The Tasting Panel magazine

May 2011

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BRAND SPOTLIGHT Clean Sweep C story and photos by Andrew Faulkner lean is David Racicot’s favorite word when describing his Thatcher’s Organic Artisan Liqueurs. “Clean ingredients like this are very easy and confident tools for a mixologist to use without cluttering a cocktail with emulsifiers and heavy additives,” says Racicot. “Think about a fine food experience. You want to enjoy each ingredient. You want to enjoy your next bite without your last bite being there.” Racicot founded Thatcher’s Organic three years ago after leaving Skyy Vodka, where he was Vice President of Marketing. He spent the first year sourcing the organic ingredi- ents for his liqueurs. The next year was spent on production and perfecting the recipes. And this year, he is spreading the word about his USDA-certified organic liqueurs. At Sauce in San Francisco, a restaurant that features six of Thatcher’s 11 flavors, Racicot holds up a bottle of the Coffeehouse liqueur. “Look how dark that is,” he said. No light penetrates the liquid in the bottle. “That color is pure coffee bean; no caramel or colors are added. I can’t, because I’m organic.” Racicot soaks the coffee beans in the spirits for several weeks, slowly extracting the flavor David Racicot, founder of Thatcher’s Organic Artisan Liqueurs, photographed at RN74, Michael Mina’s Burgundy-themed winebar bistro in San Francisco. until it achieves the taste of a perfectly-brewed cup, clean and not acidic, with a little sugar on the back end. His other flavors include Blood Orange, Pomegranate, Elderflower, Cucumber, Tres Chiles, Chipotle, Blueberry, Dark Chocolate, Apple Spice Ginger and Yumberry. The Yumberry is indigenous to China and Southeast Asia and has a taste that sits between raspberry and strawberry. Racicot says it makes a lovely Margarita. When added to Prosecco, it makes a spritzer he calls a Yummy Mommy. “Yumberry with saké is also a perfect compliment for sushi.” he adds. At RN74, one of Chef Michael Mina’s San Francisco hotspots, Racicot pours a little of Apple Spiced Ginger liqueur, which is made from organic Gala apples in a proprietary recipe based his family’s spiced cider. The ginger is sliced very thin in a deli slicer and dissolves quickly when introduced into the liqueur. “We add the ginger at the last minute,” he said. “Then we bottle it right away to preserve the aromatics, or it would drift away.” Ginger is prominent in the nose, along with estery impressions of apples, bananas and pie spices, all of which carry through to the palate in an apple-pie flavor that is sweet but not cloying. When Racicot is not making liqueur, he’s busy saving the planet. He incorporates a triple-bottom-line approach of environmental stewardship, collective profitability and charity. Thatcher’s is a member of One Percent for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that pledge one percent of their sales for environmental causes worldwide. As Racicot puts it, “We are part of a group of companies that believe very passionately in a certain way.” Contact your Beam Global Spirits & Wine rep for more info. THATCHER’S ORGANIC ARTISAN LIquEuRS USHER IN A REfRESHING CHANGE IN COCKTAILS

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