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What do New Jersey and Kentucky have in common? Well, Lisa Sawyer Derman and Five Springs Infused Bourbon for starters.
Derman grew up in Kentucky and went to the University of Kentucky, so you could say that bourbon is pretty much infused in her psyche. She’s a veteran of the industry. She’s got over 30 years as a a lawyer in the alcohol industry and she has held various corporate positions. And Derman has worked with some iconic brands, including Stoli vodka and The Macallan scotch.
But somehow, until recent years, she had never worked with bourbon.
The Back Story
Derman and her family spent 30 years in Westfield, NJ, where her kids were born and raised. They’re Jersey kids. Her son has even dressed up as Bruce Springsteen for Halloween. These days, they live on Lake Mohawk. So it’s safe to say they are a Jersey family…with bourbon country roots.
Some businesses start out in the garage. Not Five Springs. This business was formulated in the kitchen. When Derman noticed that her grown children had started experimenting with bourbon based cocktails, she decided it was time to add bourbon to her career credentials.
Five Springs Takes Off
Lisa and her family started experimenting with natural ingredients to infuse into bourbon, which they could streamline and enhance the cocktail experience. After all of that tinkering, they came up with three great recipes—and a new business.
To be clear, these are not gimmicky, flavored bourbons. Indeed, the base bourbon, which sports a spicy 21% rye in the malt bill, was personally selected by Derman after she made a distillery visit. Vanilla maple, honey sage, and blood orange are intelligently crafted and perfectly suited to sip on their own. However, in the cocktail game, they really shine.
In some cases, Five Springs can be a shortcut to a cocktail. For instance, the blood orange bourbon only requires a splash of bitters and an orange peel garnish for a fantastic Old Fashioned. Creative bartenders also find Five Springs a fun starting point when they craft a brand new cocktail.
Here’s what some New Jersey restaurants have conjured up:
- Meximodo, Metuchen, NJ: Mexican Old Fashioned, Five Springs Blood Orange Bourbon, Nixta Licor de Elote, Angostura & Orange Bitters
- The Ainsworth, Hoboken, NJ: Bourbon Aperol Spritz
- Publick House, Mountainside, NJ: Van Maple Old Fashioned
- Tewksbury Inn, Oldwick, NJ: Bourbon in the “Burbs cocktail, the fall version features maple vanilla bourbon and house made maple sour mix.
- Industry, Sparta, NJ: Bourbon Punch
- CJ Mcloone’s, Tinton Falls, NJ: Seasonal Sangria, Apple Cider, Vanilla Maple Bourbon and white wine
