Sub Rosa's founder, Mike Sherwood, has a long history with craft brewing and distilling. He was instrumental in the start-up of the Oregon Brewers Guild in the 1990's, and works in the cellar at the Sineann winery in Newberg, Oregon. He ran Rogue Ales rum distillery for a year, and recently helped start the Oregon Distillers Guild. If you can drink it, Mike probably either has made it, or can make it.
Or maybe he's making it now. Vodka lovers will appreciate Sherwood's new Sub Rosa Spirits and his vodka offerings. Forget those sweet, fruit flavored vodkas. Sub Rosa's herb-infused craft vodkas set a new bar for flavor.
How Sub Rosa Vodkas Are Made
Sub Rosa vodkas are infused with fresh herbs and spices, not extracts or essential oils. The herbs and spices are soaked in alcohol to capture the most authentic flavors possible. The spirits are distilled one batch at a time, approximately 50 or cases, which are identified by a batch number on the bottle.
Each batch is hand crafted, and so there are slight variations from batch to batch. Each step of the bottling and labeling process is also done by hand.
Tarragon and Saffron in Vodka?
The Tarragon vodka is refreshing and herbal. The pale green color is all natural, coming from the herbal infusion of fresh tarragon with a bit of fennel and a hint of mint. The herbal flavors are well-blended, so that while all are identifiable, no one flavor is overwhelming.
The Saffron vodka, on the other hand, is a spicy concoction that tickles both the nose and the tastebuds. There's actually a blend of 8 spices: cumin, coriander, ginger, black peppercorn, cayenne, galangal, turmeric, and of course, the saffron. Its pale yellow color is as pleasing to the eye as the flavor is to the taste.
Making a Cocktail With Sub Rosa
Fans of the current trend of using vodka in sweet cocktails and martinis may be wondering just exactly what to do with these vodkas, especially a spicy number like the Saffron. They're actually very mixable, with the herbs and spices adding an unexpected twist to the cocktail. The Saffron makes an especially good addition to the traditional Bloody Mary.
Sherwood himself describes the best way to begin experimenting with these vodkas. "Try the vodkas neat first - no ice, in a wine glass if possible to allow the aromatics to work. Just an ounce. Then over ice next. Then something simple like a wee splash of Triple Sec, just a few drops mind you. That works fine to accent the flavors for both."
"Then 1:1 with some juice. Start off simple and build up. The Saffron in, say, orange juice, is predictable, but a few grinds of black pepper and zowie, the thing jumps. A drop of Tabasco or liquid chipotle adds another layer to the Saffron."
Where to Find Sub Rosa Vodka
Distribution of these vodkas is currently limited. They can be found in Oregon both in bars and in the state-controlled liquor stores, as well as in some bars in the Seattle, Washington area. They are also available in northern California and in Washington, D.C. A more detailed list of locations is available on the Sub Rosa website.
