Savor Spring with some local beverages! The warm air is back–it’s all very exciting. And what better way to enjoy this rush of adrenaline than by tasting some fresh drinks. There are new drinks along with returning favs as well. Here’s our local distillery roundup!
Lawrenceville Distillery
The gin and absinthe distillery is located in an old machine shop in Upper Lawrenceville. Their award winning verte absinthe, 1129 Ridge Ave Absinthe Traditionnelle, is the only traditional verte absinthe in southwestern PA. It’s the catalyst that led to them being named Pennsylvania’s Absinthe Distillery of the Year 2020. They were also recognized as Pennsylvania’s Gin Distillery of the Year 2019 for their use of the traditional vapor infusion process in their American Style gins, Ginzer Gin and Jaggerbush Gin. Visit the distillery to see the distillation process in action, enjoy a cocktail, and grab a bite to eat from Bodega Off Butler with Chef Jesse Barlass. New absinthe bottle releases and cocktails all month long!
Ridge Runner Distillery
Ridge Runner Distillery offers not just a taste of southwest PA, but also a taste of the history of the region suppressed for nearly a century. From the heart of the whiskey rebellion, through the Ridge Runners (moonshiners) of prohibition, to the micro distillery renaissance sweeping our country, Ridge Runner Distillery retains the spirit of ingenuity and rebelliousness that distillers had 200 years ago and bring it to the present day.
Wigle Whiskey Distillery
Landmark distillery Wigle Whiskey re-ignited Pennsylvania’s whiskey tradition. A 2x James Beard Semi-Finalist and the most awarded craft whiskey distillery in the US for 5 consecutive years. Wigle makes each of their 36 spirits grain to glass in the Strip District. Visit for their bucket-list tour, top-notch bar and restaurant, mini-museum or to pick up one of their more than 36 unique spirits.
Maggie’s Farm Rum Distillery
Since last summer, they’ve been working on putting the drinks from their distillery’s cocktail bar in the perfect to-go package. Along with all of Maggie’s Farm rums available for purchase to take home, your favorite cocktails, like the Painkiller, Smooth Sailing, and Zombie, are now available in convenient 12oz cans. Each can contains 2-3 servings already proportioned out. Just chill and drink straight from the can or pour over ice into your favorite tiki mug. These drinks and weekly specials can be ordered online for curbside pickup or for walk-up ordering at their distillery in the Strip District Thursdays through Sundays.
Lucky Sign Spirits
Lucky Sign Spirits is a Millvale, PA-based distillery dedicated to crafting truly unique cocktail-friendly spirits. Their rare blend of science, artistry, passion (and yes, luck) can take your cocktail making talent and creativity to the next level. When it comes to their customers, they are all ears. Lucky Sign Spirits is all in, delivering the subtle layering and complexity you’re seeking to create unforgettable flavor experiences. Try their superb signature gin, made with 11 botanicals and enticingly strong aromatics for a rich yet gentle juniper flavor. This summer is Limoncello time! Their refreshing limoncello has gentle notes of basil and a hint of Card Shark Rye to enhance the complexity and nix the syrupy aftertaste you get with other limoncellos. As they say, it’s perfect for sipping ice cold on a hot summer’s night.
Inspired by Spirits
The retail store has been open in Allentown since June 2019: Dr. Tumblety’s Time-Inspired Specialty Shop. A step through their door is a step back in time. They are unique–currently handcrafting copper stills for customers to purchase for home distilling. These are the same copper stills they will be using in their own distillery. Natives of the Allentown neighborhood & Pittsburgh’s Hilltop, they believe Pittsburgh is ready for this curious, creative world that they’ve conjured. Inspired by Spirits are currently seeking community investors using their Honeycomb Credit campaign to fund the Inspired by Spirits Tasting Lounge & Distillery.
Personal Day Hard Seltzer
New from Maggie’s Farm Distillery in the Strip District—Personal Day Hard Seltzers! Unlike most hard seltzers which are made from fermented sugar water, Personal Day uses real vodka. Careful vodka distillation results in an alcohol with 95% purity. This removes fermentation by-products, those you’d associate with off-flavors or even hangovers. They add only fresh-squeezed fruit juices and purified water. And never any sugar. Personal Day will launch its core flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, lemon, and lime in April at Maggie’s Farm Distillery, followed by availability in Pennsylvania Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores in May. #TakeaPersonalDay
Quantum Spirits
Reinventing Craft Spirits Through Science. Their mission statement is to “continuously innovate craft spirit production by exploring new technology, new methods, new ingredients.” Quantum aims to do things differently, designing their own equipment with in house engineers and chemists. They make spirits from scratch. You’ll find them hard at work mashing, fermenting, distilling, bottling and labeling every product at their distillery located in Carnegie, PA. Visit their tasting room for bottle sales and cocktails. Respect the Past. Drink to the Future.
4Four6 Distillery
4Four6 Distillery is a woman/family owned business in Sharpsburg PA. They currently produce rum and gin with whiskey coming later this year and in the future. 4Four6 Distillery opened in January of 2020. The owners are Maria Yeater and Marcy Sunday. Jerry Sunday handles the day to day operations. Ashley Sunday is the assistant distiller!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.
