HOOD RIVER — Last month, Clear Creek Distillers and Master Distiller Caitlin Bartlemay ventured out into the Mt. Hood Wilderness in search of their not-so-secret ingredient for their brandy: Pseudotsuga menziesii, more commonly known as the Douglas Fir. Bartlemay and about five other employees spent most of the day scouring 36,000 acres of forestland looking for the ripe Douglas Fir buds, and when all was said and done, the team handpicked about 70 pounds that will be used to craft one of their most unique spirits.
The idea for the Douglas Fir Brandy came from Clear Creek Distillery’s founder Steve McCarthy, who was inspired by the European cousin of the Douglas Fir: eau de vie de bourgeon de sapin — which literally translates to “fir bud brandy.” The French spirit is a wine brandy base that uses pine needles, but McCarthy wanted to take a more local, hands-on approach.
“With Douglas fir being the state tree, and certainly very prominent, it was an opportunity to really kind of take a take a leap of faith on that flavor and make something incredibly unique, but also our personal love letter to the Pacific Northwest,” Bartlemay said.
In collaboration with the Mt. Hood National Forest Service, Clear Creek is able to pick the Douglas Fir buds on their organic tree farm near the base of Mount Hood.
“We got a foraging permit, and we paid our foraging fee, and then they provided us with a map of where they would like us to pick and what the rules are,” Bartlemay said. She explained the buds are easy to pick and that the team has picked upwards of 100 pounds in the past, but this year, 70 pounds was all they needed. For Clear Creek employees, it is about as close as they can get to a field trip.
“We love Douglas Fir days. They are some of our more treasured days of the year,” Bartlemay said. “We go up there with buckets, sunscreen, hats, jackets, and share stories and laugh and just wander around the forest picking these wonderful Douglas Fir buds.”
Finding the right bud takes a careful approach. They have to monitor weather patterns and make sure the temperature isn’t too cold, or the buds won’t “break.” If it’s too hot, the buds could break too soon.
The Clear Creek Distillery Douglas Fir Brandy can be purchased online or at a local retailer. Use the online store locator to find one near you.
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“There’s usually about a five-day window when the buds are at the right maturity for us to pick them,” Bartlemay said. If the buds are too far along you would get a sappy, woody taste, and Bartlemay wants a more citrus flavor from the bright green buds.
Douglas Fir bud, or spring tips, are edible and known to be rich with Vitamin C and electrolytes. According to author Elise Krohn of the GoodGrub.org blog, “Coast Salish Peoples have used them as a snack or a tea to ward off hunger and thirst and to improve immunity.”
Clear Creek’s take on the French spirit includes essentially soaking the buds for six to 12 months in their neutral wine brandy. The light green color of the buds exudes into the wine brandy, giving an emerald green color. After steeping long enough, they will take the buds out and re-distill the spirit.
“The spirit itself is all-natural green chlorophyll from the Douglas Fir buds,” Bartlemay explained. “There’s no artificial flavors or coloring in our brandy.”
The distilling process is also a delicate practice.
“We have to make sure that the buds have stayed in the brandy long enough to pull all of the flavors, aromas, oils and color out of those buds before we pull them out,” she said.
That citrus flavor has attracted more and more happy customers.
“We continue to see increasing sales every year,” Bartlemay said. “As bartenders, mixologists and home cocktail aficionados discover its potential in cocktail glasses, whether it’s rinses and spritzes all the way down to a cocktail specifically designed around the flavor of the Douglas Fir brandy.”
An easy and very popular cocktail using the brandy is called a “Fir Smash,” which is one ounce of Douglas Fir brandy on ice, paired with club soda and a lime wedge.
Bartlemay said the drink is “really refreshing in the summertime, and it has kind of a gentle green hue to it as well.”
She also recommends the “Fir-Tini” which mixes Timberline Vodka, the Douglas Fir Brandy, and pancake syrup. Together, it should be shaken and served in a martini glass.
The Douglas Fir brandy retails for $49.99 and is available online at www.hrdspirits.com/clear-creek-distillery. Clear Creek products are distributed to 40 states across the United States and you can find the nearest carrier near you using their store locator on their website.
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