The Community Spirit Vodka is produced by The Community Spirit Co. – a company and brand spearheaded by Mexico City-based Casa Lumbre. The Community Spirit was founded in 2021, and achieved B Corp status in 2023. If you’re not familiar with B Corp, it’s a holistic certification that includes factors such as social issues, environmental issues, transparency, and more. As a brand, The Community Spirit‘s goal is to uplift people and organizations who are doing good in their communities. They are committed to giving 5% of their revenue to relevant charitable causes, and typically exceed this goal, having given as much as 23% in some years. […]
Naranja Licor de Naranja Orange Liqueur is produced by La Madrileña, a distillery in Tototlan, Jalisco. First distilled in 1933, this product began as Controy – a now famous Mexican orange liqueur modeled after Cointreau. Though it used to only be available in Mexico, the liqueur became available in the U.S. as Naranja in 2013. The name was changed for legal reasons, but only in the U.S. market. Although the true origin of the Margarita cocktail is hotly debated, some claim that the first Margarita included Controy, which the brand has greatly emphasized in their advertising. It is made with a neutral cane spirit base. Although they are […]
Grey Goose Vodka is produced by Grey Goose – a France based spirits brand. Founded in 1997 by Sidney Frank and François Thibault, they began with a focus on creating vodka with less neutrality and more distinct flavor. Grey Goose was bought out by Bacardi in 2004. It is made using high quality Picardie wheat that is single origin and non-GMO. The wheat is milled on site, before going through a saccharification process, and then fermented using a custom system they call a “cascade”. Grey Goose is only distilled once, with the goal of preserving the character of the wheat. The pure, natural spring water used is sourced from a well in […]
LALO Blanco Tequila is produced by LALO – a smaller, Mexican-owned brand based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2019 by David Carballido and maestro tequilero Lalo González, who is the grandson of Don Julio González Estrada (yes, THAT Don Julio). As a brand, they aim to celebrate modern Mexico with a pure, high quality product that honors the agave plant. Their Agave is sourced from the highlands of Jalisco, and is hand-picked at between around 6-7 years old. It gets steamed for 20-32 hours in a special brick oven, and then rested for about 18 hours, before having the juices extracted via roller mill. The juice is then fermented with […]
Midori Melon Liqueur was created by Suntory – a Japan-based spirits and soft drinks company. They produce their products in collaboration with several international production facilities. This particular bottle was produced by Fielding & Jones, LTD in Chicago. The original melon liqueur was created by Shinjiro Torii, and released in Japan under a different product name in 1964. It is made using two different varieties of rare Japanese muskmelon. The distinctive bright green coloring is artificially added, as the melon insides are actually orange. In 1978, the melon liqueur was released in the U.S. as Midori Melon Liqueur. The recipe was updated […]