Eau de Vie of Douglas fir
Ever eat a pine tree?
Now that the holiday season is over, and that Christmas tree is begging to be put out to pasture, it might be worthwhile to consider alternate ways at disposing of it besides just putting it out on the curb. While carving it up at the kitchen table might be something only Euell Gibbons would have attempted, it might be interesting to know that Clear Creek Distillery has thought of another means of recycling a little bit of the holiday spirit.
OK, so they probably aren’t using old Christmas trees, but they are making a wonderful product from the freshly picked buds of Douglas fir.
There apparently is a slightly obscure Alsatian liqueur known as “Eau de Vie de Bourgeons de Sapin” (translates to: “brandy of fir tree buds”), which is a spirit made by careful maceration of Scotts Pine buds in brandy and re-distillation to create a product that has a wonderfully piney character.
The folks at Clear Creek Distillery, who have a penchant for going out on a limb for their craft, have recently come out with their own take on this product, using the more common Douglas fir from the Pacific Northwest. If you think about it, there is little else which could possibly be more representative of this area, besides of course applejack or perhaps a salmon liqueur.
It took Steve McCarthy, founder of Clear Creek Distillery, nearly 10 years of dedicated experimentation to arrive at a process which he felt properly captured the woodsy essence he envisioned. And it frankly is an excellent product with lots of interesting potential.
At about $50 for a 375ml bottle (which is a half-bottle, or also known as a “split”), it may not necessarily be something you’ll be seeing becoming a standard product at your local bar, but it hopefully will make appearances at some of the bars which enjoy blazing new trails.
I decided to take my bottle out for a spin and see if I could work up a new cocktail which properly used this product.
Woodsman Sour
- 2 ounces Eau de Vie of Douglas fir
- 1 ounce St-Germain Elderflower liqueur
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
The combination of the slightly piney flavor from the eau de vie, and the floral notes of the St-Germain really worked well in this slight variation of a traditional sour.
Sounds intriguing…I may have to get my hands on a bottle.
I’ve been enjoying a bottle of génépi, a juniper liqueur I picked up in the French Alps a couple months ago. When I get a chance, I look forward to trying it in cocktails, but so far I’ve just sipped it as a cordial.