Twisted Path Distillery

Just wanna say… not a review of the location but a comment on the spirit and, well I already said it. Peggy says, sweeter than my boyfriend. Picked up a couple of bottles of the organic vodka in the alley drive thru… it’s a dirty Friday night. Rehorst has a challenge for the Throne. Viva MKE.

You could drive right by and never guess there’s a Distillery in this warehouse.
And that’s part of the aura. There’s not only a great Distillery, but an awesome apothecary too! And it was the 5^th anniversary of Bittercube Bitters that led to this awesome booze craftery to host their first ever open tasting.
But first you had to receive an email indicating where to park, how many loading docks to walk past and which semi-​lit doors to enter. This is truly a warehouse and until you enter the door marked (with an underground-​feel paper sign) you aren’t quite certain you are in the right place.
Only 24 guests over the course of two days had the pure pleasure of imbibing in this tiny (only 10 seats plus two auxiliary chairs) tasting room.
The journey began with the aptly titled «Origin Story». It featured the TPD Classic White Rum and Bittercube Jamaican #1 Bitters and was a rift on the quintessential mule type cocktails. The rum had a very clean and crisp taste, indicative of it’s organic origins.
Up next was the Kill-​Devil #2, which was another classic re-​invented. Twisted’s Barrel Aged Rum was blended with Turbinado Sugar and Bittercube’s Jamaican #2 Bitters. Prior to consuming the cocktail we were each given a shot of the aged rum solo. And it was fantastic to say the least. The rum was smooth and crisp and the harsh aftertaste of most rums was not at all present.
We moved on to a Winter Sour which was crafted with Twisted’s Classic Vodka and Bittercube’s Trinity Bitters. It also featured a Winter Spiced Syrup which was made with a myriad of fragrant spices (so glad they shared the recipe for this). Like the rum, this vodka was clean and crisp and was the perfect background canvas for a cocktail with the pleasing depth of flavor.
The final cocktail of the night was amazing. In fact, all were drinks I’d happily order in the future. But the finale, A Ginger Infused Mule, was nothing short of excellence. Fresh ginger root was infused into Twisted’s 100 Proof Vodka. The Distiller, Brian, explained the purpose of a bit higher proof was to put more alcohol into a drink, without necessarily making it taste like there was additional spirits in the glass. It also lends well to infusions that previously had to be made with Everclear, or pure Moonshine. The ginger infused vodka was the perfect base and Bittercube’s Jamaican #1 and Blackstrap Bitters made a splendid accent.
I’ve been a huge fan of Bittercube Bitters since their inception, and their facilitation of an introduction to Twisted Path is another feather in their cap no doubt.
You may not know there’s a Distillery in this warehouse, and you may not have heard of Twisted Path, yet. But this small operation is destined for great things, and I hope big things as well.
So given the opportunity, be sure to get in on the ground floor exposure of this awesome tasting elixirs, you’ll be very glad you did!
#drinklocal