Why Potatoes? Going against the Grain at Tales of the Cocktail 2019

Since we opened the doors of the distillery back in April 2008, we've always put the potato at the heart of our story. Why? Well, we've always believed the closer you are to the source of your food and drink, the better it is for us and this environment. They just so happen to also make delicious full bodies spirits. Moreover, it just so happens that Herefordshire is one of the best places in the world to grow them. 

This week I had the fortune to Visit Tales of the cocktail down in New Orleans. The festival, whose no profit aim is to celebrate the cocktail industry, went to a whole new level this year and sustainability from all angles was at the forefront of topic with no signs of slowing down. One seminar I booked in earnest 'Against the Grain' started off describing spirits as agricultural products, it delved deep on why the industry has stopped treating them the same way we do our food. The panel, moderated by Nicolas Torres from True Laurel Bar in SF, accepted that there was a disconnect between the way that we view spirits and food, wine and even beer. 

Scott, from High Wire Distilling brought prohibition to the forefront of topic, a ban which prevented alcohol from being made, transported or sold in America from January 1920. Up until then most farms and villages throughout the states would be distilling their own ingredients locally priding themselves on their personal tastes and characteristics using local crops. During Prohibition, the primary source of drinking alcohol was industrial alcohol – the kind used for making ink, perfumes and fuel. About 3 gallons of faux gin or whiskey could be made from 1 gallon of industrial alcohol. Prior to Prohibition, distilled spirits accounted for less than 40 percent of the alcohol consumed in America. By the end of the “noble experiment” distilled spirits made up more than 75 percent of alcohol sales.

Today, there is another boom in the production of spirits, including a massive surge in demand for ready-made neural grain spirit an in some cases, finished aged spirits. Strategic marketing supplied consumers with specific messages that shape a brands narrative; it's easy for anyone to appear craft. These messages, often spread digitally, highlight certain aspects of production like where the water is sourced from, or a secret family recipe, which often serves to romanticise a brand without providing the whole picture of their production process. This leads to a severe misconception about how spirits are made, furthering the disconnect between alcohol and agriculture. Presenters Ann Marshall and Scot Blackwell from High Wire distilling put a significant focus on using the local ingredient to the distillery in Charleston; their approach is simple: seek the finest ingredients available and develop recipes using a creative, culinary method. They spoke how industrial commodity crops that dominate the American farming landscape contribute to many pressing environmental issues like monoculture, plant disease, water pollution, soil depletion and greenhouse gas emissions. One of their missions is to educate consumers and how their choice when purchasing a spirit impacts the food system. A shocking stat was brought to the attention of the audience moderator Shana Farrell, that less than 1% of corn grown in the US directly feeds the people of the nation or is turned into alcohol, and much of that is from high fructose syrups. The panel discussed that a more resilient agricultural system would start by diversifying our crops, shifting some of the corn monocultures to a landscape rich with a variety of vegetables, pastures and prairies. It would more closely mimic natural ecosystems and include different seasonal plants—not just summertime annuals with shallow roots that are especially sensitive to dry spells.

However, all agreed on the panel that it was incredibly hard for smaller players who are doing things right, to get their messages across. Specific to cocktail bars, Nicholas whose cocktail menu lists spirits as their bases as opposed to categories to help further educate the consumer where there are actually from. He made a specific point about teaching his staff on the farms that supply most of the produce and makes a big point about conveying what the spirits are made from, something that I see more and more craft bars go onto adopt. However, especially in San Fran where he's based, hospitality rents and rates are only going north, and operators are often faced with a dilemma of how to make margin. An idea of cutting more small craft spirits with larger brands when making a cocktail was mentioned, but it's a constant balance. Back home in the UK, one notable hotel chain stands out, The Pig Hotel's based in the South East. They pride themselves of a great connect with gardeners and farmers all form local areas of their hotels. 

The disconnect between spirits and agriculture obviously couldn't be solved within the 90 minutes, but they all quite rightly agreed that 'All ships rise with the tide' and that it's great to have more distilleries out there large and small who champion traceability. People are tuning to this, and it's a trend that isn't going to go away, banning plastic straws is just the start. So next time your at the bar or in liquor store, perhaps take a little time to learn exactly what your spirit of choice is made from and where it was grown. But above all, make sure it tastes mighty fine!

Cheers! 

www.talesofthecocktail.com

Nicolas Torres - truelaurelsf.com

Shanna Farrell - shanna-farrell.com

Scott Blackwell & Ann Marshall -highwiredistilling.com

Tristan Mermin -batisterhum.com