3 things you need to know about our Pride Vodka

August 22, 2016Erica Sagon

This bottle of vodka won’t solve the world’s problems, but it will directly support the LGBTQ community, and that’s a damn good start.

Here's the deal: When you buy a bottle of our Pride Vodka, we donate 10 percent of the proceeds to Bloomington Pride so that it can continue to celebrate, educate and strengthen our community in countless ways.

Bottles are sold at the distillery and other retailers in Indiana and Kentucky.

Let’s raise a glass to allies, activists, friends and family who believe in equity and liberty and justice and glitter! Be proud and drink Pride! Here's three fun facts about Pride Vodka:

ONE

We filled the first bottle of Pride Vodka on Friday, June 26, 2015 — the landmark day that the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

SM57, a cocktail at Pioneer in Indianapolis, made with our Pride Vodka

TWO

Bars and restaurants are creating cocktails using Pride Vodka, and giving it a shout-out on their menus — how great is that?

At Pioneer in Indianapolis, for example, try the SM57 cocktail (above) made with our Pride Vodka plus gin, triple sec, liqueur de violette, lemon, orange bitters and lavender bitters.

Bloomington Pride board members (L to R): Kyle Hayes, Justin Ford, Kristina Simmonds and Sarah Gordon. — Bloomington Pride board members (L to R): Kyle Hayes, Justin Ford, Kristina Simmonds and Sarah Gordon.

THREE

Pride Vodka is a special bottling of our signature Vodka, which earned an impressive 93 points from Wine Enthusiast.

Our Vodka is made from white grapes, and it is fermented, distilled and bottled entirely on-site at Cardinal Spirits in Bloomington, Indiana. This is not your average tasteless, odorless vodka. It has character by design, with a very light entry and a bright floral finish. It's some of the smoothest vodka around.

Craftpack, Vol. 32

August 14, 2016Erica Sagon

Links that make you go Hmmm...

First things first: We're hiring an Editorial Intern. Are you the superstar we're looking for?

Stranger Things drinking game

Cardinal Spirits and our Bramble Mules get a shout-out in this travel guide to Bloomington

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categories Craftpack

Peach, Please cocktail recipe

August 12, 2016Erica Sagon

Flora, unaged single malt, orgeat, lemon juice, peach, mint

Cardinal Spirits on Earth Eats

August 10, 2016Erica Sagon

Have you ever noticed a shelf behind our bar, to the right and waaay up high, holding a bunch of mason jars with handwritten labels and filled with who-knows-what?

What's in those jars, anyway?

Earth Eats, a wonderful podcast about local food, got us to climb up on the counter to reach the shelf, pull the jars down and crack them open.

Listen to Cardinal Spirits co-founder Adam Quirk reveal what's inside.

Four fun things happening at the distillery

August 02, 2016Erica Sagon

ONE

Our head distiller Justin Hughey distilled rye whiskey on our small test still on Monday afternoon — just an experiment for the moment...

TWO

Hellooooo new red chairs...

THREE

This was the very first person to buy a Mules to Go kit, as a thank you gift for her babysitter. How fun is that! Our Mules to Go kits have everything you need to make Moscow Mules with our spirits in a snap. It's the easy way to bring craft cocktails to a party. And, it's an awesome gift. $35 at the distillery.

FOUR

Here's a fresh batch of plum syrup that goes into Little Jack Horner, a cocktail on our summer menu made with vanilla-hazelnut-infused White Oak Whiskey, lemon, egg white, whiskey barrel bitters, and yes, plum syrup.

Craftpack, Vol. 31

August 01, 2016Erica Sagon

Don't you think this phenomenal series (which is back for a 3rd season on Sept. 2) could do a spinoff on bartenders?

You loved Rabble Rouser when it was on our cocktail menu months ago. Now try making it at home.

Lava bitters, Birkir and sheep dung: a fascinating look at Iceland's craft cocktail movement

A behind-the-scenes peek at Cardinal Spirits

Aaaaah-what? Matthew McConaughey is the new creative director for this bourbon brand.

categories Craftpack

Rabble Rouser cocktail recipe

July 27, 2016Erica Sagon

This cocktail recipe combines our Standard Dry Gin with blackberries and sage, but the real beauty of this recipe is that you can play around with the types of berries and herbs you use. How about raspberries and mint? Strawberries and basil?

Pluck whatever herbs from the little pots sitting on your patio. Use up whatever berries you scooped up at the farmers' market. Go to town.

Our Standard Dry Gin is up for the mix-and-match challenge. We distill it with whole natural botanicals and spices — aromatic juniper, orange zest, fragrant coriander seeds, and earthy angelica root — and it really sings when it's combined with fresh ingredients in a cocktail like this.

RABBLE ROUSER

By Chris Resnick of Cardinal Spirits

1.5 ounces Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin
.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
.75 ounce simple syrup
3 blackberries, plus one more for garnish
2 sage leaves, plus one more for garnish

Muddle simple syrup, blackberries and sage in a shaker. Add gin and lemon juice, then fill with ice. Shake well. Double strain into a small rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a blackberry and sage leaf.