Forthave Spirits

Founded in 2016 by two friends, painter Aaron Sing Fox and writer/producer Daniel de la Nuez, Forthave Spirits produces botanical spirits and liqueurs in Brooklyn, New York. Drawing inspiration from historical recipes and traditional techniques—and utilizing a library of over 200 botanicals—Forthave carefully approaches every aspect of its production and supply chain to craft natural and delicious small-batch products.

Named after fifteenth-century botanist Richard Forthave, who is credited for creating a popular plague-combatting elixir known as Forthave’s Vinegar (also commonly known as “Four Thieves Vinegar”), Forthave Spirits was born of a curiosity to explore how some of Fox and de la Nuez’s favorite botanical liqueurs were produced. Their research led them to the ancient medicinal recipes in which today’s spirits and liqueurs are rooted and inspired the two to craft their own amaro. What began as a makeshift kitchen operation to produce small experimental batches of amari to share with friends and colleagues grew bit by bit, piece by piece, until demand necessitated the leap to becoming a licensed distillery.

Drawing from a library of botanicals that includes over 200 different types of herbs, roots, barks, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds—almost all of which are USDA organically certified with the few exceptions that are wild foraged or grown by small uncertified farmers—Forthave’s spirits and liqueurs are handcrafted in small batches. An organic, non-GMO neutral sugarcane distillate from Brazil acts as the base spirit, providing the best canvas to showcase their botanicals, and the only sweeteners used are organic turbinado sugar and raw honey locally sourced from an apiary in Ithaca, New York. Maceration occurs in stainless steel tanks and the Brooklyn distillery sports a 400-liter bain-marie hybrid pot still with a stainless steel kettle and a copper column. In keeping with traditional production methods, Forthave does not use artificial filtering agents, colors, or extracts.

Forthave’s collection of spirits is divided into three ranges: The Color line includes interpretations of existing botanical spirits categories or spirits that have classical reference points and are named for colors that reference the botanicals and mood of the spirit. The Historical line focuses on historical recipes reimagined as digestivi for contemporary cocktailing and food pairing by following the arc of amari and herbal spirits from the medicinal world to the culinary. Lastly, the Single Batch line consists of limited one-offs that allow for experimentation with new ingredients and production methods.