Like the rest of the country, the farm-to-fork movement has taken off in restaurants around the Sunshine State. But farm-to-shot glass? At Florida craft distilleries, the answer is a resounding yes. Following are just a few examples.
- A first for the Florida Keys, chef Paul Menta's Legal Rum Distillery opened in Key West at a former Coca-Cola bottling plant, with a retail operation newly launched in December and distribution limited to South Florida. Despite its colorful past, the Keys actually never had a legitimate rum distiller until now. Menta celebrates the islands' rum-soaked past with bottles that bear mug shots of former local residents to match the distillery's interiors, which are covered in old newspapers and additional jail mug shots. Meanwhile, groups enjoy tours and even team-building activities after-hours.
"We let them do some bottling," Paul says. "They label and sign the bottles and they love that because they're leaving something of themselves behind."
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Wicked Dolphin Artisan Rum Distillery in Cape Coral uses 100 percent Florida sugar to craft its Silver and Spice brand rums, available around the state.
"People don't want to buy something they can just get off the shelf; they want something unique, something made locally," says JoAnn Elardo, owner, who notes that Wicked Dolphin offers complimentary tours and tastings as well as a small private area in the back for receptions. "We've had 140 out back. We can break the group into two or three tours then do a mass tasting."
- Newly opened in February, St. Augustine Distillery Co. crafts artisanal liquors using age-old techniques and partnering with local farmers and a team of distillers to handcraft premium small batch spirits, including vodka, rum, gin and whiskey. Group tours along with special events and programs for groups are available.
