruit peel, captures smoky, citrus, and bittersweet in a spectacular cocktail.
Additional recipes that tease out Broken Shed’s clean, crisp notes include eclectic Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica and the Broken Cosmo.
For a completely plant-based approach to clean spirit craftsmanship, Holistic Spirits Co. was founded with a mission to marry artisanal distillation with science and sustainability.Co-founders Amy Holmwood, a wellness & longevity Coach, and Woody Harrelson, the stellar Hollywood multi-hyphenate and lifelong environmentalist, theorized better, wellness-adjacent drinking was possible with the type of botanical extractions used in biohacking.
With a patent-pending blend of artichoke leaf, elderberry, muscadine grape, and green tea leaf extract, at its base, Holistic Spirits Co.’s Harmony Gin is rose-hued and fragrant with juniper, orris root, hyssop, coriander seed, and citrus peels. The unique finish and aroma, both herbal and floral, of this 90 proof gin that’s free of gluten, GMOs, additives and artificial colors pays off its founders holistic goals.
Sample Harmony Gin with recipes for Holistic Hound and the Harmony French Gimlet.
Cheers!!!
