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Belle of Dayton

Belle of Dayton’s Pre-Sale for Detrick 4-Grain Rye Whiskey!

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Today’s the day! Don’t miss the the pre-sale online only release of Detrick 4-Grain Rye Whiskey Batch 004 from Belle of Dayton!
Bottles will be available at 10am online today, July 10th.
Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is both distilled and bottled by Belle of Dayton Distillery in Dayton, Ohio. This four-grain pot-distilled rye whiskey is made from a mash bill of traditional rye, white corn, wheat, and malted barley. The name Detrick comes from Detrick Distilling Co., a pre-prohibition distillery that sold double copper distilled whiskey in Dayton under registered distillery No. 60, 10th Ward. Established 1884, the Detrick Distillery was located in Tippecanoe City (now Tipp City), Ohio. Additionally, they had a retail store and mail order department that was located about 20 miles north at 313-315 E 1 st. Street in Dayton, Ohio.

Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey Batch 4 is a true “small batch” whiskey, made from just 4 barrels, each a 53 Gallon hand toasted # 4 Char White Oak barrel coming from the Ohio River Valley. The 4 barrels that went into this blend were filled on the following dates: Barrel #1: 05-14-2015, Barrel #2: 01-28-2016, Barrel #3: 08-24-2017, and Barrel #4: 04-20-2018. These barrels were all dumped and blended on 04/20/2023. Detrick Straight Rye Whiskey is the first straight rye whiskey to be distilled in Dayton, Ohio since prohibition.

Belle of Dayton’s First Bourbon Released

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Update: sold out in 6 minutes!

May 1st is the first day that Detrick Full Proof Single Barrel Bourbon will be available.  Bottles go on sale ONLINE ONLY today for $97.95. Pickup will be at Belle of Dayton Distillery at 122 Van Buren Street
Dayton.

According to Mike LaSelle, co-owner of Belle of Dayton Distillery “Detrick Fine Whiskies Single Barrel Bourbon reflects the patience, hard-work, and craftsmanship which are hallmarks of the Belle of Dayton Distillery and a true testament to the forward-thinking innovation our company has practiced since distilling our first artisanal spirits nearly 10 years ago.The decision to mature our spirits in 53 gallon barrels and hold back from releasing our bourbon to offer consumers a six year old single barrel nearly a decade after distilling is a true commitment to our craft.”

Here’s info on the new bourbon:

Detrick Full Proof Single Barrel Bourbon

Batch No. 001 | 750 mL | 117.8 Proof | 58.9% alc/vol | In Cask Date 12/28/16 | Bottling Date 03/15/23

Distilled from Corn, Oats, Rye, Wheat, & Malted Barle

Pre-prohibition, Detrick Distilling Co. sold double copper-distilled whiskey in Dayton under Registered Distillery No. 60, 10th Ward. Their founder, Frank Detrick’s motto: “While we live, let’s live.” Inspired by the ambition of this long-ago spirit, the LaSelle Brothers ventured to create a bourbon whiskey—genuine and unique.

Drawing naturally filtered water from the area’s Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, they distilled a rare 5-grain mash bill of corn, oats, rye, wheat, and malted barley. The intricate flavor and full-bodied texture was preserved by slow pot distillation and then aged in a hand-toasted, 53-gallon white oak cask. Each bottle drawn from a single barrel, Detrick Straight Bourbon Whiskey offers an elegant sipping experience. Nearly a decade in the making and relieving a century of anticipation, Belle of Dayton Distillery proudly brings back Detrick Fine Whiskies, the first Bourbon made in Dayton since Prohibition.

Color
Burnish

Nose
Vanilla extract, espresso, nutmeg, cinnamon toast, heath bar, leather, dried apricots, and oak.

Palate
Cinnamon, dark chocolate fudge, dried orange peel, espresso, and date nut bread.

Finish
Dark chocolate bitters, cinnamon, lemon peel, espresso, and sweet pipe tobacco.

In Conclusion: Palate is an explosion of cinnamon, caramel and dark fudge. Long finish with layers. Mouthfeel is thick and rich.

 

Van Buren Room To Open in August in Oregon District

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The Belle of Dayton Distillery will soon be expanding operations to include craft cocktails featuring its locally distilled spirits.  The distillery’s craft cocktail room is driven by House Bill 351 passed in 2016 sponsored by State Representatives Rick Perales (R-Beavercreek) and Anthony DeVitis (R-Green), allowing Ohio distilleries to serve their distilled spirits and other alcoholic beverages by the glass to be consumed on the facility’s premises.

The ‘Van Buren Room’ located at the Belle of Dayton (122 Van Buren St., downtown Dayton), will be adjacent to the distillery operations in the current tasting room/gift shop.  The Van Buren Room will be an intimate space, including windows looking into the federally bonded distillery, with an early 1900s look and feel.  The cocktail room will pay homage to the original Belle of Dayton bottle uncovered in pile of broken glass across from the secret downtown Dayton Prohibition-era speakeasy.

The Van Buren Room menu will feature classic cocktails with Belle of Dayton spirits along with rare and experimental releases.  The craft cocktail bar will also showcase locally produced craft beer in cans and bottles, other Ohio distilled spirits, and an extensive selection of the highest quality Gins, Bourbon, Scotch, & Rye Whiskies.

Since opening in 2014, the Belle of Dayton Distillery has won numerous international awards and recognition for its pot distilled, small batch spirits along with the prestigious Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco Wine and Spirits- the Best Spirits in the World.  The Van Buren Room will be set up and held to the same standards of quality, along with flawlessly executed drinks to create a world-renowned craft cocktail bar right here in Dayton.

The Belle of Dayton will continue distilling and bottling throughout renovations, but the tasting room/gift shop will be closed to the public until tentative opening date set for August 2018.  The Belle of Dayton is currently looking for qualified candidates for Bartenders who share the same creative passion for spirits. Interested? Email your resume to mike@belleofdayton.com

Dive Bar Tuesday – Sure Shots

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Sure Shots Exterior

Welcome to Sure Shots!

We love to get excited about things becoming bigger and better. We watch the places that follow all the trends, trying desperately to either keep up with them or get ahead of what they are doing. More craft beers, larger cocktail menus, more and more food options. All of it in the name of trying to attract more customers. That may be the expected thing to do when you own a bar or restaurant, but it is not always the right thing. Occasionally the right thing is to be the solid rock in a sea of changing tastes. Sure Shots has been following this path for as long as I have been stopping in, and they must be doing something right. Approaching the bar from the outside, you can tell this is a no frills place where people just come for a good time and a cold beer.

The first thing that is going to strike you when you open the door to Sure Shots is a whiff of cigarette smoke. As long as it has been since the smoking ban settled on the state of Ohio, there are still bars out there where that oddly comforting aroma still lingers. The second thing that struck me is the lack of light. This is a bar where, once you are in, hours can fly by and you would not know it. The main source of lighting was focused on the pool tables and dart boards, and a few large television screens around the perimeter. There is also a nice selection of music on the juke box, and the soft glow of a Jägermeister machine and a drink mixing machine preparing Apple Pie Shots for the unsuspecting masses. A few portions of the wall are also well lit that show off their community outreach by supporting local teams, or dart and pool league champions.

Sure Shots pool table

Time for some beers and some pool. Not in that order.

Sure Shots is a nuts-and-bolts bar. Minus the Jaeger machine, nothing is on tap, all the beer is by the can or bottle. They like to support locals in their drink selection when they can, offering Warped Wing favorites behind the bar and some Belle of Dayton for all your vodka sipping needs. They carry a few nice liquor choices, like Hennessy and Johnny Walker Black, but there are no rarities or odd flavors that beg to try something new. The Everclear may give you a few dirty looks, but that is really what Everclear does. Every night there is a different drink special, from $5 Root Beer Floats on Mondays to $3.50 Caramel Apples on Wednesday and Saturday. The food menu, like the bar, is also no frills. Come on in for a pizza or a soft pretzel, but that is all you are going to be able to find. That being said, is there anything better to soak up drinks like pizza and pretzels? No, no there isn’t.

The best part of every place we visit are the surprises. Are you a third shift worker? You can swing by Sue Shots when you get off of your shift, since they are one of the few local bars that are open at 5:30 AM. In the area early on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday morning? You can enjoy a little breakfast while you are there. Eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, all of the basics one would expect for a morning meal.  This is also the official Home of the Apple Pie Shot. It has an impact similar to a Bad Juan; you do not feel it at first, but it is something that packs a punch. Apples and rum pair very well together, but one would think that 151 would make its presence more known than it does. Slide in a little of that shifty Everclear, and you have a shot that will definitely grabs your attention.

Many of my friends have stumbled out of this bar in the wee hours of the morning after a long night at work. Every time I have been there the atmosphere has been cheerful, if not fairly boisterous from time to time. There is always a pool game in the corner, and the bar staff is hustling hard to make sure beers everyone has a drink and is having a great time. What more do you want from a local watering hole? Cheers!

Sure Shots is located at 3121 E Dorothy Ln, Dayton, OH 45420. They are open daily from 5:30 AM to 2:30 AM. You can like them on their Facebook page to stay up to date on their specials and other events. 

Cocktails with Champagne: A New Way to Ring in a New Year

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Champagne in a coupe

New Year’s Eve means champagne, champagne, and more champagne!

No one appreciates champagne like they used to. The bubbly wine was created, accidentally, in England in the 16th century. The process was developed over the next two centuries, first to get the bubbles on a regular basis, then to create a bottle with the strength to contain the pressure of the carbon dioxide in the wine. Once the bottles stopped exploding, this treat became a favorite in the French courts. The French leaned to the sweeter sec and demi-sec varieties, while the English preferred the drier bruts. The wealthy were the only people that could afford it initially, turning it into a status symbol for extravagance and a rare treat for the working class. Champagne and all of its sparkling white wine compatriots have become much more common since the beginning of the 20th century, but the effervescence of the liquid and the pop of the cork kept the drink in celebratory circles.

New Year’s Eve is here, and champagne corks will be exploding for the evening. Most people will just enjoy the bubbles and the flavor out of either a toasting flute or a coupé. Experts and extreme lovers of champagne will drink it out of a white wine glass, which combines many qualities of the flute and coupé. This is a fine way to enjoy any sparkling wine, but it is not the only way. There are many cocktails over the years that have been developed with champagne as a co-star to other flavors being created. The cocktail, and your tastes, should dictate the type of champagne you choose to add. The list of champagne cocktails is a long, long one, so I have selected a handful that include spirits people usually have on hand or are easy to find.

BOURBON – Seelbach Cocktail

The Seelbach is named after the Louisville, Kentucky hotel it was created in. Most cocktails ask for a dash or two of bitters. This one calls for multiple dashes of two different bitters. They help balance out the sweetness of the champagne and the Cointreau (orange liqueur).

1 oz. bourbon
1/2 oz. Orange liqueur (Cointreau is what the recipe suggests)
7 dashes Angostura bitters
7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Champagne

Pour the orange liqueur, bourbon, and bitters into a mixing glass over ice. Stir, and then strain into a champagne flute. Fill with champagne and enjoy.

Belle of Dayton Distillery

Our very own Belle of Dayton, providing something to mix with champagne!

RUM – Sparkling Rum Punch (courtesy of My Recipes)

There are two great reasons to go with a punch when it comes to rum. First, from a traditional standpoint, rum is very common in classic punch drinks. Rum and brandy were very popular libations in the heyday of the punch in the late 18th century through the middle of the 19th century. Second, having a punch cocktail at a party allows guests to help themselves to something delicious as they arrive.

2 c. fresh, low pulp orange juice
.5 c. orange liqueur
.5 c. dark rum (Belle of Dayton has a 1775 Colonial Reserve that looks perfect)
2 750 mL bottles of chilled champagne

Blend the orange juice, orange liqueur, and rum into a medium bowl. Place in the refrigerator to chill and allow the flavors to marry for an hour. Before guests arrive, move the mixture into a larger bowl and add the champagne. Serve chilled.

GIN – French 75

The 75 mm field gun the French used at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century was a massive anti-personnel weapon. It delivered a variety of ammunition to the enemies of France, from shrapnel filled explosive shells to canisters of toxic gas.  When Harry’s New York Bar in Paris blended gin and champagne into one glass, many said the cocktail had the same kick as this powerful weapon. Like the versatile weapon this is named after, it can be made with gin or cognac.

.5 oz. lemon juice (about half a lemon)
.5 oz. simple syrup (1:1 mixture of sugar and water)
1.5 oz. gin
3 oz. champagne

Combine the lemon juice, simple syrup, and gin in a mixing glass over ice. Shake, and strain into a champagne flute. Add the champagne and enjoy!

Tequila Champagne Cocktail

Tiny bubbles…dancing with my cocktail.

TEQUILA – Lime Sparkler (courtesy of She Knows)

This is something like the marriage of Jesse James and Sandra Bullock: you are not sure how it happened or why it worked, but it did. For a while, at least. Fortunately, liquors stay together for a longer time. The tequila-lime-sweet combination is a classic, and the champagne adds an extra burst of flavor.

1 oz. blanco (silver) tequila
.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
.5 oz. agave nectar (you can use simple syrup, but the nectar adds some richness)
Champagne

Combine the lime juice, agave nectar, and tequila in a mixing glass with ice. Shake, and strain into a champagne flute. Fill with champagne, and serve.

BEER – Black Velvet

When Prince Albert of England passed away in 1861, the country went into mourning. His wife, Queen Victoria, was inconsolable, and mourned the loss the rest of her life. At the time of his death, everything was draped in black. Clever bartenders at the time poured some Guinness into the champagne served at royal events, giving it the same black covering the rest of the décor had. It did not, however, make the people who drank it sad.

Stout (Guinness is the traditional selection, but any will do)
Champagne

Fill the champagne flute half way with champagne. GENTLY float the stout on top of the champagne. If you pour too quickly, the champagne will foam up and over the edge of the glass.

VODKA – Sparkling Cosmopolitan (courtesy of Inspired Taste)

Champagne cork popping

Happy New Year! And happy cocktailing!

There is a wide variety of cocktails that incorporate vodka and champagne. Vodka is neutral enough to just add some kick to the cocktail and allow any other flavor, usually fruity, to shine through. This is another champagne concoction that modifies a base cocktail by adding some sparkle.

1.5 oz. vodka (Buckeye Vodka fans, this one’s for you!)
.5 oz. orange liqueur
.5 oz. cranberry juice
.5 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
Champagne

Pour the vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, and lime juice in a mixing glass. Shake well, and strain into a champagne flute. Fill with champagne, and serve.

Whether you are christening a boat or celebrating a major event, champagne’s traditional hold on the celebration market is far from over. There will always be a thrill when the cork pops out and the bubbles start to fly. Keep the cork flying to a minimum, though. Shooting someone’s eye out is not the best way to start the new year. For them or for you. Cheers!

Dublin Pub & Belle of Vodka Team Up For Perfect Pairings

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x3rlrewq0n4zz9mppxzyhkn5sydj7rgtFeaturing Belle of Dayton Signature Cocktails

First Course – The Vesper – Paired with a Potato Crusted Cod with wilted spinach and tomato topped with a lemon, caper butter.

Second Course – French 76 – Paired with pan seared chicken breast stuffed with toasted walnuts, white wine poached pears and creamy blue cheese topped with a pear infused white wine cream sauce

Oregon District Distillery To Open Thursday

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2614It began with a bottle.  A whiskey bottle etched with “Belle of Dayton” was unearthed in downtown Dayton. Historians surmise that local liquor merchant Solomon Rauh and Sons may have sold this whiskey, hitching their fortunes to the ebb and flow of the Dayton economy.  Located in downtown Dayton, the business burned nearly to the ground as a result of the Great Flood of 1913.  Undaunted, Solomon Rauh and Sons rebuilt their business, staying with wholesale liquor until another blow, 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Prohibition took its toll on distilleries around the nation.


Before Prohibition, grist mills and distilleries dappled the Miami Valley drawing from the area’s deep, mineral-rich water of the Great Miami Aquifer, still one of the most productive natural water sources in the country. Local artisans crafted their Dayton spirits to sell in saloons around the Gem City.  The fingerprint of the community was on every 10462580_680520405317699_4398821997426929615_ntumbler of liquor—the grains, oak casks, bottles, and labels were all produced in the Miami Valley. The proprietors sold whiskey to their family, friends, neighbors and fellow businessmen; they looked customers in the eye, so they staked their reputation on the quality of their product.

The Belle of Dayton label on each bottle, and the spirit contained therein, pays homage to that time and celebrates our American distilling heritage.  Mike and Murphy LaSelle share their predecessors’ passion to create the highest quality small batch artisan spirits from grain to glass.   Coupling modern equipment and innovative techniques with old world expertise, the brothers proudly offer you the Belle of Dayton.


Belle of Dayton, located in the Oregon District at 122 Van Buren St., will host a grand opening celebration featuring a facility tour and complimentary tasting. The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26. The distillery will offer small-batch vodka samples at the grand opening, with additional spirits slated for production, including rum; bourbon barrel-aged rum; and four-grain, white corn bourbon.