Maybe you shouldn't be surprised that Spokane's most notable distillery has an origin not unlike its host city. It's an enterprise with pretty humble origins, tucked away in a part of the country that's always valued its natural resources.
Maybe it's a bit of a surprise, though, that a distillery has thrived in a land where the beverage industry has focused more on grapes and hops than the corn and wheat that go into crafting spirits.
Since its founding by Don Poffenroth in 2007, Dry Fly Distilling has grown from its hyperlocal origins into a nationwide enterprise. Named for a kind of lure used in fly fishing, the company now makes its home in a prominent downtown building on the corner of Riverside Avenue and Monroe Street that used to house the Spokesman-Review printing press. It's a long way from the meager space along the Spokane River near Gonzaga University where the distillery was first located.
But no matter the location, the company continues to value its local roots. Current president, Patrick Donovan, worked his way up from being one of the first employees.
"I've known Don since I was probably 13 or 14 years old and had done a few things after college and moved back into town, and he asked me to get on board and I guess the rest is history," Donovan says. "So I didn't go to school for distilling and didn't know a whole lot about it before I worked here." On Donovan's way up, he's seen Dry Fly expand from being just a distillery to including a restaurant, as well as offering regular classes in making cocktails and even crafting spirits, as well as running a large space that serves as an event venue.
Dry Fly offers cocktail staples including bourbon, gin, vodka and multiple whiskeys, as well as a rotating cast of specialties. The company focuses on maintaining its Inland Northwest roots. For its O'Danagher series of Celtic whiskies, Dry Fly uses wheat from Tim Danaher's multigeneration farm on the Palouse. Corn for the Bourbon 101 is sourced from the Hutterite community near Reardan. And to capture a fruity taste from the mountains, the Huckleberry Vodka features wild-grown berries harvested every summer.
Perhaps a more surprising connection revolves around the restaurant's Randal's Farm Burger. It's made with beef from cattle raised in Medical Lake that were fed by spent grains from the distillery. And those grains? They're from a farm in Rosalia.
"It's a cool agricultural circle," Donovan says.
As diners enjoy a burger in the restaurant, they can also take in a close-up view of the distilling process in action. Last fall, sunflower-yellow mash boiled in the huge copper vessels that stretch more than two stories high in the light-filled space. Palettes of Dry Fly products, including their popular canned cocktails, were bound up and packaged up for shipping all over the United States. At the blending station varieties of grains, spices, herbs, and even a large bag of Rose Hips from local Revival teas awaited experimentation. For Donovan, a North Central High School and Gonzaga University graduate, the work requires an adventurous mindset. "It's trial by fire and a lot of learning as we go," he says.
TRY IT YOURSELF
HO HO HOLIDAY PEPPERMINT JULEP
Enjoy Dry Fly bartender Jillianne Bartholomew's festive take on a classic bourbon-based cocktail. This recipe can be made in larger quantities in a pitcher for a party. Just pour over ice and add club soda to serve.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 mint leaves
- ½ ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce peppermint simple syrup (recipe below)
- ¼ ounce spiced cranberry syrup by Side Hustle Syrups*
- 2 ounces Dry Fly Bourbon 101
- Club soda
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place four decent-sized mint leaves in your shaker along with the lemon juice, peppermint simple syrup and the spiced cranberry syrup. Muddle together, then add Dry Fly's Bourbon 101. Add ice and shake! Then double strain** over ice into your preferred glass. Add a float of club soda, garnish with a sprig of rosemary and crushed candy cane. Finally, enjoy Christmas in a cup. Cheers!
* Side Hustle Syrups is a brand of hand-crafted syrups created by Dillon Hueser. He's the owner of The Boneyard, which is a cocktail lounge located in Spokane Valley, and he's been a longtime partner with Dry Fly.
** Double strain means to use both a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer to keep the muddled mint leaves out of your drink.
PEPPERMINT SIMPLE SYRUP
Jillianne Bartholomew's peppermint simple syrup infuses candy cane flavor into a standard simple syrup. Here's her recipe:
- Combine one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a small saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove from the heat and pour into a heat-safe container, preferable a shallow metal one.
- Add two normal-size candy canes to the container, then let it cool and steep for one hour in the refrigerator.
- Remove the candy canes and pour the simple syrup into a container for storing. A mason jar works perfectly for this.
