Here are three new offerings from Atlanta-based distilleries that would make a good addition to your bar cart this summer.
JamJam gin
Fresh off a gold medal win at the New York International Spirits Competition, Decatur-based Murrell’s Row Spirits released JamJam gin this week.
More than 200 pounds of strawberries, most from Atlanta’s Love Is Love Farm, were macerated for this special-edition gin, along with pineberries from Florida, which lend pineapple notes. Botanicals were built around the strawberry flavor, including juniper, lemon verbena, thyme, coriander, grains of paradise, angelica root and lemon peel. It’s light and elegant. And “it is very much a gin,” co-owner Lee Mayfield said. “It is not pink, not sweetened, and it is not strawberry juice or puree.”
The 100% grain-neutral spirit makes a great white Negroni or gimlet and works well with citrus. It’s also lovely when sipped alone. The artwork designed by Ticonderoga Club partner Bart Sasso makes the bottle stand out on a shelf.
$30-$33 per 750-milliliter bottle, murrellsrowspirits.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Rye whiskey
A limited-batch rye whiskey was launched this week by Chamblee’s Distillery of Modern Art. The rye had been aged in new American oak barrels since 2022, the year DOMA opened and began production with a 30-foot Vendome copper column still.
Head distiller Matt Greif said the rye pays homage to early American distillers while staying uniquely Southeastern by using wrens abruzzi rye, developed in Georgia. The varietal brings light floral notes, rounded nutty flavors and the signature spicy rye bite. On the palate, you get notes of spice, dark fruit, chocolate and a delightfully earthy straw flavor. It finishes slightly sweet, with lingering butterscotch notes.
$48.99 per 700-milliliter bottle, distilleryofmodernart.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Lawn Dart
As Old Fourth Distillery celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the owners of Atlanta-based Shortbarrel, who purchased the distillery last year, decided to bring back a favorite. The lemon and ginger-based Lawn Dart is a cocktail in a bottle that can be poured over ice.
“We wanted a shelf-stable product that uses only natural ingredients,” owner Clinton Dugan said. The new version includes Old Fourth Distillery vodka, lemon and ginger extracts, water and inverted sugar. It’s like a Southern limoncello.
The process involves carefully selecting lemons at the peak of freshness and ginger that is spicy and aromatic. Cold pressing captures the zesty citrus notes and the distinctive bite of ginger. A touch of sugar is added to balance the tartness of the lemon and the ginger’s heat.
Keep it in the freezer for really cool drinks. It makes a great highball mixed with club soda or tonic water.
$19.99 per 750-milliliter bottle, o4d.com
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