Matchbook Distilling, Daytrip Strawberry Amaro 187ml

Strawberry Amaro, 19% ABV

Long Island, New York, USA

North Fork Strawberry Wine & North Fork Strawberry Wine Eau de Vie with nettle, quassia, jasmine, rose, and nutmeg fruit. Serve on the rocks, or with a splash of soda and a bright citrus slice!

The story of Daytrip begins with the Mattituck Lions Strawberry Festival - a local carnival devoted to all things strawberry. One year, some 2 tons of strawberries were somehow leftover and, it seemed, destined for the compost pile. Our friend Joey, a Mattituck Lion and the manager of his family’s vineyard, rescued the strawberries and brought us a big tote of strawberry wine. We distilled 100 gallons into a strawberry eau de vie and added it back into the wine with a whole mess of vibrant botanicals. Nettle, quassia, jasmine, rose, nutmeg fruit… leaving that to macerate for a few months before filtering, sweetening and bottling. We thought we were making a Strawberry Vermouth -- the first in a whole series of fruit vermouths we'd release -- that is before the government insisted any vermouth be made from wine grapes. With that, a quick pivot, a detour, a Daytrip Strawberry Amaro was born.

Some aperitifs come together in this holistic way where its hard to pick out the various ingredients -- others allow their constituent parts to shine. Daytrip is the latter for me -- strawberry is front and center stage, with the woody and bitter flavors of the quassia quickly following up. Some green notes from the nettle, perfume notes from the florals. it represents, to me, a drive through the North Fork, past the vineyards and the fields of flowers and the peaceful waters punctuated with dramatic rock formations. Daytrip is ushering in the warmer months and the summer celebrations that will soon crown the seasons Strawberry Queen.

Matchbook Distilling Co. is known for its experimental, ingredient-driven approach to spirits production. Matchbook is the brainchild of distiller Leslie Merinoff-Kwasnieski. She and her team produce an immensely diverse set of spirits built around the abundant produce of their local farmers. Founded with a focus on culinary technique and transparency in sourcing, Matchbook works directly with farmers, foragers, and producers to build spirits from raw agricultural ingredients. Located on the North Fork of Long Island, Matchbook operates as both a distillery and research-driven beverage lab, producing a diverse portfolio that includes gin, amaro, aperitifs, and specialty botanical spirits. “We think healthy, live soil produces the healthiest ingredients - and the healthiest ingredients produce the best flavor. We find endless inspiration in the history of how people have regarded spices, herbs, fruits, minerals - at once medicine, nourishment, perfume and flavor.”