Sense of place comes from using all of the senses to create meaning and relationship between a person and a setting. When I travel, I enjoy wandering the streets, smelling the air, listening to the sounds of the city, dipping my hand in a cool fountain, and tasting local foods in addition to seeing the sights. Engaging a place by touch, smell, and taste creates a more vibrant memory.
JAZ Spirits’ tagline “take your cocktail to the forest” is an invitation into nature no matter where you are. Every spirit takes you to a different part of Oregon's woods. Verstovia Spruce Tip Vodka perches you in the wind blown tops of a coastal Sitka Spruce. Cold Tree Gin nestles you into the warm soft layers of an old growth forest floor. The Salal Berry Liqueur takes you to the understory of the deep dark woods. The newest product, Riverain, invites you to wander along the riverbank among the cottonwoods and Douglas fir.
You can enjoy our products anywhere, but I find a special joy in pairing them with a destination. Sipping a Verstovia Martini as I enjoy a plate of freshly shucked oysters at the coast, warming up with a Cold Tree Toddy after snowshoeing on Mt Hood, or taking a nip off a flask of a Salal Berry Manhattan as I clean wild mushrooms on the tailgate along a forest road connect me to that place on another level. I look forward to a hot summer day when we picnic on the banks of the upper Clackamas river with a chilled Riverain Negroni and my toes dangling in the current.
In Oregon we have one of the most geographically diverse states in the union. A range of coastlines, fertile valleys, dense forestland, mountains and volcanos, abundant lakes and rivers, high desert plateaus, and arid basins give us endless places to explore. Travel Oregon has a handy guide here: https://traveloregon.com/places-to-go/regions/ . Wherever you go, don't forget to pack a cocktail.
photos by Josh Chang of Foundry 503.