Here we present several members of the pine family. Above is Clear Creek Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir. It is made in Portland, Oregon. Clear Creek explains how it’s made:
Inspired by an obscure Alsatian distillate called Eau de Vie de Bourgeons de Sapin, Steve McCarthy worked on developing the perfect Oregon version of a tree spirit, an Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir, for ten years. This eau de vie is made from an infusion of the springtime buds of Douglas fir picked by hand into clear brandy which is then re-distilled and re-infused with more buds. Finally it is strained and bottled. The green color and complex fresh flavor are from the Douglas Fir buds. No artificial colors or flavors are added.
Mandrin, by contrast, is a malt beverage made in France, and “brewed with Pine Needles.” A third example is Zirbenz, the Stone Pine Liqueur of the Alps. The Zirbenz website has a lot of surprising information about the stone pine — the “Agave of the Alps”:
the Arolla Stone Pine can withstand temperature extremes down to minus 40 Celsius. … the tree may take over thirty years before producing fruit, and thereafter has a harvest cycle of five to seven years. In the interest of conservation and future harvests, only 10-20% of each tree’s fruit is picked, and by law only in Steiermark and Carinthia.
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