In all of my 26-years as a reporter and columnist never have I claimed to embody the spirit of gonzo journalism. But as I sit here writing and sipping an intense and fruity Booze Witch tamarind pineapple 鈥渟hrub鈥� from 老澳门六合彩开奖记录资料鈥檚 local distillery, I feel I can get a sense of the fuel Hunter S. Thompson was after 鈥� if he had been a 老澳门六合彩开奖记录资料 mom, in 2018, not experimenting with psychotropics and hard liquor.
Concocted and brewed by Kelly Ann Woods of Gillespie鈥檚 Distillery, Booze Witch is a line of old-timey shrubs, also known as drinking or sipping vinegars, which has recently cracked the retail market. The sweet and tangy brew has its roots in the 17th century when shrubs were used as a way of preserving seasonal fruit.
In speaking with Woods, there are too many synergies, with respect to her latest line of beverages, to ignore.
鈥淚鈥檓 actually a daughter of the early American witches 鈥� which is not surprising at all, and a daughter of the American revolution. My family, came off the Mayflower, which makes Booze Witch all the more exciting because we are using pioneering recipes,鈥� she explained, adding that the name of the product came before she found out her ancestral lineage.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool,鈥� she said with an honest to goodness cackle and a twinkle in her eye.
The down-home shrubs and switchels (a drinking vinegar made with ginger as opposed to fruit) come in a variety of flavours, their availability depends on what鈥檚 in season both locally and abroad, said Woods, who is also a certified sommelier and mixologist. She founded Gillespie鈥檚 Distillery with her husband and business partner John McLellan several years ago and set up shop in the industrial park.
In addition to the distillery, Booze Witch can be found locally at Nesters Market and Be Clean Naturally. It also retails in Vancouver at several locations and in Langley.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly exciting,鈥� said Woods. 鈥淲e are starting to have conversations with bigger retailers, and pursuing international trade both in the U.S. and China.鈥�
The idea to produce and sell shrubs came to Woods when she was pregnant with her son, now two.
鈥淎s someone who certainly likes drinks 鈥� not necessarily alcohol, but drinks that are complex 鈥� I started working on these because they are jam-packed full of flavour, and as a fermented product they retain that beautiful freshness. Shrubs have a real delicate balance in the flavour profile but are also really concentrated,鈥� Woods said, adding that they use raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar also made on the premises. 鈥淵ou need to be introduced to them correctly.鈥�
鈥淪hrubs add acidity to a cocktail or soda water and are really useful in cooking. Anytime you would use lemon or lime you can use a shrub: You can use them for marinades, salad dressings and finishing vegetables and meats. They are also really low in sugar and fantastic for gut health.鈥�
Retailers won鈥檛 always have a consistent set of flavours to offer customers, but that doesn鈥檛 seem to be an issue, according to Woods.
鈥淭hey seem to be OK with it. I think it鈥檚 something we need to become accustomed to in the food chain, sometimes certain things are available, and sometimes they鈥檙e not. And that鈥檚 something I鈥檓 learning as a producer as well,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t starts to force you to think about food. That someone actually grew this, and what the environment is doing. All these things are of great importance, as global warming changes the world, its necessary to accept that we may not necessarily be able to go to the grocery store and get things as we once were. And maybe we shouldn鈥檛 be able to! We need to think about what had to happen for us to be able to live this abundant life.鈥�
Woods said she designs all the flavours to go with different spirits.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 help myself,鈥� she said, laughing.
Granted, the shrubs taste delightfully fresh and invigorating on their own, but if you鈥檙e a little more adventurous 鈥� like say, Hunter S. Thompson 鈥� you might want to mix in a little white rum with that blueberry lime shrub, or tequila with strawberry black pepper, or if you鈥檙e like me, some bourbon with that tamarind pineapple.
