Negroni Week Just Got Better with Our Amaro

June 4th marks the start of a very special season: Negroni Week. Thanks to our award-winning Founding Spirits American Amaro, it just got even more amazing.

We are pretty psyched to wow Negroni lovers, as well as newbies to the Negroni scene, with a few of our spins on this classic cocktail. While a traditional Negroni is made with gin, a bitter aperitif (such as Campari), sweet vermouth, and finished with an orange twist, our Distillery Director, Jon Arroyo, has come up with some very special handcrafted alternatives.

Our Negroni cocktails use our very own Founding Spirits, including our award-winning Founding Spirits American Amaro. We will be serving three Negroni-inspired craft cocktails from June 4-10 at Founding Farmers, Farmers & Distillers, and Farmers Fishers Bakers:

Negroni Sour is a smooth and creamy mix of our Gold Medal Winner, Founding Spirits American Amaro with Campari, lemon, orange, and egg white.

Negroni Swizzle is a delightful mix of Founding Spirits American Amaro with Campari, cinnamon, and lemon.

The Silent Negroni includes Founding Spirits American Amaro, Mezcal El Silencio Espadin, Campari, and Pamplemousse Rose.

If this trio of taste isn’t enough to get you out and about, perhaps and you can have a Negroni Week party of your own and order some of our award-winning Founding Spirits online. Sponsor Imbibe Magazine has lots of recipes online and even Negroni week t-shirts to order.

At Farmers Restaurant Group, we love this annual opportunity to serve delicious cocktails for a cause. This year’s benefit is No Kid Hungry, which is a movement of teachers, chefs, community leaders, parents, lawmakers, and CEOs with one shared belief: No kid in America should go hungry.

Negroni Week is an annual international fundraiser put on by Imbibe magazine and Campari. To date, they have collectively raised nearly $1.5 million for charitable causes. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need.

Founding Spirits Welcomes Our North Dakota Wheat

Yesterday afternoon, Founding Spirits welcomed the latest addition to our Farmers Restaurant Group family: our 18-wheeler, owned and operated by our co-owners at the North Dakota Farmers Union. Our truck will be used to deliver family-farmed ingredients directly to our restaurants.

The largest commodity of yesterday’s delivery was the wheat we use to distill our award-winning Founding Spirits Vodka. Known as the aristocrat of wheat, this Hard Red Spring Wheat is harvested right on the family farm of Mark Watne, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union.

Watne was there to receive the truck, along with Co-Owner Dan Simons and our Distillery Manager, Bob VanLancker. A few other friends helped us meet the truck as well, including Roger Johnson from the National Farmers Union and members of the Keany Produce & Gourmet family and team who help us distribute to all of our restaurants.

Everyone said a few words, and then we celebrated the big day with tasty treats at the Farmers & Distillers bar overlooking our still.

Founding Spirits was simultaneously hosting a tasting of our spirits, which now have earned four prestigious international awards. If you are interested in trying our craft spirits, Farmers & Distillers is hosting tastings every week, Monday thru Thursday, from 4-6pm.

 

Founding Spirits Releases American Whiskey

Since the very beginning of our distilling adventures with Copper Fox Distillery almost a decade ago, we have had our sights set on making a true American Whiskey. But we knew we had to be patient, as truly great things take time.

We are excited to announce that the big day has finally arrived! Founding Spirits is releasing our latest (and maybe our favorite yet) handcrafted spirit, American Whiskey.

Starting May 1, Founding Spirits will be bringing us home to one of our nation’s true, great tastes: American Whiskey. Pot stilled and barrel aged for at least 18 months at Copper Fox Distillery – using our good friend and farmer, the late Billy Dawson’s Virginia-grown corn, wheat, barley, and oats – we proof, blend, and bottle it in house at Founding Spirits.

This week (May 1-6, 2017) at Farmers & Distillers, Distillery Director, Jon Arroyo, will debut some very tasty, Derby-inspired ways to try our new American Whiskey with an array of takes on the famous Mint Julep:

  • Traditional Mint Julep with FS American Whiskey, mint, and rum for $12
  • Never Better” Julep with FS American Whiskey, mint, and our delicious, FS Amaro for $14
  • Blueberry Julep with FS American Whiskey, blueberry gin, mint, and ginger for $14

Of course, you can also try this unique, small batch blend neat, on the rocks, or in a whole host of other delicious cocktails. And make sure to swing by on Friday, May 5th from 4:30-5:30pm when we will be hosting a free FS American Whiskey tasting at our Farmers & Distillers bar with Founding Spirits Distillery Director Jon Arroyo and Copper Fox Distillery’s Master Distiller Rick Wasmund.

On Derby Day, May 6th, you can purchase a bottle of FS American Whiskey for $52. The first ten buyers will receive a special, complimentary Founding Spirits branded copper Julep cup, complete with matching copper straw.

We look forward to celebrating Kentucky Derby Week with you at Farmers & Distillers, May 1-6. If joining us for a meal, reservations are recommended. Or just drop by anytime, and we can welcome you home to the smooth and savory taste of our very own American Whiskey. Beginning May 1, cocktails for in-house enjoyment or bottles to take home can be purchased at Farmers & Distillers. And for a behind the scenes look inside our distillery, you can arrange a tour of Founding Spirits to learn what goes into the makings of all our spirits.

Another Award for Our Amaro

Founding Spirits brought home another major award last week. Our Founding Spirits American Amaro received a SILVER medal from the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

San Francisco’s highly competitive event, which launched such spirits as Tito’s Handmade Vodka, brought together distillers from all over the world. More than 2,200 spirits were judged, the largest number of entries in their 18-year history.

Our Amaro apparently stole the show, making for another sweet stop on Jon Arroyo’s journey to change the intimidating and bitter reputation of traditional Amaro. In fact, it is an essential ingredient in many of our favorite craft cocktails.

Farmers & Distillers is currently serving up delicious amaro cocktails, and many enjoy our amaro straight up over ice. All of our sibling restaurants, Founding Farmers and Farmers Fishers Bakers, also serve amaro in their drink specialties.

We invite you to stop by any of our restaurants for a taste of this Silver, Gold, and Best of 2018 award winner. Or buy a bottle to enjoy at home. Founding Spirits can be purchased at Farmers & Distillers and at multiple local retailers. Our craft spirits can also be ordered online.