BREUCKELEN

In 1646, under the auspices of the Dutch West India Company, the village of Breuckelen became the first municipality in what would eventually became the state of New York. At the time, Breuckelen was still part of New Netherland, a Dutch colony. The Dutch lost Breuckelen to the British in 1664 and, over time, the municipalitys name evolved from Breuckelen, to Brockland, to Brocklin, to Brookline, to Brookland, and eventually, to Brooklyn.Situated along the banks of the Gowanus Bay in Brooklyn, New York, Breuckelen Distilling Co. pays homage to the boroughs founding fathers and its do-it-yourself work ethos.Breuckelen Glorious Gin is made from wheat that Brad Estabrooke, the distillerys owner and master distiller, sources from a farm in upstate New York and then mills at mashes at his distillery. "One of the reasons that we liked gin and that we liked to pick gin as the first product to make was because the legal definition of gin is wide open and we thought we had a lot of flexibility," says Estabrooke. After distilling the grains, Estabrooke infuses the distillate with a secret recipe of five different botanicals, including juniper, lemon, rosemary, ginger and grapefruit. "I distill the wheat spirit with one botanical at a time,"Estabrooke says. "Then, I take all those individual botanicals and blend them together in order to make it taste just like we want it to."As a result, Breuckelen Glorious Gin has an aromatic profile, with bold notes of grapefruit along with a touch of ginger and lemon. As the initial notes of rosemary and warm juniper fade, notes of ginger, sage and lavender compliment a fresh burst of citrus."People are really interested and passionate about trying to make something delicious for you whether its beer or food or coffee or pickles," says Estabrooke, who credits other industries for making people feel comfortable with trying new brands. "Its a matter of time before they come around with spirits, too. Consumers have come to realize that small, independent producers can do really special things."Try something special today!