Modern distilleries maintain that high level of excellence
Ever wonder about “The Real McCoy?” Why is it a term meaning “of or having authentic, genuine quality?”
Bill McCoy was a shipbuilder turned rumrunner during Prohibition in the early 1920s. Flouting the Volstead Act, McCoy purchased gin, whiskey, rum and other liquors from Nova Scotia, Bermuda and the Bahamas.
Anchoring in international waters, three miles off the coast of southern New Jersey, he established a smuggling route that became known as “rum row.” From there — via Great Egg Harbor, Cape May Point and many inlets in between — associates would transport McCoy’s booze into Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Wildwood, Cape May and beyond.
In addition to having a taste for quality products, McCoy had some ethics — he refused to dilute his finest offerings. On shore, in-the-know customers demanded “the Real McCoy.” Today, the McCoy standards are still found in Cape May County distilleries.
There is a perception that many independent distilleries stay in one lane. Tito’s distills vodka out of Texas, Barbados-based Mount Gay boasts of being the world’s oldest rum maker, Wilderness Trial produces bourbon out of Kentucky, Hendrick’s makes Scottish gin, etc.
Flying in the face of this practice is the experiential, farm-to-bottle Nauti Spirits Distillery (916 Shunpike Road, North Cape May), which steps up and boldly answers the question: Why not make it all?
Head distiller Veronica Townsend operates like a very focused scientist, experimenting with vegetables, grains, spices and herbs, mostly grown on Nauti’s 60-acre farm, and concocting the perfect liquor for each season.
The summertime drink is vodka. Made from sweet potatoes and corn, the Jalapeno Vodka is a top seller. It is great straight, and is the key ingredient for Nauti’s popular Old Bay-rimmed cocktail, The Crabby Patty. It’s so popular that customers clamored that it be serve year-round, and it is.
Summer waters bring sharks, but Nauti eases this terrifying fact with a vodka, orange and lime libation called the Shark’s Tooth.
As a safe alternative, particularly when the weather is hot, try one of many creative draft cocktails, such as the Orange Creamsicle, made with vodka, orange, vanilla and simple syrup. Additionally, Nauti acknowledges its proximity to the bay and serves the Delaware Breeze cocktail, a reinterpretation of the Sea Breeze, with pineapple instead of grapefruit. It will blow away any end-of-summer blues.
August is National Rum Month, the month that escorts us into fall. Nauti pays homage to the harvest with pumpkin painting, s’mores roasting, an intricate corn maze to be explored and a re-release of the Hibernal Flame, a rich spiced rum. It tastes like ginger snaps and mixes well with hot apple cider. Then there is a perennial autumnal favorite Pumpkin Spice Martini made with fresh pumpkin and vodka or gin.
Throughout Cape May County, winter is highlighted by the holidays. At Nauti, the wood-burning stove warms the bar where celebrants can sip eggnog and cocoa, with or without whiskey.
In addition to being a wintery drink, bourbon is “a wonderful expression of New Jersey” given that the ingredients of corn, rye, barley and other grains are either grown on Nauti’s farm or locally sourced, Townsend said.
The Garden State’s abundance is most pronounced in the spring. The botanicals, florals and herbs, many of which are grown in Nauti’s greenhouse, give rise to Signal Gin. It’s juniper-forward with a delicate blend of coriander, honey dew melon, mint and jasmine that smells terrific and tastes delightful. Townsend is most proud of it.
Currently, Nauti Spirits’ farm-based, boutique operation and all of its liquor are handmade with limited distribution in New Jersey and Maryland. But don’t be surprised if Nauti Spirits is a nationwide product 10 years from now. Its stuff is the Real McCoy. Yet theirs are not the only bona fide liquor to be produced in Cape May County.
A hundred years ago, Wildwood was home to numerous speakeasies. While those days are long gone, Lazy Eye Distillery (135 E. Spicer Ave., Wildwood) is boutique to the point of feeling like a speakeasy.
Shortly following New Jersey’s creation of its craft distillery license in 2014, Carol Kafkalas opened Lazy Eye. Her grandparents turned grapes into hooch. Her parents ritualized the hooch and made other variations. Using ancestral recipes which are shrouded in secrecy, suddenly Kafkalas became an official distiller.
One of the first to receive permission to produce spirits in the Garden State since Prohibition, Lazy Eye remains a family, mom and pop (Carol and her husband, Nico) business crafting distinctive spirits that honor and embody their Greek heritage. They promote their liquor as “A Taste of Nature’s Spirit,” which is emblazoned on their labels
In fact, all of Lazy Eye’s products are derived from scratch using local grapes and hands-on, meticulous, small-batch artistry. Prior to securing their license, the couple spent about 14 years experimenting and ultimately perfecting their products the old-fashioned way — in a makeshift basement operation.
To date, Lazy Eye’s award-winner and staple is its vodka, which is used to produce their top-seller, the Special Citrus Cocktail. A blend of vodka, triple sec and natural flavors, the cocktail is light, refreshing, not too sweet and not too strong.
On the other end of the spectrum, Lazy Eye makes cognac. Its potency is masked with a subtle grape sweetness.
Harkening back to Dionysian roots, Lazy Eye focuses on the ancient Hellenic staple, Raki, which traditionally is a single process, clear, grape-based liquor. According to the owners, Lazy Eye is the only legal producer of Raki in the U.S. With that pedigree, they have created versions from old-school to wildly imaginative.
On the conventional side, their Raki Tsipouro with anise proves a standout in flavor, complexity and charm. With a soft-but-prominent licorice essence on the nose and front palate, a sip evokes a hint of mint midway and leaves a smooth silkiness on the back end.
Colloquially referred to sometimes as “Greek Sambuca,” the Raki Tsipouro serves as a lovely aperitif or digestive and, particularly in summer, a perfect foil for Jersey Fresh watermelon, tomato, basil, and feta salad.
In contrast, Lazy Eye’s pride and joy, the Grecian Delight, establishes a wholly unique category in the Raki pantheon. One of several holiday Rakis, aged in 15-gallon oak barrels for as long as two years, the Grecian Delight possesses a golden honey color and a blend of spices that evokes Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Subtle caramel first warms the palate, then gives way to a mélange of tart apple pie with vanilla ice cream mixed with lemon chiffon. Exceptional on its own, this gem will sparkle at holiday parties, making it the perfect host/hostess gift.
When asked about how she makes the Grecian Delight, Kafkalas shakes her head ‘no’ to express that the recipe is also a well-guarded secret … and for good reason. Much about Lazy Eye is reminiscent of speakeasy secrecy.
When complimented that her Raki is the Real McCoy, she knows the meaning: it’s “authentikos” in Greek. She smiles and adds “That’s who we are; we’re Greek.”
By MARC JOHNSON and MARLISA VINCIGUERRA/For the Star and Wave
