Four Seasons Hotel New York Teams Up with Prohibition Distillery for Exclusive Small Batch Gin

This spring, guests at Four Seasons Hotel New York will have the exciting opportunity to try a uniquely batched gin, made exclusively for Four Seasons Hotel New York in partnership with Prohibition Distillery, considered one of New York’s best distillers of fine American spirits.

Named Bootlegger Batch #0057, after the Hotel’s prestigious address, the gin batch created by Four Seasons Hotel New York possesses a citrus-forward flavour profile, with strong notes of orange peel that balance out the bold and pine-y flavours of juniper berries. Batch #0057 will be the last hand-corked and hand-bottled batch crafted at Prohibition Distillery, as the distillery will turn to focus on its automated bottling line to grow the production and distribution on spirits.

To create the exclusive batch, Executive Chef John Johnson and his team spent a day at Prohibition Distillery in upstate New York, where they received a hands-on crash course in making their own gin by working hand-in-hand with distillers on every step of the process. The team began with steeping aromatic sachets of orris root, lemon verbena, coriander and bitter orange with Prohibition Distillery’s Bootlegger 21 Vodka, made from 100 percent corn. Once the botanicals were soaked in the spirit, hand-crushed junipers were poured into the blend, and the mixture was left to steep for 24 hours, eventually producing a macerated yellow gin. Prohibition’s distiller, Brian Facquet, carried out the final steps of the process, distilling the spirit in a 300-gallon (1,100 litre) pot to remove all of the colour and to bind the flavours.

The collaboration is yet another sign of the commitment of Four Seasons Hotel New York to showcasing regional products of exceptional calibre at the Hotel. Chef John Johnson and his team work closely with local producers on a regular basis, and both the beverage and food program are reflective of their efforts to frequently source ingredients from as many neighbouring purveyors and producers as possible.

“We pride ourselves on forging close relationships with local producers as part of our food and beverage program,” says Chef Johnson. “Working at Four Seasons Hotel New York, we have the unique opportunity to step onto the grandest stage in the world every single day – and we’re excited that it also allows us to showcase the best of local and regional offerings to all our guests.”

Ty Bar will offer a limited supply of Bootlegger Batch #0057 from May 2016, with each bottle signed by the distiller. The special batch will only be served at Four Seasons Hotel New York. The Hotel is also be planning special offerings to celebrate World Gin Day on June 11, 2016.