Our/New York, which opened in May, is Manhattan’s only distillery, and the first distillery on the island since Prohibition. The small-batch, micro-distillery is part of the Our/Vodka family, which makes spirits infused with local ingredients. In this case, Our / New York includes the use of its famous tap water and locally sourced corn to produce its 80 proof spirit. Like the rest of the Our / Vodka line, which include spirits from London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Miami, Our/New York comes in a fun bottle with a crown cap.
Adding to the fun, tomorrow the urban archeologist Alyssa Loorya of Chrysalis Archaeology will be working with Our / New York for an event with the Historic Districts Council, of which she serves as Vice President, to create bitters based on an 1860s recipe (an alternative at the time to Dr. Jacob Hostetter’s bitters) that will be used in cocktails guests will imbibe. Alyssa says the recipe she’s using is sweeter than Dr. Hostetter’s, which was widely used around the country for all sorts of ailments – and in more desperate times, as alcohol served by the glass.
Bitters go back to ancient Egypt, says Loorya, and they tend to have similar ingredients compared to those used today. Though they come in slender bottles now, they used to come in larger bottles like this one by Dr. Jacob Hostetter found in the archaeological excavation at 50 Bowery (done by Chrysalis Architecture). Hostetter’s was based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and produced a best-selling bitter that was a whopping 94 proof.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
