*Made in NC is a series that showcases North Carolina artisans who make exceptional products. This is not a sponsored post, and all of the opinions here are my own.
It’s been quite awhile since I had a Made in NC feature on the blog, but I’m SO EXCITED about starting it back up again today with an incredible feature.
This Made in NC product, while perfect to be used throughout the year, is especially handy within the summer partying/drinking around the pool or yard months.
I first discovered Crude Bitters & Sodas when I purchased their Rizzo bitters (grapefruit, peppercorn and rosemary) at a local market of sorts in Durham, NC. Since then, I’ve been hooked on their unique flavors.
My husband and I also recently discovered that Craig, the guy you’re about to meet behind Crude, gives cocktail classes at his shop in Raleigh every few weeks to share his wonderful bitters, along with some of the best cocktails (and drink tips and historical accounts) that I’ve ever had. In fact, his bitters are now in 22 states across the country, and his products have even won a Good Food Award and a Southern Living Food Award!
So, without further ado, I hope you can get to know Craig and Crude a little bit better, and see how you can win some bitters for yourself at the bottom of the post!
*Product photos (except for the last one) taken by Stacey Sprenz Photography.
Here are 5 questions that I asked Craig about Crude Bitters & Sodas:
1. How did Crude Bitters & Sodas get started?
My wife, Lindsay, and I started making our own syrups and mixers at home to get away from using store bought or any mixer with high fructose corn syrup. I was running the bar at Little Hen restaurant in Holly Springs at the time, and I started using their kitchen to craft more exotic flavors. Cocktails and bitters were always an interest for me, and I just flowed right into the production of those. Early on, the regulars at the Little Hen bar were my guinea pigs. 🙂
2. Why bitters (and shrubs), and how did you come up with the name?
I chose the name “Crude” because of the crude and rudimentary origins of bitters. Their history dates back more than 200 years and were first made without regulation or knowledge of the plants, herbs and botanicals used to make them. They have morphed from a crude ingredient and cure-all to an addition to craft artisanal cocktails. That was my (over) thinking. My beautiful and intelligent wife also pointed out that my name is Craig Rudewicz.
Even though bitters arrive in small bottles and are only used by the dash and drop, they are an extremely important part of a cocktail. I liked the idea of something so small and potent having an equal affect as other ingredients.
Farmers would make shrubs to preserve fruit that wasn’t sold at the market. A simple mix of fresh fruit, sugar and vinegar, the flavor would be preserved and the resulting syrup mixed with water. Shrubs came into the Crude fold because I had a secret desire to trick people into drinking vinegar. I love the acidity of vinegar, especially in cocktails, and shrubs (or drinking vinegars as they’re sometimes called) are a great way to add sweetness and tartness. Plus, vinegar is thirst quenching and very refreshing.
3. What does the process of making bitters and/or a shrub look like?
Both bitters and shrubs use a maceration process to extract flavor. Bitters take fresh herbs, botanicals and spices and macerate them in a high proof alcohol. A batch of bitters usually takes about 2 months from start to finish. The high proof alcohol allows for a clean extraction of aroma and flavor and produces a very potent product, which is why only a few drops are used in a drink.
Shrubs are produced in a similar way, with vinegar instead of alcohol. Fruit and sugar are macerated in vinegar for 1-2 weeks until a syrup is formed.
4. Where do you find inspiration for the flavors?
When experimenting with a bitters flavor, I start with what base spirit I’d like to use it with in a cocktail. For example, our “Rizzo” bitters are a blend of rosemary, grapefruit and peppercorn. Those flavors and aromas pair well with lighter spirits like gin and tequila. Our “Big Bear” coffee and cocoa flavor is best with rums, bourbons and whiskeys.
5. What is your favorite or go-to cocktail to make with your products?
My favorite cocktail is the Negroni, which is a classic cocktail made with equal parts of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. All three of those ingredients have an incredible amount of flavor and pair very well with bitters. My favorites with a Negroni are the Rizzo, Pooter or Sycophant.
(P.S. Craig has Negroni cocktail classes with chocolate tastings coming up in a few weeks!)
Tiki Two-Two Giveaway
Craig is giving away one of his newest bitters, Tiki Two-Two with roasted pineapple and vanilla, to one lucky think fruitful reader. I can tell you from experience that these bitters make any drink delicious, especially a tiki drink!
Comment with your all-time favorite cocktail below by Friday, June 3 to enter to win!
You can keep up with Crude Bitters & Sodas by following them on:
- Crudebitters.com (explore for fabulous cocktail recipes, then sign up for their mailing list)
- Eventbrite