Tasty Tuesdays: Spirits on the Lake County Libation Trail
By: Jonathan Jones 01/07/2020
In this edition of Tasty Tuesdays, we're taking a trip down the Lake County Libation Trail. During January, it is Lake County Libation Trail Month, so we will feature our craft makers throughout the beginning of 2020.
Make sure this January, you note your attendance at one of these maker’s facilities. During Lake County Libation Month, sippers have the opportunity to win free tickets to the Lake County Beer Festival in February at the Lake County Fairgrounds and Event Center. Click here to learn more.
These four saporous spirit makers provide an absolutely divine concoction of flavors.
From rum to gin, absinthe and bourbon, to vodka and liqueur and everything in between, Lake County's four distilleries have the perfect adult beverages for cocktail connoisseurs.
Taste one of these eclectic drinks from our distilleries this Lake County Libation Trail Month and throughout the year. All four of these distilleries offer tours of their facilities. It's five o'clock somewhere this tasty Tuesday.
Distilled from a blend of all malted midwest grains, 28 Mile Vodka is clear in color with aromas of almond and vanilla bean. This unique vodka has a silky smooth mouthfeel and notes of vanilla and cocoa nibs that finishes extremely clean on the palate with a lingering warming sensation. Drink this neat, on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail. The Highwood drinkery has an unbelievable backstory of how these crafters came up with the name and logo of their distillery. The Debonair (the woman on their logo) was a real-life queen during the Prohibition Era. Twenty-eight Mile Vodka also just earned a MicroLiquor Spirit 2019 Triple Gold Award for Extraordinary Taste and Highest Recommendation.
28 Mile Vodka & Distillery, 454 Sheridan Rd. Highwood.
The Lake Zurich puts the L in "gimme a liddle fiddle." Copper Fiddle created small-batch gin and other spirits since 2012. The distillery's story is derived from a family heirloom passed down from generation - that heirloom being a violin. This 1906 musical instrument's sound is what the Lake Zurich distillery utilized as a metaphor for the smoothness of their gin and bourbon whiskey. The "Illinois-Made" recipient creates each drink from scratch. Copper Fiddle offers gins, rums, and bourbon whiskeys. For their superior drinks, Copper Fiddle has achieved two American Craft Spirit Awards and an American Distilling Institute Award.
Copper Fiddle Distillery, 532 W. Illinois Route 22, Suite 110, Lake Zurich.
North Shore Distillery is the first craft distillery in the land of Lincoln. Since 2004, Derek and Sonja Kassebaum (and their larger than life friend Ethel) provide vodkas, rums, gins, absinthes and unique seasonal beverages. The self-proclaimed nerds and Illinois-Made inventors love to experiment on new flavors with a plethora of different ingredients, and that's why the award-winning Green Oaks distillery designs innovative art with their liquid creations. Their seasonal spirit for the last two years has been exceptional curaçaos. The 2019-20 release is Cocoa Curaçao. The beverage was infused and distilled with an array of orange peels. This spirit has rich yet refined aromas of orange and chocolate, with intriguing, layered flavors of bright orange with deep chocolate undertones. It is sweet, yet balanced and extremely sippable.
North Shore Distillery, 13990 Rockland Rd., Green Oaks.
The Waukegan facility that specializes in gin and whiskey is located in Waukegan, but the spirits are created in Wheeling. The Lake County Libation Trail participant creates decadent beverages for the modern townsman, by the modern townsman. The award-winning distillery has notched a slew of awards for their gin - specifically their Reserve Old Tom Gin and American Botanical Gin. The latter of the gins is the libation of the month for the 31-day celebration. The American Gin from Oppidan Spirits contains grapefruit, elderflower, hibiscus for a light floral nose. The superbly balanced gin tastes great neat, or with the complement of a cocktail.
Oppidan Spirits, 220 W. Clayton St., Lot C, Waukegan.
For past Tasty Tuesdays, continue here. For more about the Lake County Libation Trail, click here. Cheers, Lake County!
Enjoy photos from our social media friends on the Lake County Libation Trail.
Be sure to continue sharing with us socially!
