Small-Town Wisconsin Liqueurs Hit the Big Time

barrels distillery

New spirits from Wisconsin’s Death Door Spirits are making waves across the country, according to the New York Times.

Death Door Spirits, a craft distillery renowned for its gin, vodka and un-aged whiskey, has introduced two “decidedly Wisconsin spirits” recently: an artisanal peppermint schnapps called Wondermint and rum-based cream liqueur called Kringle Cream. “Both are proudly provincial and, frankly, a tad downmarket,” writes Robert Simonson. Kringle Cream has been especially successful, selling 11,000 cases throughout the Midwest in just a few months. 

Brian Ellison, the founder of Death’s Door, brought Wondermint and Kringle Cream to Brian Bartels, a fellow Wisconsin native and the bar director of the Little Wisco, a restaurant group that owns both Fedora and Perla in downtown Manhattan. Fedora serves a cocktail called the Root Beer Butterfest Float with Kringle Cream, pairing the liqueur with Root liqueur, club soda and a Wisconsin-style Rice Krispie treats—inspired by Mr. Bartel’s mom. [New York Times] [Photo: Flickr/John Haslam]