Category: Drinks

Citi Open 2019: That’s a Wrap

Last modified: August 16, 2019

As the Official Vodka and American Whiskey of the 2019 Citi Open – one of DC’s biggest sporting events – our tennis tournament week was packed full of festivities: from our popular kickoff event and tasty spirits to lively tastings and some friendly competition that extended beyond the courts of the Rock Creek Tennis Center.  

In addition to serving our tasty craft cocktails to guests all week long, we hosted a Founding Spirits Cocktail Clash, giving six of DC’s top bartenders the challenge of mixing their most delicious Highball using any of our Founding Spirits. 

  • Roger Molina, Farmers & Distillers, introduced the Ace Highball, his take on a classic Aperol Spritz, made with Founding Spirits Vodka, lemon, mint, club soda, and Aperol. 
  • Christine Kim, Service Bar, played with fresh peaches and Founding Spirits Vodka in her Game-Set-Peach cocktail.
  • Frank Mills, Roy Boys, was definitely the star of the {Boomerang} show with his charismatic shake making the rounds on Instagram. His Love & Match-rimoney Highball, made with Founding Spirits Vodka, grapefruit, and florals, was packed full of just as much punch.
  • Andra Johnson, Serenata, mixed up her It’s All Love cocktail, with a choice of Founding Spirits Vodka or our Founding Spirits American Whiskey blended with flavors everyone seemed to love, including: strawberry, banana, pomegranate, ginger, and walnut, to name a few. 
  • Eric King, 100 Proof Strategies, came in strong with his Brown Derby Energy, mixing Founding Spirits American Whiskey with a spiced grapefruit syrup that was understated, yet full of flavor.  
  • Jo-Jo Valenzuela, The Game DC, came in HOT with his spiced mango soda and Thai basil-infused Tangdang Soda, mixed with a choice of Founding Spirits Vodka or our American Whiskey. This drink was on fire during the competition, and Jo-Jo ended up taking home a well-deserved “W” this year. 

Each bartender absolutely killed it, and we’re grateful for their participation in what we hope will become an annual event. Another huge shout out to all the event goers who stopped by our tasting booths at Citigold and outside Market Square. 

Now that the tournament is over but summer is still heating up our streets, we look forward to continuing to toast all things DC and seeing many of you out at our distillery, located at 600 Massachusetts Ave, just inside Farmers & Distillers. Stop by for a cocktail or a tour, grab a bottle to take home, or place your order for delivery online.

Sippin’ On Founding Spirits at the RAMMYS

Last modified: January 17, 2020

Last night was filled with exciting festivities and celebrations at the 37th annual Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s biggest event of the year – the RAMMYS. Founding Spirits was happy to serve as event bar sponsor while supporting our town’s best restaurant industry revelry and awards ceremony.

Each year, RAMMY goers don their finest party formalwear to celebrate the best of the best on DC’s restaurant scene. This year’s event gala was held at the Walter E. Reed Convention Center, just blocks from our award-winning Founding Spirits distillery in downtown DC.   

Founding Spirits Distillery Director Jon Arroyo, Vice President Clyde Davis, Jr. and their team were on hand to share Founding Spirits with gala guests and celebrate a great year of exceptional talent and creativity, industry growth, and delicious food and drink. 

We were delighted to serve up two specially-crafted cocktails, made just for the evening’s festivities. Our:

These tennis-themed craft cocktail names have significance for our team, as: Founding Spirits has been named the OFFICIAL VODKA and the OFFICIAL WHISKEY of the Citi Open! 

If you weren’t able to make it to this year’s RAMMYS, come join us at the Citi Open, in DC’s Rock Creek Park Tennis Center from July 27 – August 4, for a chance to get a taste of these refreshing summer cocktails and all of our spirits, including our award-winning Founding Spirits Vodka.

Stay tuned to Founding Spirits on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more details. 

Tiki by the Sea, Jersey Shore Style

Last modified: July 19, 2021

Our Founding Spirits dynamic trio, Jon Arroyo, Bob VanLancker, and the newest member of our FS team, Clyde Davis, Jr. have been spending some quality time over the past two weeks at the Jersey Shore with other mixologists, bartenders, and Tiki connoisseurs from around the globe.

This summer’s Tiki by The Sea in Wildwood, NJ was held over two weekends (June 9-11 and June 16-18). Our crew spent their days filled with Tiki learning, swapping trade secrets and Tiki tips, and learning about the ancient Polynesian Tiki culture and the history of Tiki bars.  

Founding Spirits Distillery Director, Jon Arroyo, presented “The Magic of the Frozen Cocktail” to a packed house, sharing what makes a great Tiki cocktail across our restaurants. For us, it often starts with our very own award-winning small-batch spirits, which we had on hand for everyone to taste in some of our magic frozen cocktails.

Even though our Tikis are most well-known at Farmers Fishers Bakers, we have plenty of Tiki-inspired cocktails right next to our distillery, at the bar at Farmers & Distillers restaurant.

So, let our distillery team’s field trip to the Jersey Shore serve as a reminder – the sun is shining, the temperatures are rising, and Tiki season is here. 

Stop by our bar and get a taste of all the magic that is the Tiki cocktail. Also check out our Weekend Tiki Patio at Farmers Fishers Bakers set right on Georgetown’s Waterfront at the Washington Harbour. It is the perfect setting for some Tiki fun every weekend, all summer long. We’ll have Tiki classics, a great mix of blended drinks, and you can even get a taste of our deliciously perfected, The Margarita 2019

Tiki by the Sea is a trade-focused educational and immersive cultural experience into the culture, spirits, and drinks of the Tiki era. It is held in Wildwood, NJ in June and Fregene, Italy in September.

Celebrating Derby Day with Our FS American Whiskey

Last modified: January 17, 2020

America’s Greatest Race is coming to Founding Spirits. In spirit anyway. 

Join us April 29th through May 5th, as our Farmers & Distillers in-house distillery team celebrates derby day our way for another year of this American tradition. 

Sure, we love the hats, the horses, and the pomp and circumstance of the Kentucky Derby, but we’ve got to be honest… for our distillery team… it’s really all about the booze.

During derby season, that means our pot stilled, barrel aged, award-winning Founding Spirits American Whiskey.

Aged to perfection, our FS American Whiskey is rich and smooth, with an earthy taste that creates the perfect spirit to craft our cocktails, or feel free to sip our American whiskey all on its own. We serve it neat or over hand-cut ice.

If Julep’s aren’t your thing, we have you covered. Our bar menu features a great selection of handcrafted whiskey cocktails and tastes to temp you.

Come in and see us during derby season. We’ll be here to serve you. Stop by on May 3rd from 5pm-7pm for our Open House with a mini tour of our distillery to get a behind the scenes look at how we craft our proprietary spirits. 

Find our Founding Spirits American Whiskey for purchase at our bar or online on our website, to enjoy at home long after derby season has left the gate. All derby week long, you will receive 10% off your Founding Spirits American Whiskey bottle purchase and a complimentary Founding Spirits copper Julep cup, while supplies last. 

Move Over Chocolates. Love on Your Valentine with the Bittersweet Taste of Our Amaro

Last modified: July 19, 2021

With Valentine’s Day just days away, get creative and break free from the traditional box of chocolates… give your love the bittersweet goodness of our limited edition Founding Spirits American Amaro.

This micro-batch amaro is a very special version of our quadruple award-winner that is distilled with honey from our very own urban apiary atop a building within the downtown DC campus of The George Washington University.

Delicious on its own or blended within an Amaro Daiquiri or Negroni Swizzle, our amaro makes for an unusually sweet and thoughtful gift. A perfect valentine.

Stop by Farmers & Distillers and pick up a bottle of our amaro today. We are sure it will wow your love more than chocolates ever could.

A Very Merry Christmas with Our Founding Spirits Eggnog

Last modified: July 22, 2021

Try our delicious Christmas Eggnog featuring our four-time award-winning Founding Spirits American Amaro and Founding Spirits American Whiskey.

Stop by Farmers & Distillers on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, get a glimpse of our functioning in-house distillery Founding Spirits, and a taste of our scratch-made Christmas Eggnog. You can enjoy a glass in house or take home your very own hand-prepared bottle along with the necessary spirits to make this festive, holiday classic at home.

Our Christmas Eggnog is a delicious mix of pasteurized eggs, cream, milk, sugar, our special spice blend, and a bit of vanilla extract. It will be ready for pick up Christmas Eve or Christmas day for purchase. The spirits are also available for purchase at Farmers & Distillers.

Bring home these festive and delicious ingredients to make your own Eggnog with this recipe straight from our expert bar & distillery team:

Farmers & Distillers Christmas Eggnog, Featuring our Founding Spirits:

.75 oz FS American Amaro

.75 oz FS American Whiskey

3-4 oz F&D prepared Christmas Eggnog

You will love our take on the traditional tune of this We Wish You A Merry Christmas cocktail classic, as the bitter notes from the amaro and the high proof of the whiskey cut the sweetness and make for a light, delicious holiday treat. We think it’s the best Christmas cocktail in town. Merry Merry to you & all of yours.

The Perfect Christmas Cocktail Recipe

Last modified: January 17, 2020

Looking for great holiday cocktail ideas to try on your own? Look no further. Founding Spirits has plenty of holiday drink ideas beginning with a quintessential Christmas cocktail classic: the Hot Toddy. As the winter chill makes its way into the DMV, what better way to heat you & yours up than a special Christmas drink in the comforts of your own home.

Founding Spirits is happy to share one of our Farmers & Distillers favorite holiday drink recipes.

Hot Toddy

In a warm teacup or coffee mug, add:

Top off with your favorite tea. We recommend a breakfast-style tea. Garnish with some fresh lemon zest, or lemon slice, and a cinnamon stick.

This easy Christmas cocktail recipe is all yours to enjoy.

Invite some friends over for Christmas drinks, even swap Christmas drink recipes. There are so many great holiday cocktails, but we are pretty sure our Hot Toddy will be a crowd pleaser, especially if you make it with our very own Founding Spirits American Whiskey. Order it online. Or pick up a bottle downtown at Farmers & Distillers. If you are feeling particularly festive, we are selling Founding Spirit gift boxes at our Mt Vernon Square restaurant. We think they are a fantastic gift idea for any spirit lover, especially with our Hot Toddy recipe handwritten on a holiday card.

Christmas cocktails are a great way to celebrate the season.

Keep it cozy this Christmas with Founding Spirits at home using our holiday drink recipe. Or, if you would prefer to have it made for you, stop by any of our restaurants – Founding Farmers, Farmers Fishers Bakers, or Farmers & Distillers – and enjoy our Hot Toddy or any of our tasty winter cocktails.

Give the Gift of Founding Spirits

Last modified: July 22, 2021

Need a special gift this holiday season? Hoping to show up to that holiday party with something gracious and different? Want to impress your new boss or your in-laws?

At Founding Spirits, we have put together some very special holiday gifts this season: holiday boxes of our award-winning spirits. Choose from three different gift boxes – or pick up all three:

Founding Spirits American Amaro Gift Box

Founding Spirits Vodka Gift Box

Founding Spirits American Whiskey Gift Box

Founding Spirits gift boxes are only available at Farmers & Distillers. Stop by for a drink or a meal and pick up your holiday gifts. We are open every day throughout the holiday season.

If you can’t get to Farmers & Distillers, you can also order our individual spirits online, and they can be shipped across the country. Currently we are offering a very special edition of our quadruple award-winning amaro made with honey from our apiary atop George Washington University.

If you need additional gifts, we have other options. The Founding Farmers Cookbook, which is sure to make the chefs in your life happy, is also available for purchase online. Add one of our restaurant gift cards to create a great, personalized gift package.

At Farmers Restaurant Group, we have many ways to bring you & yours cheer this holiday season. Skip the Black Friday mayhem and seasonal angst, and get your holiday gifts from us. Check out our online holiday guide for celebrating your upcoming festivities with us, from gifts to feasts To Go, let us help you make this holiday season a little bit easier.

Founding Spirits Releases Limited Edition American Amaro

Last modified: July 22, 2021

Founding Spirits just released a special batch of our quadruple award-winning amaro, which uses honey from an apiary we support atop The George Washington University in downtown Washington, D.C.

Our GW Limited Edition Founding Spirits American Amaro can be purchased online for a limited time, while supplies last.

Distillery Director, Jon Arroyo, was inspired by our very special partnership with The George Washington University Undergraduate Honey Bee Research Laboratory and Apiary. Partners for over five years, this past spring, we helped install six new hives, and just this fall, we helped harvest the honey used in this special, limited edition amaro.

Our new amaro is just another way that we are celebrating our love for honey bees. At Founding Spirits, and across Farmers Restaurant Group, we are always looking for ways to honor the honey bee and educate people on their importance to the diversity of our food supply.

Our GW Limited Edition Founding Spirits American Amaro is one tasty way that you can enjoy our efforts.

Get Your Cocktail On with Founding Spirits

Last modified: July 22, 2021

Find our Founding Spirits front and center for this year’s annual DC Cocktail Week celebrations across our Farmers Restaurant Group of restaurants.

From Monday, November 12th – Sunday, November 18th, our teams at Founding Farmers DC, Farmers Fishers Bakers, and Farmers & Distillers will be participating, along with 60 other local area restaurant and bar teams, in DC Cocktail Week, a weeklong celebration of DC’s dynamic bartenders, mixologists, and bar and beverage teams from across our region.

Our teams have been working hard to create offerings of our scratch-made goodness to highlight what sets DC Cocktail Week apart – celebrating not only the art of creating delicious, handcrafted cocktails, but the nearly divine pairing of the perfect cocktail with the perfect bite. All for $15. Now that’s worth a special week of celebration.

Find our handcrafted Bridgetown Sour cocktail, featuring Founding Spirits Vodka, perfectly paired with our delicious Chips & Dips served with fresh guacamole, salsa, pimento cheese, and corn tortillas at Founding Farmers DC. At Farmers & Distillers, you’ll find our scratch-made, Savory Beignet paired with our handcrafted The American cocktail. This modern spin on traditional Irish Coffee, is served hot or cold, and features our very own, pot-stilled and barrel-aged Founding Spirits American Whiskey with an amaro cream finish. At Farmers Fishers Bakers, our team has our handcrafted Negroni Spritzer, made with Founding Spirits American Amaro, paired with a much-loved guest favorite, our Margarita Pizza.

Join us at these sibling restaurants during DC Cocktail Week for a taste of all that Founding Spirits has to offer.

Order our spirits online to get the same great taste at home or for the perfect holiday gift. Friends, colleagues, and family members will love the fine spirits we’re distilling.