Halftone Spirits out of Brooklyn‘s Gowanus neighborhood produces an array of small-batch spirits ranging from gin to aquavit and vodka. However, their gins are where the most experimentation lies. Their bottles offer several renditions that invoke seasonality, terroir, and their Brooklyn roots. (They distill their BK Brunch with coffee beans and fenugreek, among other ingredients.) In particular, their Wavelength Noir winter gin evokes all the things about the winter season that I love.
Halftone distills this gin with 14 botanicals, including lapsang souchong tea, blood orange peel, and black cherry bark. The body of Wavelength Noir gets a lift from Fine & Raw Chocolate, whose cacao nibs are the base on which the liquor ages. This gives it a deep, captivating burgundy hue and a velvety mouthfeel.
I know it’s not common to drink gin neat, but with Halftone Spirits’ emphasis on heavy-handed botanicals, Wavelength Noir truly holds its own in the glass. Drink it on a cube or work it into a wintry Negroni while gazing at the Christmas tree that you may or may not keep around through the end of the month. $44.99, 608franklinwines.com
