Today marks the 100th anniversary since Prohibition began and the Volstead Act went into effect, and now Sangfroid Distilling, Prince George’s County’s first distillery to open in nearly a 100 years, will soon set up a tasting room taking advantage of a new state law designed to put distillers on equal footing with brewpubs and wineries.
It was Prohibition that made hard liquor popular in America, since it was easier for bootleggers to make and transport, and it was that bootleg alcohol that inspired the craft cocktail movement, to mask the taste of the poorly made whiskey and gin.
Today, as craft spirits are undergoing a renaissance, they have been hampered by the fact that many people don’t typically sit down and drink, say, a glass of gin straight, even if it is much better tasting and well made.
The solution: allowing distillers to make craft cocktails, just like in the old speakeasies.
And once its new tasting room opens in the coming weeks, Sangfroid, which is located at 5130 Baltimore Avenue in Hyattsville, will be doing just that with its brandies, rye whiskies and Dutch-style gins.
Co-owners Nate Groenendyk and Jeff Harner told the Hyattsville Wire they’ll be serving variations on classic drinks like the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan and the Jack Rose, a favorite of Hemingway’s in his Paris years.
“Our expertise isn’t in cocktails, but we think it will be important to showcase our spirits in a manner that might be more accessible in a cocktail format, since not everyone prefers drinking spirits straight,” Groenendyk said.
The tasting room is being designed by Green Owl Design, a Hyattsville firm that’s heavily involved in local revitalization projects. The space was originally laid out with little room for tables, since the law only allowed customers to sample a half-ounce after taking a tour.
The new space will allow 20 to 25 customers at a time, which will likely lead to extended hours in the evening.
Tasting rooms are a popular way for small distillers to expand, since they face strict limits on self-distributing and can’t expand sales into neighboring states on their own. With more than 30 craft distillers operating in the state, the Maryland Distillers Guild pressed state legislators to change the law to allow tasting rooms last fall.
Though Maryland Meadworks also has a tasting room, Sangfroid’s will be the first distillery serving craft spirits in Prince George’s County.
Apart from the law, Sangfroid also had to get permission from a Prince George’s licensing commission, where it was supported by the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation and the city.
“We couldn’t be more appreciative of the support from the city, the [Hyattsville] CDC, and our Hyattsville customers that wrote letters on our behalf to their local city council members,” Groenendyk told the Wire. “It is really a testament to the strength and commitment of the entire Hyattsville community.”
