I’m not mad at this spring tradition of Tattersall’s. Starting with their Bootlegger in 2019, they’ve released an easy-going, ready-to-drink bottled cocktail that has the potential to capture the hearts of our summer selves.

On deck for 2021: Cosmo Bianco. 

Waaaaaay back in the 90’s, the first non-brandy-old-fashioned cocktail I learned how to make as a fledgling bartender was a Cosmopolitan. And yes, of course, for a certain set, the name will conjure up images of Carrie Bradshaw and her cadre of drinkers in New York. But wait, something is different. 

Traditionally, a Cosmo is made with vodka, triple sec orange liqueur, cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime: it’s pretty and pink. Tattersall’s take is crystal clear, only the art-deco inspired label is pink. Made with a base of organic vodka, blended with their signature citrus liqueurs, plus fresh juice and botanicals to give it that boost, there are no artificial colors or ingredients. 

Inc. magazine today revealed that Tattersall Distilling is No. 1632 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses.

Tattersall’s Amaro has notes of cloves and caramel with subtle hints of licorice, star anise, fennel, honey, and citrus zest. The richly colored liqueur is sweet but not cloyingly so, with a soft finish. Tattersall Distilling was one of the first craft distilleries to open in Minnesota after 2011 legislation known as the “Surly Bill” changed some of the state’s outdated liquor laws, making it much easier for small distilleries to operate. They now produce 22 spirits and liqueurs, including a Fernet and a vermouth.

Allow me, on this eve of a 70-degree Saturday, to amp up your summer 2019 drinking goals. Tattersall Distilling has done something very cool. They’ve distilled the Bootleg.

Of the dozens of craft distilleries popping up all over the Midwest, Tattersall Distilling in Minneapolis just might be the most prolific.

Tattersall’s is something different. Far closer to an amaro, it’s a dead ringer for an orange-inflected Campari, right down to the lovely reddish hue, with an intriguing array of aromatics and a pleasant bitter backbone. Give it a try in these three simple cocktails.

Tattersall’s project draws on the vast holdings of the WangensteenHistorical Library of Biology and Medicine at the University of Minnesota, one of the nation’s premier collections of medieval and early modern medical texts. Among its 72,000 volumes, some dating back to 1430, are hundreds of books detailing the curative properties of roots, weeds, seeds, metals and even animal parts like skins and horn.

Tattersall Crème De Fleur is something different. Rather than relying on a single blossom, it’s distilled with six aromatic flowers. As a result, it’s not an identifiable rose, or violet, or elderflower, for that matter. Instead, the scent is that of a sweet bouquet, more generally floral than it is one-note. With restrained sugar and a 30 percent ABV, we’ve found it awfully easy to use in cocktails.

According to co-founder Jon Kreidler, this amaro has a whopping 25 botanicals macerated in the organic corn spirit base. As is traditional with amari, it sits in oak for a spell so flavors will mingle to best effect. There’s a really cool savory quality to this amaro that presents itself with aromatics of dried porcini mushrooms, sage, fennel and cardamom. It’s bright and zippy on your palate and leaves a gentle, lingering bitter mintiness on your tongue that makes you want to pick it up again and again.

Gin has come a long way since it first appeared as genever in the mid-1500s. François De le Boë (sometimes known Franciscus Sylvius), a Dutch doctor looking to cure the tropical maladies suffered by Holland’s traders, is generally credited with spreading genever’s popularity. Eventually genever morphed into gin, which is based upon the spirits’ base ingredient, juniper berries. In 1700s London, gin truly came into its own since the clear spirit was safer to drink than the city’s polluted water, and was popularized as such, creating the first gin craze.

But even before Dutch genever gained ground as a cure, nearly a millennium ago Italian monks along the Almafi Coast were experimenting with distilling the same botanicals used to make gin today.