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The BIT has discovered that even a large city can seem small when bartenders, restaurateurs, brewers and distillers all know one another. But those places ain’t got nothin’ on Nantucket, where one side of the island is just a stone’s throw from the other, and it seems that not only does everyone know everyone else, but they’ve also shared a beverage or two together.

No place better represents the center of the Nantucket universe than that cluster out on Bartlett Road known as Nantucket Vineyard, Cisco Brewers and Triple Eight Distillery. These folks are involved in all aspects of the island, and between their started from-scratch story and their tendency to donate their time and product, people just love them. Dean and Melissa Long founded Nantucket Vineyard in 1981; Randy and Wendy Hudson got their license for Cisco Brewers in 1995; and in 2000 (after dealing with Massachusetts liquor laws for three years), they all finally got their license to distill.

Jay Harman, who joined the crew in 1996 and is now President, led us through the small facility, talking about everything from the organic corn used to create the 888 vodka (milling cracks the husks to expose more sugars) to the famous Nantucket cranberry bogs, where they gather the fruit to make their cranberry vodka. In addition to Gale Force gin and Hurricane rum, the triumvirate just released the first modern Nantucket whiskey, The Notch (i.e., “not scotch”), created in 2000 with the help of George McClements, former consultant at Islay’s Bowmore Distillery and ceremoniously released on 8/8/08.

"People don’t seem to like change in Nantucket and fought pretty intensely when The Pearl was opened" says Ian Perry, mixologist extraordinaire for The Pearl. Although the look of the place is more like NYC or Miami, the atmosphere was comfortable and locals accepted it. But there was still a lag with cocktails, as everything runs on "island time" here. When Ian started during the 2005 pre-season, Appletinis were the staple cocktails. He sought to change that. "I didn’t bring the progress with me though," Ian contends; "it was simply timing.' Islanders were ready for Ian’s award-winning (and secret) recipe in The Original Pearl Passionfruit Cosmo, using fresh fruit as a twist on a standard. Ian feels the best bet to keep people coming back is to encourage them to try new things, while working hard to keep the cocktail list timeless. Baby steps.

Normally, cocktails called Cruzan for a Bruzan are, in fact, crusin’ for a brusin’; in this case, however, it was all done in good fun for the First Annual Nantucket Bluefi n Blast fishing tournament. The local Cruzan rep generously donated rum for the event and in turn, Steve Wall, Bar Manager at Slip 14, created the cocktail, which consists of Cruzan Black Cherry St. Croix rum, lemonade and a splash of soda—simple and refreshing.

Unfortunately, the event is postponed until 2009 due to the potential arrival of Tropical Storm Hanna, but that doesn’t stop the bar from being packed just after opening. Steve, who has been at Slip 14 since the beginning, mostly gets requests to serve up what he calls “island standards” like the Dark’n’Stormy and Gin and Tonic. Like Ian at The Pearl, however, he enjoys creating new things from old standards, like his Cruzan cocktail or pal Willy Shine’s ShineBox (888’s Gale Force gin, fresh lime juice, muddled grapes and white grape juice, sometimes with a topper of soda).

Topper’s at The Wauwinet is in a class all its own on Nantucket. Mitch Graff is spending his fourth season on-island as Bar Manager at Topper’s Bar, a lounge attached to the larger Topper’s restaurant. Mitch says the hotel estimates a 60–65% return rate of clientele each season, a testament to the service at the resort.

"Our customers are fairly well-traveled, and servers are great about talking through options with them," Mitch states. Unlike more casual bars on the island, Topper’s does not get many calls for Vodka/Red Bulls. Single malt scotches are a big draw, however, so Mitch attempts to put together a well-rounded collection, including off-the-beaten-path items like Michel Couvreur 12 Year. Those spirit rarities and Mitch’s attention to detail (he creates a Margarita mix from scratch using freshly-squeezed lemon and lime, egg white and orange juice) draw not only Nantucket visitors but local bartenders looking for something they can’t find elsewhere on the island. In fact, all the folks from Triple Eight, The Pearl and Slip 14 have shown up at Mitch’s bar at one point or another this summer.

We once did The BIT in Nantucket.
‘Twas a visit for fun, no press junket.
They treated us well,
All libations were swell.
By the end, our brains moaned out,
“Kerplunket.”

Don't forget to visit the Jenn Farrington Studios image library for all The BIT: Nantucket locations. You can also learn more about those locations by visiting their websites:

Nantucket Vineyard, Cisco Brewers, Triple Eight Distillery
The Pearl
Slip 14
Topper's Bar at the Wauwinet Inn

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