Rassle Dassle Rose cocktail recipe

This is the summer cocktail you've been waiting for ... bright and smooth, with light, tropical flavors from our Tiki Rum, which scored 92 points and a "Best Buy" rating from Wine Enthusiast. This recipe by Cardinal Spirits bartender Kevin Hinkle is a must-try this weekend:

RASSLE DASSLE ROSE

By Kevin Hinkle of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce orgeat syrup
2 raspberries
2 dashes rhubarb bitters

Add all ingredients to a shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then double-strain into a coupe glass. 

Cardinal in the Wild: Agave Vintage Cocktails

Champagne Cosmopolitan at Agave Vintage Cocktails   - Cardinal Spirits Vodka / Champagne / Cranberry, Lemon & Lime Juice / Housemade Grenadine  

What do you do if you love cocktail lounges, but you can't find a good one in your city? If you're Aaron Morales, you open one yourself. That's the short story behind Morales' Agave Vintage Cocktails in downtown Terre Haute.

Agave Vintage serves Prohibition-era cocktails in an intimate bar filled with local art, and outside on a roomy patio. It is one of the wonderful establishments that serves Cardinal Spirits in cocktails like the Champagne Cosmopolitan (Cardinal Spirits Vodka, champagne, cranberry, lemon and lime juices, and house-made grenadine) and Caramel Apple Martini (Cardinal Spirits Vodka, apple and butterscotch liqueurs, and house made caramel).

“It's bigger than just slinging booze,” says Morales, a professor, novelist, and founder of Agave Vintage Cocktails. He sees the education and betterment of spirits and cocktails in his community as his paramount ambition. “It’s not just drinking responsibly, but drinking well."

Cheers to that. We chatted with Aaron about filling the cocktail void in Terre Haute:

Aaron Morales prepares a drink

 CARDINAL: What was the inspiration for founding Agave?

AARON: The idea came from book tours where I would travel to major cities, and I always had a passion for cocktails. When my fiancé and I went out for dinner (locally) there was no place to find a nice cocktail, and I thought, why don’t we open a nice cocktail lounge in Terre Haute? Pulling from influences of different cocktail lounges I had seen throughout the country, particularly in Chicago and New York.

Metal bar sculpted by Mark Nicklasch

CARDINAL: What's the philosophy behind your bar?

AARON: To create a new, upscale place that uses high quality spirits, fresh ingredients, and reintroduces tequila as something you can actually enjoy, not have a bad experience with. People are used to shots and used to margaritas and almost always those are painful experiences. Enjoyment and education. We refuse to let people suffer through their drinks. We’ll take it back and get some different.

CARDINAL: Your bar is filled with artwork. What’s the relationship between art and Agave Vintage?

AARON: We make a point of supporting local art in general, partnering with community theater, with Wabash Valley Arts Spaces, Symphony Orchestra, and Swope Art Museum. Our bar is built by Mark Nicklasch, a local metal sculptor. We want to generate interest in the arts and pair the younger professional culture that is starting to move to Terre Haute.

CARDINAL: A handful of drinks on your menu are made with Cardinal Spirits. What do you like about the products?

AARON: What I love about Cardinal Spirits is the attention to the subtle details fresh ingredients will bring out. The reason a lot of people bury spirits in Coke or mixers is because the spirits themselves don’t really warrant paying attention to. I think that Cardinal has done a good job making sure their spirits are sophisticated enough that a lot can be done with them or they can just be enjoyed straight. Cardinal and us are kindred spirits in a way because we started at the same time and we are both supportive of our local communities.    

Agave Vintage Cocktails' european style patio in downtown Terre Haute

5 superb cocktail recipes for Father's Day

What do you give the guy who has everything? How about making him a cocktail or two that he's never tried before. Try these recipes from our bartenders for something a little different this Father's Day. 

CAFE A L'ORANGE: Cardinal Spirits Craft Coffee Liqueur, Cardinal Spirits Vodka and orange

McDOEL GARDENS: Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum, dill, cucumber

BIN 'N GITTERS: Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin, lime, bitters, mint

BERRY BRAMBLER: Cardinal Spirits Craft Coffee Liqueur, Cardinal Spirits Bramble black raspberry vodka

92 POINTS: Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum, pineapple, ginger

McDoel Gardens cocktail recipe

Our light, tropical Tiki Rum meets green things from the garden, and it just works. Try this refreshing recipe by our bartender Chris Resnick this weekend:

McDOEL GARDENS

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum
2 slices cucumber
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce Cardinal Spirits Flora
Sprig of dill

Add all ingredients to a shaker, then muddle to release flavors of cucumber and dill. Add ice to the shaker, then shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Craftpack, Vol. 26

Links that make you go Hmmm.

Before you crack open that $14 mini liquor bottle, read how to hack a cocktail in your hotel room

Whoa: 1 in 7 spirit launches worldwide are craft spirits

Cardinal Spirits is now sold at the largest liquor store in the U.S. — The Party Source in Bellevue, Ky. (and we're distributing throughout Kentucky!)

The secrets that make "Chef's Table" sooooo good 

Homes & Lifestyles magazine goes behind the bar with Cardinal Spirits co-founder Adam Quirk

Homemade limoncello and 19 other fun kitchen projects for this summer

Loosey Goosey cocktail recipe

While on the hunt for some fresh cocktail ingredients one Saturday morning, our bartender Kevin Hinkle spotted gooseberries at the farmers' market and brought them back to the distillery. These tart little berries are kind of obscure and old-timey and from the same species as currants. Definitely not something you'll find in the produce section at most grocery stores.

So if you see them at the farmers' market, scoop em up like Kevin did, and make this tart, zippy summer refresher. 

LOOSEY GOOSEY

By Kevin Hinkle of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce gooseberry syrup (recipe follows)
Ginger Beer
Lime wheel and gooseberries, for garnish

Add gin, lime juice and gooseberry syrup to a shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a tall glass with ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a lime wheel and gooseberries.

For the gooseberry syrup: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 2 cups gooseberries. Stir and cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Strain gooseberries from syrup before using. 

Cardinal in the Wild: Fourwinds Lakeside Inn and Marina

In the summer, we like to spend as much time as possible by the water with a cold drink in hand.

Oh, you too?

Well, then, this should make us all happy: Cardinal Spirits will have a pop-up bar on a handful of summer nights at Fourwinds Lakeside Inn and Marina on Lake Monroe in Bloomington. Fourwinds is tucked away on a woodsy peninsula known as the Fairfax State Recreation Area, and it's a longtime summer getaway for Indiana folks.

Our first pop-up bar is this Saturday, June 11. Here's the deal...

Fourwinds hosts free live music on weekend nights throughout the summer on its big patio overlooking Lake Monroe. Our pop-up bar will be on the patio on a bunch of those band nights, and we'll be pouring samples of our spirits and mixing special cocktails while you boogie (or, you know, toe-tap) al fresco.

You can find us starting at 8pm on July 2, July 15, July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 20.

It's free. It's casual (think shorts and flip-flops). This Saturday's band is Soul Stricken, which covers '80s and 90's rock. So, fun sing-along stuff. 

Here are the three summery cocktails we'll be making: 

For a broader cocktail menu, check out Fourwinds' Wind Jammer Grill, an island-themed bar that serves those fruity, tropical concoctions you crave when you're on the water — frozen strawberry-mango daiquiris, Long Island iced teas, rum runners and more. Wind Jammer is just steps away from the band area. And, it serves Cardinal Spirits, too!

While you're there, go for a little stroll and check out Fourwinds' beach (!), 960 boat slips and gazebo where you can look back on all of the action happening on the music patio.

Riverboat Gambler cocktail recipe

Have you ever thought to infuse our Tiki Rum with tea? It's a brilliant little twist by our bartender Chris Resnick and you've got to try it in this cocktail recipe of his:

RIVERBOAT GAMBLER

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Tiki Rum infused with Darjeeling tea
3/4 ounce Cardinal Spirits Flora
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
2 strawberries, one for garnish

Add 1 strawberry and Flora to a shaker and muddle to break up the strawberry. Add the tea-infused rum (recipe follows) and lime juice to the shaker, than add ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a strawberry.

For the Darjeeling tea-infused Tiki Rum: Place two Darjeeling tea bags in a bottle of Tiki Rum (750ml) and let steep for two hours. Remove tea bags and discard.

CRAFTPACK, VOL. 25

What cocktail pairs best with your zodiac sign? (Looks like it’s a mojito for me!)
 
Cardinal Spirits is officially in Kentucky! Here are some awesome pictures of the launch party with our new Louisville friends at Good Folks Coffee Company.
 
Grapes, potatoes, grains, and now this?!?!  Vodka truly can be made with almost anything.
 
Now that lake season is in full swing, check out these rum cocktail recipes to go along with your fun in the sun.
 
This cool business is changing the game when it comes to booze delivery services.

LOUISVILLE LAUNCH PARTY PICS

Louisville, thank you for the incredibly warm welcome! Check out pics from our Kentucky launch party last night at Good Folks Coffee Co. — we use tons of coffee from this wholesale roaster in our Songbird Craft Coffee Liqueur just for Kentucky, and their beautiful roastery in Shelby Park just happens to be a fantastic spot to throw a party. 

We are now distributing in Louisville and throughout Kentucky. If you're a bar, restaurant or retailer who would like to carry our spirits, get in touch: hello@cardinalspirits.com

Photo courtesy Monica Wolf

Photo courtesy @goodfolkscoffee

Photo courtesy @do502

Photo courtesy @kelly125

Photo courtesy @kathyvr623

Photo courtesy @yelplouisville

Photo courtesy @mixerdirectinc