ReserveBar’s Spirited Change Initiative
Black-Owned Brands
LS Cream Liqueur ($36): LS Cream Liqueur is an award-winning cordial inspired by cremas, an ancestral recipe native to Haiti with notes of coconut, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon mixed with a blend of fresh cream and neutral grain spirits. Since it was impossible to find cremas in stores, husband and wife Myriam Jean-Baptiste and Stevens Charles decided to launch their own cream liqueur, inspired by Stevens’ late grandmother’s handwritten cremas recipe which she left behind and that the family had cherished for decades.
Sorel Liqueur ($40): Born of the spice trade, versions of sorrel date back to the 1600s, when hibiscus flowers were first imported to the new world from West Africa. Valued for its medicinal properties, Jackie Summer’s grandparents carried this culinary tradition with them when they emigrated from Barbados to Harlem, NY in the 1920s. In 2012, Jack left a 25-year career as a corporate executive to launch his micro-distillery, Jack from Brooklyn. When Jack received his distilled spirits permit (DSP), he was the only Black person with a license to make liquor in America, and the first to hold this license post-prohibition.
Brough Brothers Bourbon Whiskey ($29): Brough Brothers Distillery is Kentucky’s first African American owned distillery. Kentucky-born co-founders and brothers Victor, Bryson, and Christian Yarbrough started from humble beginnings in Louisville, where they learned early about hard work and dedication. They took those lessons, traveled the globe, and brought their newfound knowledge of the spirits industry back to Kentucky, where the vision for Brough Brothers was born. Through Brough Brothers, the Yarbrough’s plan to make a positive and lasting impact through job creation and economic development within their local and global communities.
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey ($59): In 2017, Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Aged Whiskey launched in the United States. Honoring the first African American master distiller, this premium whiskey swiftly rolled out throughout the U.S. and abroad, and can now be found in 50 States, 10 Countries, and shipped to over 148 countries in the world. Uncle Nearest is now the Fastest-Growing Independent American Whiskey Brand in U.S. History.
Loft & Bear Artisanal Vodka ($30): Loft & Bear is the brainchild of Paul Ryan Elliott, an east coast native. Paul founded Loft & Bear in 2014 and continues to work toward fulfilling long-term sustainable success, encouraged by the opportunity to bring inclusivity and diversity to the beverage alcohol industry. Loft & Bear’s commitment to social awareness is seen in its Distill.Drink.Donate program in which 5% of Loft & Bear profits are donated to PATH, a charity aimed at ending homelessness and providing support for distressed families, veterans affairs, and human services throughout Southern California.
