Filtering by Tag: Vodka,Swyft Kent

Cylinder Vodka: A Spirited Journey of Passion and Tenacity

Features Ingredients Cocktails Local Artisan Vodka Distillery

Khalid Williams August 09, 2023

Crafted by a bartender with the industry in mind, Cylinder is what the Vodka Renaissance is all about- honestly produced spirits making thoughtfully crafted cocktails.

NEWS FLASH-We are in the midst of a vodka renaissance. Ironically, the most popular and highly consumed spirit in America has been ignored and sometimes dissed by bartenders. Ask a bartender what they're favorite vodka flavor is, and in past years you would get a wry smile and a one word response: "Gin."A New Day

Our cocktail revolution has now shined its creative light on vodka. Straight, non flavored spirit that's defined as "odorless, colorless and tasteless" has always been anything but, and skilled mixologists are using it as a canvas to allow complex flavor combinations shine. This is huge-it provides an entry point for all drinkers to get into thoughtfully produced cocktails and gives bartenders more freedom to get wonderfully weird.

Swyft Revisited: Tavern Fare, Fine Dining, and What's Up with Ore Hill

Features Interview Restaurant Swyft Kent Swyft Kent Pizza burgers Homepage Fine Dining Ore Hill

Andrew Dominick April 29, 2022

So much has changed since we last covered Swyft’s modern tavern concept located on Kent’s main drag.

Like most restaurants, Swyft had to deal with pandemic restrictions. But unlike most restaurants, they had to get up off the mat three more times. Lauded chef and partner Joel Viehland parted ways with Swyft around the time COVID shutdowns hit Connecticut.

Mere weeks after Viehland’s exit, Swyft’s owner, philanthropist Anne Bass, sadly passed away on April 1, 2020, after a battle with ovarian cancer.

And if that wasn’t enough, dynamo pastry chef Anthony D’Amelio went off to pursue other goals sometime last year.

We know, that’s a lot to take in.

According to Allison Mitchell—who’s essentially Swyft’s Swiss Army Knife as she handles social media, does photography, coordinates events, waits tables, bartends, and somehow fits in marketing duties—Swyft went through a “huge overhaul.”

Fourth & Pride Vodka: Founded in CT, In Support of the LGBTQ+ Community

Features Liquor Spirits Vodka Specialty Products Cocktails Local Artisan

Stephanie Webster January 27, 2021

There’s a new vodka in town, and before you say, “they all taste the same,” get ready for something a little different. The brand is Fourth & Pride, and it was founded by John Edelman (former CEO of Design Within Reach), and his partners, Douglas Slayton and Jesse Weinberg, in recognition of the spirit, vitality, and camaraderie of the famous East Village pride bars and their patrons. What does this tasty new vodka brand have to do with Connecticut? The CEO lives right here in Westport, and with Edelman’s background in high design, this brand has some serious swagger. Plus, if you need another great reason to go forth and score yourself a bottle, Fourth & Pride donates 5% of all sales to charities in support of the LGBTQ+ community and may just be the smoothest vodka you’ve ever tasted.