“My brothers have always had a passion for distillation and spirits,” Alanna said. “One was a mixologist in Los Angeles and the other studied distillation.”
The two brothers approached their parents, Scott and Judy Hanson, about helping them launch the business of making craft vodka from grapes.
“My family dove in, and my other brother, Darren, got into the business as well,” Alanna said. “My parents were in the art industry and had galleries all over the world. We turned the gallery in Sausalito into a tasting room and art gallery.”
For their distillery in Sonoma, the family imported a custom-made pot and 50-plate column still from Germany, specifically designed to distill grape-based vodka. They harvest their grapes, ferment them into wine and then distill the wine. It’s a long and complicated process.
“We first run the wine through our traditional pot still, to remove the alcohol from the wine and to retain a bit of the sweetness from the grapes,“ Chris said. “We then distill it through our second pot still, with a Cognac-style head that promotes a reflux or recycling of the distillate that helps us retain the viscous mouthfeel.”
The alcohol is then run through a 50-plate column still, where it must pass through a separate chamber in each plate to make it to the next window.
“We run it through these columns for hours until we get to 96% alcohol,” Chris explained. “We then only take the cleanest part, or the “hearts “ of this distillate. This long, tedious process allows us to distill very high and to get an exceptionally clean vodka.”
Although organic grapes are much more expensive than the typical ingredients of vodka, such as grains and potatoes, the family feels the end product is worth the extra cost.
“The flavors are really subtle, but they really shine through,” Alanna said. “Then we use local fruits and vegetables and infuse them in the vodkas. … That real fruit infusion is not seen in our industry. ”
The distillery, which began as a wholesale business, sits adjacent to the Ceja Vineyards wine tasting room. Armando Ceja and his winemaker daughters, Belen and Ellie, help the Hanson family make their wine at their Heirs of My Dream Winery and Custom Crush facility, also adjacent to the distillery.
“We bring in our grapes and we use it to process our grapes,” Alanna said. “We start in early August, using all white grapes, and then we get out of there. It really works for both parties.”
Because their vodka is so unique, the family wanted to open tasting rooms to offer one-on-one experiences and share their passion.
“Every part of our product we try to do in a unique and different way,” Alanna said. “Our goal is to make a real craft vodka with unique infusions that are authentic.”
Chef Martin Riviera, who heads up the distillery’s culinary program, plans to roll out a tapas menu in April for a new pairing with the vodkas.
“He’s worked in all these incredible Michelin-starred restaurants and looks at food in a unique and different way,” Alanna said. “For us, being a spirit in Wine Country, it gives us unique opportunities to offer experiences with food and tastings, vodka and whiskey.”
“The Mandarin Greyhound is an absolutely delicious cocktail,” Alanna said. “We put it on the rocks, and it’s got three types of citrus — the Mandarin Vodka, grapefruit juice and Meyer lemon juice — and agave. It’s super-simple.”
Mandarin Greyhound
Makes 1 cocktail
1½ ounces Hanson Organic Mandarin Vodka
2 ounces fresh-squeezed organic grapefruit juice
½ ounce fresh-squeezed organic lemon juice
½ ounce organic agave nectar
Fresh organic grapefruit twist, for garnish
Build cocktail in the shaker filled with ice and shake.
Serve over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a twist of organic grapefruit.
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“The Save the Bees Knees … is like a traditional lemon drop, but it has a little more flavor,” Alanna said. “We use our Meyer Lemon Vodka, fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon juice and then chamomile-infused honey.”
Save the Bees Knees
Makes 1 cocktail
2 ounces Hanson Organic Meyer Lemon Vodka
¾ ounce fresh-squeezed organic Meyer lemon juice
½ ounce camomile-infused honey (see note below)
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with camomile.
Note: To make the camomile-infused honey, combine 2 ounces of dried camomile blossoms into one part hot water and one part local honey. Let cool.
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“This one has habañero vodka, lime, agave and pink hibiscus salt on the rim,” Alanna said. “That’s a play on a margarita.”
Vodka-Rita
Makes 1 cocktail
1½ ounces Hanson Organic Habañero Vodka
1 ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce agave nectar
Hibiscus salt, for rim
Rim a margarita glass with hibiscus salt.
Add Habañero Vodka, lime juice and agave to a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice in the glass.
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This cocktail is inspired by the classic vodka gimlet, a perfect combination of sour and sweet.
Cucumber Gimlet
Makes 1 cocktail
1½ ounces Hanson Organic Cucumber Vodka
1 ounce fresh-squeezed organic lime juice
½ ounce organic agave nectar
Fresh organic cucumber wheel, as garnish
Build cocktail in a shaker filled with ice and shake.
Strain into a Nick and Nora martini glass (served up) or a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a cucumber wheel.
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“We do the Original Vodka, which has a little bit of smoothness, and we add olive juice to heighten the smoothness and two olives,” Alanna said of the Hanson Martini. “Some people like to add white vermouth. … That’s the way I like it.”
Trincheri Vermouth is made in St. Helena. You can find it at Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa.
Hanson Dirty Martini
Makes 1 cocktail
2½ ounces Hanson Organic Original Vodka
½ ounce Trincheri Dry Vermouth
½ ounce organic olive juice
Two organic castelvetrano olives, for garnish
Chill martini glass.
Add ingredients in a mixing glass over ice. Stir and strain. Garnish with two organic castelvetrano olives.
Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56
Diane Peterson
Features, The Press Democrat
I’m interested in the home kitchen, from sheet-pan suppers to the latest food trends. Food encompasses the world, its many cultures, languages and history. It is both essential and sensual. I also have my fingers on the pulse of classical music in Sonoma County, from student mariachi bands to jazz crossover and symphonic sounds. It’s all a rich gumbo, redolent of the many cultures that make up our country and the world.