Our research into classic spirits like absinthe led us to a treasure trove of history, formulas and methods from a golden age of botanical liqueurs. Author after author from all over Europe spoke of a huge range of botanical spirits, most of which are now unknown. Many of these were made across Europe with each region tailoring a recipe to local tastes.

Distilling epicenters like Danzig and Breslau founded traditions of which only small remnants remain. We felt like we had discovered the first color of a rich vein of ore just waiting to be mined and refined into liqueur gold.

And so the Waterpocket® LONG LOST™ lab began to take form. We added a still just to have the flexibility to produce this kind of spirit in small batches. We purchased a rotovap to speed up the discovery and feedback process, allowing us to try numerous formulas on a small scale.

Soon after, a few gems began to emerge from the vials and jars at the distillery. These form the seeds of our LONG LOST™ series.

Each spirit requires a process of discovery where we ask ourselves…what is essential to this creation? What is a local preference vs. a general mandatory ingredient? What new creativity or adjustment can we make to get this just right for our 21st century connoisseur? The end result of this process is a surprising and delightful botanical spirit, with a pedigree going back perhaps centuries, but updated for a modern audience.

It may be based on unusual ingredients for a person who are used to juniper and gin, or  musk-mallow for Vespetro, wormwood for absinthe, caraway for Kümmel or Aquavit. Almost like a time machine for your taste buds…welcome to our LONG LOST™ series of spirits.