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Distillers Serve Craft Cocktails

Published Thursday Sep 29, 2022

Author Judi Currie

Distillers Serve Craft Cocktails

Craft distilleries in NH are now able to showcase their products in a more creative way, thanks to the passage of the “craft cocktail support act” that allows customers to try distilled products in a cocktail, rather than as a straight up tasting.

“Not everybody drinks spirits straight but, if you really want to show off your vodka, you want to show it off in a cocktail,” says Brian Ferguson, owner of Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee, who helped craft the legislation. The bill was signed into law in the spring and took effect in July.

“It mirrors a similar law from a few years ago that allowed wineries to serve by the glass. Visitors want to just grab a glass and walk around the beautiful grounds as opposed to just standing at a counter doing a tasting,” he says. “Likewise, if people sample a whiskey and like it, they want to sit on the patio and have a cocktail and some food.”

There are now more than a dozen distillers in NH, and Ferguson says this is something they have wanted for a while.

Customers have asked for it, and the practice of offering craft cocktails at a distillery is common elsewhere in the country.

“A lot of people drink whiskey but don’t necessarily enjoy it by itself, then they try the cocktail, and it is delicious, and they have their new favorite for the summer,” he says, adding, “More of our product is being sold, which is exactly what we’re trying to accomplish.”

While some spirits shine on their own, he says, others such as violet spirit, a bitter liquor, is not something people drink by itself even though it is used in an “Aviator,” a popular cocktail.  

Craft cocktails also broaden the opportunity to distill obscure spirits that wouldn’t be marketable without being able to add mixers. “Some spirits that wouldn’t have otherwise been made will be produced,” he says.

Ferguson says following the distillery map, which is available online and at the local distilleries, is a great way to discover your next favorite, locally made beverage.

For more information, visit distillerytrail.com/directory-distillery/locations/new-hampshire.


Pictured: The Live Free and Rye cocktail from Flag Hill. (Courtesy photo)

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