Mike's Mix: Du Nord's Cocktail Room

Every Saturday, Mike Augustyniak picks up a new cocktail recipe from a local mixologist. This week, he heads to DuNord's Cocktail Room in Minneapolis.

Steady Eddie
1 ½ oz Fitzgerald Gin
1oz Cranberry Juice
½ oz Lime Simple syrup
Dash of Salt

George Leigh Mallory
1 ½ oz L'Etoile Vodka
1oz Honey Syrup
1oz Lemon Juice
1 Barspoon Powdered Sugar
Dash Peppermint Tincture

Taste Test
Du Nord's Fitzgerald Gin (named after St. Paul resident and iconic author F. Scott Fitzgerald) is a smooth-drinking gin that lands on the more on the 'juniper' end of the flavor spectrum than the 'pine' end. This leaves the Steady Eddie tasting a bit like a gin-based margarita, given the lime simple syrup and the dash of salt, that goes well with the milder weather.

The George Leigh Mallory is a delightful sour with a hint (yes, just a hint) of peppermint flavor as a secondary flavor. It's also light and refreshing, with a foamy head (owing to the powdered sugar that activates when shaken) meant to symbolize the clouds that the drink's namesake disappeared into, never to be heard again.

About Du Nord Craft Spirits
Just months after production first began, Du Nord's "L'Etoile Du Nord" vodka won Triple Gold Medal for flavor at the MicroLiquor Spirits Awards in Beverly Hills, California.

Distillery tours are available, with an appointment, on Saturday afternoons. The Cocktail Room is open Wednesdays through Saturdays. Food is available on-site from food trucks, or you can bring (or order delivery) of your own food!

More information is available at their website.