When I say ‘gin’, what do you think of? Perhaps a crisp gin & tonic with a slice of cucumber on a warm afternoon? A cheeky spritz with hints of lavender and lemon? Perhaps a sultry negroni served on the rocks with that perfect twist of orange peel? But, do you think of… a bathtub? It makes perfect sense when you hear the founders of Clawfoot Stills tell it.
“The name is a nod to the practice of making ‘bathtub gin’ during prohibition.” says Julian Bernard, co-founder and head distiller. Bernard, along with business partner Sam Boisvert, created Clawfoot Stills to honor the spirit of those crafty 1920’s homebrewers. Bernard in particular, a fixture of Ottawa’s craft cocktail scene behind the bar at Fauna, holds Clawfoot as his passion project.
“Gin has always been my favorite spirit,” he says, “because of its versatility, not just in cocktails, but in how it can be made. As long as gin has juniper, you can add pretty much any other botanicals you want. Gin can be as simple or as complicated as you like.”
Clawfoot Stills founders, Julian Bernard and Sam Boisvert. Photo: Adrien Thomas Loiselle of ATL Studios.
While the company was incorporated in 2017, there was a lot of provincial red tape to navigate. Boisvert’s economics background was essential in handling the numbers side of the business, while his tenacity and dedication to launching the product cut through the bureaucracy. These qualities allowed Bernard to test batch after batch of gin, perfecting the recipe.
“It was a wake-up call to learn just how much detail goes into any product you see on a shelf, says Boisvert. “That was something I used to take for granted, but looking back on the process, I have a new appreciation for what it takes to get a product to market.”
Meanwhile, Bernard came ever closer to that perfect gin he’d been seeking. Part of the struggle was accepting nothing less than the best, most sustainably-sourced ingredients.
“Our ethos is to stay environmentally responsible and use real ingredients,” says Bernard. “One of my favorite things is to be out foraging. I remember coming across a trove of juniper berries in this apple orchard. The feeling of finding the berries, drying them, distilling… we’re obsessed with sourcing ingredients from our backyards.”
After hundreds of tweaks and dozens of recipes, Bernard and Boisvert had their formula: Recipe Number 7 (of the 16 recipes the duo had narrowed the field to). Now the real production could begin. SFR Distillery in Kanata provided use of their impressive copper still, as well as some appreciated guidance, for the inaugural batch. And on July 18, 2023, it happened. 363 bottles of Clawfoot Stills gin – a micro batch, in distilling terms, but just right for Bernard and Boisvert. “Before that, I was working on a hobby still,” says Bernard. “You go from two litres to four to thirteen, then all the way up to 450. I couldn’t just blindly scale up. Of course we want to increase our yield, but never at the expense of the product.”
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- The gin making process.
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- Photos: Adrien Thomas Loiselle
So just what makes said product – Clawfoot’s Recipe Number 7 – so special? Why should you want to pour and mix with it over other gins? “We want to be different,” says Bernard, “and that starts with making people think about gin differently. We have stronger flavours: citrus, woodland spice, ginger, coriander seed, grains of paradise. All of these not only make for bolder cocktails, but it can also make the gin easier to pair with food. The richness and full mouthfeel allow your palate to taste different levels of both the cocktail and anything accompanying it.”
Photo: Adrien Thomas Loiselle
What’s next for Clawfoot? In a word – events. Getting the product out there so that more people can try this tantalizing spirit. “We did a takeover at Fauna and it went amazingly well,” says Bernard. “We can’t wait to do more nights like that with our [restaurant] industry friends. We’d really like to do some cool events that blend different art styles: food, drink, visual art, and music. So, we’re always on the lookout for cool spaces to hold these types of occasions. People in Ottawa are always itching for something new, and we want to be there.”
Amazing craft cocktails made with bespoke gin that’s carefully distilled by fantastic folks? Sounds like we want to be there, too.
Clawfoot Stills gin can be enjoyed at quality establishments such as Fauna, Riviera, Bar Lupulus, Parlour, Stolen Goods Cocktail Bar, Arlo and more. Follow them on Instagram at @clawfootcraftspirits
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