Mardi Gras is less than a month away. While “Fat Tuesday” is celebrated around the world, the epicenter of Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S. is in New Orleans. That’s the reason I can’t think about Mardi Gras without thinking about the food and cocktails originating in the The Big Easy. Sazeracs, gumbo, oysters Rockefeller, po’ boys, oh my!
Imagine my excitement when I discovered a Bananas Foster flavored vodka, produced right here in the Pacific Northwest by Seattle’s 3 Howls Distillery. I generally feel that the only flavored vodka worth drinking is gin, but am open to trying anything once. Particularly if it’s well-crafted. 3 Howls has been recognized for their flavored vodkas, which they create without the use of artificial flavoring, but rather by vapor infusing ethanol through botanicals to pull out their essential flavors. Most flavored vodkas are artificially flavored, giving them, well, an artificial flavor. 3 Howls recently received the Gold Tasting Award for its Blood Orange Vodka in the “Vodka: Flavored/Infused/Spiced” category at the World Spirits Competition in Geneva, Switzerland. Along with the Banana and Blood Orange, their flavors include Rosemary and a soon-to-be-released Caramel.
Will Maschmeier, 3 Howls’ founder, came to the distilling world after a layoff from the healthcare industry. “I discovered craft distilling around 2008 when House Spirits [in Portland] opened up. I thought it was the perfect blend of art and science, so I began touring distilleries all over the United States and around the world,” Maschmeiere says. “I also began homebrewing, which quickly turned into home distilling.”
He held onto the dream of opening a distillery someday, perhaps when he retired, but then the layoff came, along with a 2-year, 50-mile non-compete clause. The part-time single dad, and part-time home brewer and craft distilling enthusiast decided to follow his dream and open a distillery. He rented their current warehouse in Seattle’s SoDo district two years ago, and says he has been having a blast ever since.
But back to Bananas Foster—the warm, boozy, caramelly dessert created in New Orleans in the 1950s. Unfortunately, 3 Howls recently had to change to label to call the Bananas Foster Flavored vodka to just Banana Flavored vodka, since it’s not technically infused with the Bananas Foster dish. Despite this name change, the vodka really does evoke the flavor of Bananas Foster—hints of cinnamon and vanilla accent the banana flavor, and evoke the buttery, rumness of the dessert. Maschmeier offered up the recipe below for the Three Strikes cocktail, explaining, “It’s called the ‘Three Strikes’ because one, it’s a vodka. Two, it’s a flavored vodka. Three, it’s a banana flavored vodka. I love the idea of the name because its a really great cocktail and it kind of pokes fun of the bad reputation flavored vodkas have gained in the last five years.”
Three Strikes, courtesy of 3 Howls
2 ounces 3 Howls Banana vodka
½ ounce St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram
¼ ounce Campari
4-5 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Orange zest garnish.
