Zero Proof Tasting and Mocktails With Wilderton at Zuckercreme on Saturday

Photo credit: Another Believer via a Creative Commons license

As someone who loves cocktails but doesn’t drink alcohol, zero proof drinks/dry cocktails/mocktails are pretty exciting. And I’m glad to see them getting more attention—most notably in this area of drinking is the fully dry cocktail bar Suckerpunch that recently opened in Portland. So you can imagine how happy I was to see that this weekend Montavilla’s Zuckercreme is hosting an event featuring mocktails made with Wilderton spirits—locally-made and alcohol-free.

About Wilderton

Wilderton was founded by liquor industry veteran Brad Whiting and distiller Seth O’Malley. After much time spent working in the realm of traditional spirits, they wanted to bring their extensive knowledge, skill, and creativity to the world of non-alcoholic sprits. Brad “longed for drink options that would celebrate the complexity and experience of a traditional spirit but that paired better with an active lifestyle.” Seth “had a passion for botanicals and was feeling constrained by the limited ﬂavors celebrated in spirits.” Together they have created a dry spirit they both love and respect, and that is Wilderton.

Their process is described on their website: “Beginning with bundles of carefully chosen raw botanicals, our small batches are patiently brewed to extract their ﬂavors and aromas. Then, using a process known as vacuum distillation, we use a Spinning Cone Column still to focus the power of gentle heat to reﬁne and intensify the combined essences of these raw botanicals without alcohol ever being introduced or removed.”

Currently Wilderton produces two dry sprits: Earthen and Lustre. Ingredients and descriptions from their website:

Earthen: White peppercorn, pine-smoked tea and cardamom combine for notes of exotic spices, wood, and smoke. Robust, sultry, and warm with a lingering finish.
Lustre: Bitter orange, tarragon, and lavender combine for citrus, herbaceous, and ﬂoral notes. Bright, tangy, and lush with a long-lasting ﬁnish.

Zuckercreme + Wilderton

On Saturday, March 26, Zuckercreme—a coffee shop, a market featuring locally-made products, a pastry shop, and an event space all in one place—will host Wilderton for a tasting event. This is also an opportunity for Zuckercreme to present their new spring mocktail menu (shop offerings change with the season). Brittany Sigal, owner and curator at Zuckercreme, is pretty excited about the event.

She told me that she first encountered Wilderton while at her and her husband’s anniversary dinner at Le Pigeon, where there is a whole non-alcoholic drink pairing option with the chef’s tasting menu. One of those drinks was made with Wilderton spirits and she was seriously impressed. So she reached out to them about collaborating on a possible tasting event and they were game. She also explained, “Wilderton’s botanical theme also fits in with the current theme of our shop, which is everything spring.” Plus it supports one of their main goals of highlighting local Oregon-made products (Wilderton is based in Hood River).

I could not resist asking her more about her interest in zero proof drinks. “I’ll preface by saying I love soda, and I’ll order a Shirley Temple anywhere that will make it for me,” she said. “So naturally ‘dry cocktails’ is by design a fancy soda for adults, so sign me up!”

She continued, “However, dry cocktails end up being something that feels much different than a soda—something strong enough you need to sip, lots of play with vinegar and food and bitters and flower infusions (my favorite), and typically not as sweet. I love vinegar and floral notes, so I’m naturally drawn to anything made with shrubs and botanicals.”

More on Saturday’s Event

At the event, which runs from 4pm to 7pm, you’ll get a chance to taste both Wilderton spirits (Earthen and Lustre), ask the reps questions, enjoy a series of cocktails made from Wilderton dry spirits, and buy bottles to take home. They are giving away a free bottle (anyone who purchases a beverage made with Wilderton and signs up for Zuckercreme’s email list will be entered to win), so that’s pretty sweet.

So what can we expect with these mocktails on Saturday? I asked Brittany for more info on them and she gave me some enticing hints: “We’re doing lots of recipe testing this week, you’ll just have to be surprised!” she exclaimed. “You’ll definitely see menu items inspired by spring that may include butterfly pea flowers, bright citrus, the color pink, maybe some freshly juiced carrots.”

So head to Zuckercreme this Saturday afternoon/evening for some promising zero proof cocktails, check out the offerings at the shop and enjoy time mingling with your neighbors and fellow mocktail lovers in beautiful Montavilla. Hope to see you there!

Wilderton at Zuckercreme—a Spring Tasting
Saturday, March 26, 2022
4-7pm
414 SE 81st Avenue, Portland
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