If you’re strolling through one of five farmers markets near Lansdale, chances are that next to the beets you’ll find some beet spirits or carrot spirits. Maybe even cranberry vodka or triple sec. Those fruit infused liquors are all from local distillery Boardroom Spirits.
“You’re out there at 9 a.m. offering samples, and you’re always going to have that guy that’s a little hesitant, to say, like, ‘No, no, no, it’s a little too early for me!’” says Marat Mamedov, co-owner of Boardroom. “But they generally loosen up around noon, like, ‘You know what, I will try a sample now.’”
Mamedov, his brother Vlad, and his wife Zsusza Palotas opened Boardroom Spirits in February 2016. From farmers’ markets to food truck nights, the liquor manufacturer has been making connections in the Lansdale area ever since.
Local farmers provide and process most of the grains, vegetables and fruits used in Boardroom’s drinks. Castle Valley Mill in Doylestown is among those farms, grinding corn and wheat from Bucks County for Boardroom’s bourbons.
“While the city can be appealing because you get a lot of foot traffic, we kind of wanted to work in the suburbs, because we can access farmers to get the freshest ingredients at peak harvest,” says Mamedov, who offers free tours of the distillery to demonstrate how the spirit-making process works.
The local process doesn’t end there. The produce then undergoes fermentation and distillation. Avoiding waste, Boardroom has partnered with a Quakertown farmer who uses the byproducts of brewing—whiskey grains and vegetable scraps—as livestock feed, Mamedov says.
Even then, the Lansdale love doesn’t stop. Boardroom holds Friends of Boardroom events every Thursday to show off the products of nearby breweries, wineries, and cideries. Friday nights in Lansdale transform into Foodie Fridays, with a rotating cast of food trucks parked outside the tasting room.
This summer, Boardroom Spirits will stay true to that strategy in a collaboration with Round Guys Brewing Company. Their co-created Sun Bear beer will launch Aug. 4, with sales partly profiting a bear conservation fund. They plan to make this part of a quarterly series of beers made by their Lansdale neighbors.
Other Boardroom launches to anticipate include three un-aged brandies in the fall: apple, Bartlett pear and Anjou pear. According to Mamedov, Frecon Farms in Boyertown provided 15 tons of apples for that particular brandy.
“The whole idea is to capture the experience of going to the tree, plucking that pear or apple out” and tasting the pure flavor, he says.
In every sip, you’ll taste a little bit of Lansdale, too. Boardroom Spirits wouldn’t have it any other way.
Boardroom Spirits’ Lansdale Lemonade
2 oz Boardroom Vodka
1 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Fresh Sliced Cucumber
Club Soda
Sliced Lemon
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled collins glass or mule mug and stir until well chilled. Garnish with fresh cucumber and lemon slice.
Boardroom Spirits, 575 W. Third St., Lansdale. 267-642-9961.