Bottled Up and Hand Labeled: Small Batch Spirits

After Steve Mestayer and his sons Jeep and Philip made the leap into distilling whiskey in 2017, they had to wait two long years for the batch to age properly before determining whether they had a winning process. And, boy, was it worth the wait! Today Distillerie Acadian labels four spirits under its brand, including the newest bottle on the block: SoLou Gin.

SoLou Gin

Distillerie Acadian’s new spirit is not a typical, everyday gin. SoLou is a unique blend created from eight fine botanicals. The oral forward with a backend of citrus and spice is a perfect compliment in any cocktail and it just might create a whole new congregation of gin lovers.

TOM COLLINS

2 oz. SoLou Gin

1 oz. simple syrup

1 oz. fresh lemon juice 4 oz. soda water

Garnish with lemon wedge

Voilà Vodka

Made with 100% corn, Voilà Vodka is painstakingly triple-filtered over a six-day period, resulting in an 80-proof blend that stands alone as a smoothe drink or mixes beautifully in countless cocktails. Our favorite? This delicious Blueberry Moscow Mule!

BLUEBERRY MOSCOW MULE

11⁄2 oz. Voilà Vodka

4 oz. ginger beer

1⁄4 oz. lime juice

4-5 muddled blueberries, strained

Cajun’s Cut Whiskey

Cajun’s Cut bourbon whiskey is handcrafted with a unique four-grain mash of corn, rye, wheat, and barley malt. The white dog that is captured from the distillation process is aged in charred white oak barrels until the spirit has met the distillery’s strict flavor profile.

MADHATTEN

11⁄2 oz. Cajun’s Cut

1 oz. red pepper coriander syrup

1 oz. vermouth

1 spear with orange peel & dark cherry

T-Moon

T-Moon is made from a unique and proprietary combination of corn, rye, wheat, barley malt and (a difference-maker ingredient) cane sugar. Only the hearts of the distillate that emerge from the still are captured before aging over charred Louisiana white oak planks.

BLACKBERRY SMASH

2 oz. T-Moon

1 oz. simple syrup

1⁄2 oz. fresh lemon juice 6 fresh blackberries, muddled with juice

1 lemon wedge

Shake with crushed ice