Photo courtesy of Twisted Path Distillery
Since opening Twisted Path Distillery in 2014—located inside Lincoln Warehouse at 2018 S. First St.—Brian Sammons has consistently used his ingenuity to craft unique yet approachable, scratch-made organic spirits that have become much appreciated throughout town. This month, he released their newest product for retail sales: Twisted Path’s 80-proof Chai Liqueur.
Twisted Path’s Chai Liqueur is not overly sweet, nor is it creamy or low in alcohol like most commercial liqueurs. “This falls into a unique category,” Sammons emphasizes. “I tell bartenders not to look at this like Kahlúa; it’s very different. It’s a higher proof, with a very intentional balance of proof, sugar and spice concentration that makes it handy and easy to use in cocktails. It can be used in cocktails in ways that most liqueurs can’t.”
Sammons says the idea for a chai liqueur came from his wife, Laura Singleton, who makes chai from scratch at home for the family to drink. Her own recipe has black tea and a blend of spices. “She used to occasionally drink liqueurs like Bailey’s Irish Cream but now drinks only organic dairy. I can’t have dairy at all, so the thought came up of making something like Bailey’s, but organic,” Sammons recalls. “Then, we thought we could just separate out the cream part, and people can add their own cream, coconut milk or soy milk.”
A ‘Swiss Army Knife of Cocktails’
There were no other chai liqueurs on the market, Sammons notes, so he got to work measuring out spices, grinding them in a Cuisinart and putting them into a giant tea bag. Sammons designed and built many items in his distillery, so he used his D.I.Y. skills to come up with a 55-gallon “teapot.” Using Twisted Path’s vodka for the alcohol component, he added the black tea, herbs, spices and cane sugar and initially launched the Chai Liqueur about a year ago in the Twisted Path tasting room as part of their experimental series.
“It turned out to be good for all kinds of things I didn’t expect. It’s the Swiss army knife of cocktails,” Sammons says. He carefully calculated the sweetness level so it can be easily substituted for simple syrup in cocktails without bartenders having to do a lot of cumbersome calculations.
The chai sour—made with Twisted Path’s Chai Liqueur and lemon juice and shaken on ice—has a bright flavor and tastes more complex than having just two ingredients. “Some cocktails are unapproachable to make at home; either you don’t know how to do it, or you need too many ingredients,” he says.
The Chai Nog is made similar to traditional eggnog and has Chai Liqueur, cream, sugar, eggs and water, served chilled. Those drinks and others made with Chai Liqueur are available at the tasting room, with recipes soon to be posted on their website. Sammons also recommends Twisted Path’s Chai Liqueur as a base spirit, in hard seltzer, hot or cold coffee, hot or cold cider, milk, hot cocoa and even as a substitute for vanilla extract while baking.
Once Sammons had Twisted Path Distillery’s new label design ready, he launched his 80-proof Chai Liqueur for retail sales. It’s available at area retailers, including Discount Liquor, Otto’s, Ray’s, Total Wine, Woodman’s in Oak Creek and some Sendik’s red bag locations, with more locations coming soon.
