Angela Miller-Gray, preparing to create another inspired cocktail at Cold River Distillery in Freeport. Sande Updegraph / For The Forecaster
Angela Miller-Gray is the queen of creative cocktails at Cold River Distilling in Freeport. One of her unique combinations is Cold River Gin with a splash of Fiore Grapefruit Balsamic Vinegar and club soda. Another is made with a blend of Cold River’s Distillers Reserve (vodka finished in oak barrels), cider, cider vinegar and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Sande Updegraph lives in Brunswick and is a longtime food writer. She can be reached at sandeupdegraph@gmail.com.
Angela is also the office, retail, events and bar manager and is the face of Cold River in the community, sponsoring local events like the Graze Dinners at Pineland Farms in partnership with Black Tie Catering. For each of these dinners, she creates a specialty cocktail that complements the locally sourced food items.
She is passionate about her originality and mixology skills. Some of her recent offerings in the tasting room are Pepper Melon Gin (with watermelon infusion), Blueberry Meets Gin, Hibiscus Martini (with hibiscus flower simple syrup), Poma-ginger Tini (with crystalized ginger-infused vodka) and Fig Sip Gin (with fresh figs). Her personal motto is: “With vodka I can do anything.”
Cold River has been distilling its distinctive Maine potato vodka and gin in Freeport for 16 years. The process includes triple distilling in a copper pot still and bottling and numbering each batch by hand. They also support local food banks by donating one pound of potatoes from their family farm for every bottle of Cold River sold annually. Tasting room hours are noon-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Feel free to just walk in to the second floor above the distillery. 437 U.S. Route 1, 865 -4828.
News about brews
Two new breweries are joining the four beer makers in Freeport. Mast Landing Brewing Company is opening an 11,000-square-foot, two-level tasting room, brewing facility and event space at Freeport Crossing Shopping Mall, 200 Lower Main St. This is in addition to their home base in Westbrook. Mast Landing will announce a culinary partner to ultimately provide food to accompany brews, as well as service the event space.
Goodfire Brewing and Mr. Tuna are joining forces to open a new restaurant and brewhouse in the former location of Conundrum and El Jefe at 117 U.S. Route 1 in Freeport. This venture joins Goodfire’s taproom in Portland. Mr. Tuna will serve sushi hand rolls and other Japanese-style food items.
Freeport is becoming a craft beer destination with Maine Beer Company, Stars and Stripes Brewing, Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub and Brickyard Hollow already going strong.
Sip & Savor
Wolfe’s Neck Center is offering several Sip & Savor events this summer, including cocktail classes with New England Distilling, oyster shucking and tasting with Maine Beer Company, and fall cocktails and tastes with Luna and Salt Yard. Details at wolfesneck.org/farm-to-table-series.
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