Bar Feature: Barr Hill Gin

Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

barr hill

Relationships are important in the restaurant industry. Quality restaurant owners and staff care about their relationships with all of their customers and they care about the relationships with all of their vendors. This is one of the reasons why it was such a pleasure getting to know Todd Hardie, one of the owners of Caledonia Spirits and Winery in Hardwick, Vermont. This relationship is particularly special because of how it formed. A very dear friend of mine, and a favorite customer of the entire M&D staff, Maria Reade, introduced my father to the winery’s name.


It is because of this introduction that a fantastic and unique hand crafted gin was added to M&D’s bar lineup some time ago. It has since gained a ton of popularity all over the east coast. The next time you are out, look for the bottles that are labeled by hand, it will be Barr Hill Gin, from Todd’s distillary and winery up in Vermont. What makes them so buzz worthy? The question holds a hint …

 
Todd has 47 years as a beekeeper under his belt. At one point in his career as a NYS commercial beekeeper he was working with 1,900 hives! His winery in Vermont now has several hives of its own but he can still rely on his 30+ year relationship with the NYS farmers for the honey he needs for his unique spirits.

 
That’s right. Todd sells both gin and vodka that have been graced with raw, never heated, honey. The vodka is made from honey wine and has a much softer taste and feel than what you may be used to. The gin is made from corn and finished with 5 percent honey and juniper berries. It is softer than your average gin but the honey and flower flavor are definitely present without being sweet. It even appeals to the non-gin drinker.

 
When I asked Todd how many restaurants he sells to, his answer was simple. He didn’t know.


“That doesn’t really matter to us. We like getting to know people and building relationships and then sharing our work with our new friends.” I like that. That numbers don’t matter, the people do.

 
It’s clear that relationships are important to Todd. At the time of our initial conversation, he was driving from the distillery/winery in Vermont all the way to Brooklyn at least three times a month to make deliveries. He loves the Hudson Valley area and says “bees have no boundaries.” So why should his delicious spirits?

 
There is so much more to learn about Todd, his family, and their business. Visit www.caledoniaspirits.com for more history and details. You’ll love what you see.

Football Snacks are the Real MVP

Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

If you want to talk football, I am not your girl. But if you want to talk football season snacks, then you’ve hit the jackpot.

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