Finding our Summer Sol at North Shore Distillery

There is no better way to spend a summer afternoon than soaking up the smells and flavors of the season. So when we read North Shore Distillery in Lake Bluff was now hosting tours and tastings, it was a no brainer; Norpie added it to the calendar and we were there.

North Shore Distillery is a little homegrown boutique shop, run by business partners and the husband-wife team of Derek and Sonja Kassebaum. They’ve been in operation for only a few years, and were the first licensed distillery in Illinois since prohibition. Emphasis on licensed.

They distill only a small line of liquors – two vodkas, two gins, and a few regular artisan liquors as well as a limited edition concoction every year. The tour and tasting allowed us the chance to taste and learn about everything they manufacture.

“Would you like to start with the tasting before we start the tour?” Sonja asked just after we walked in to the small tasting room at the front of their warehouse space just off highway 176 in Lake Bluff.

“Sure,” I said. “We’re always ones for pre-gaming.”

Sonja poured us a one-once taste of the North Shore Vodka, and Norps and I took a swig. It was smooth, making my lips tingle alive.

“Reminds me of sipping moonshine on my porch in Atlanta,” I said.

Norpie shushed me as Sonja laughed. “It’s far from moonshine.”

A group had called indicating they were stuck in traffic so the tour was not going to start exactly at two o’clock. We continued our flavor tour with Sol, what some might refer to as “flavored vodka.” But it’s more than vodka with injected taste. They’ve taken fresh citrus peels, chamomile, and hand-prepared spices. It’s really not like any other vodka we’ve tried. Immediately we were hit with lemon, lime, and orange for a taste that is smooth, yet complex. And strong.

“You could clean your bathroom with this.” I said as Norpie shot me a look of disgust. “I mean, it’s like a refreshing spring breeze.”

With the last group to arrive for the tour, they poured another round of tastings.

“Of course we’ll have a roadie.” Sonja poured us a taste of Distiller’s Gin No. 6, which had a strong floral flavor and aroma. Sonja explained it was the lavender, in addition to the juniper berry, that has been infused in the distilling process. Gin No. 6 is named for the sixth recipe, which they thought was the best of all the recipes they were trying out as they started distilling, and it was the first liquor they produced.

We were impressed. It was complex, smooth, and the flavors balanced. It’s the very type of gin that could possibly make us gin drinkers.

In the warehouse, Sonja gave us the brief history of North Shore Distillery, and how they have pioneered boutique distilling of spirits. Today, just a few short years after launching their line, there are now a number of distilleries that can be found throughout the state. As North Shore has grown, however, they have not lost sight of mastering the art of handcrafting their liquors. Each batch is distilled in Ethel, their hand-hammered copper distiller manufactured in Germany. It’s bottled one-by-one, with each label applied by hand, and then numbered and signed.

Tim bottles at North Shore Distillery.

Derek, a chemical engineer by training, took over the tour, and immediately went into a technical description that had me swirling around in a cocktail glass. Norpie, more the food engineer, hung to every word looking for secrets to steal and apply in his own kitchen.

Back in the tasting room, Sonja continued the flavor tour with a taste of Distiller’s Gin No. 11. Gin No. 11 was really developed for restaurants, already carrying their line of No. 6, which were requesting a more traditional-flavored gin. Apparently, gin is distilled no differently than vodka, only it has been flavored with the juniper berry.

Norpie and I tasted No. 11.

“Wow!” I exclaimed. “This will light you up like a Christmas tree.”

The juniper essence was strong.

“This will put hair on my chest,” said a smooth and hairless Norpie. “I’m going to have to Epilady tonight.”

Norpie found the No. 6 to be a lot smoother, mellower, and less of a bite than the traditional No. 11. I’d have to agree, thinking you might be able to remove paint with No. 11.

Moving on, we tried a taste of Aquavit Private Reserve. We’re familiar with this flamboyant concoction, having discovered it at the Wine Discount Center in Highland Park some time ago. Norps has been using it as a central ingredient in a slightly modified recipe we found on North Shore Distillery’s Web site, which we now call the Aquanet. It will light on fire if you give it a chance, and it’s a taste that sticks with you.

“What exactly is Aquavit?” Norps asked Sonja.

“It’s in a class all its own. It’s distilled differently, so it’s not a vodka or a gin, and it’s not a liquor.”

We finished the line with the Siréne Absinthe Verte, which took some time for Sonja to prepare. She poured a little into two glasses, and then from an absinthe fountain, she dripped ice water into the alcohol; one glass the water filtered through a sugar cube. This step altered the alcohol in two ways. One, the cold water interacted with the flavor-providing oils, making the drink cloud. Two, it brought the absinthe down from 120 proof to about 80 proof. Although, we have to admit, this was our sixth tasting, so we might be cloudy on the science.

Norps tried the sugarcoated cocktail, which he preferred. I tasted it straight up, which I preferred. I thought the licorice flavor that finished with floral and citrus accents was allowed more freedom than when all those essences have been infused with sugar.

“I think we should get a bottle of the Sol,” I suggested to Norps.

“Why don’t we try their Cucumber Sol Cocktail,” Norpie said, “and if we like it, we’ll buy a bottle and that’s what we’ll drink tonight.”

We watched as Sonja took about half a lime and a slice of cucumber, muddling it in a glass.

“Now is the key to a good muddling in the wrist, or the shoulder?”

“How about I make it for you’re both ways, and then you can see how it impacts the flavor for yourself.” Sonja laughed.

“All I know is, I wouldn’t want to cross you in a dark ally the way you muddle.”

She added sugar, to balance out the tart of the lime, and then two-and-a-half ounces of Sol. She shook over ice, and then filtered the drink twice to remove any cucumber seeds, poured, and garnished with a lime.

Norpie took a taste. His eyes bulged wide as he shook his head in approval.

“Now that’s a taste of summer.”

I took a sip.

“Mmmm. Delicious. The only thing missing is the pool boy.”

“We’ll take a bottle.”

Sonja totaled our tab and packaged up a bottle. She handed it to Norpie.

“She just handed you your Sol in a bag,” I said.

We left North Shore Distillery, the afternoon having flown by. We headed to the grocery store to get cucumber and limes to muddle with our new Sol of summer. But Norpie is never one to keep the recipe as it is, so we were soon enjoying on the patio Norpie’s Summer Sol.

Norpie made a summer beverage from North Shore Distillery

Norpie’s Summer Sol

½ Lime, quartered and squeezed

1-inch of English cucumber, diced

4 torn mint leaves

1 tablespoon of sugar

Add all the ingredients together and muddle in cocktail shaker.

4 ounces, North Shore Sol Vodka

Add ice. Shake.

Drop a slice of cucumber in a high ball and a sprig of mint. Add ice. Serve chilled over ice, with a splash of Sprite to add a touch of summer fizz. Makes two servings.

North Shore Distillery features tours and tastings at 6 p.m. every Friday, and 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturdays. It is only $10 to try the entire collection and receive a tour. The mixology tips are free.