Griffo Distillery (Petaluma)
Opened in 2015 by local couple Michael and Jenny Griffo, Griffo Distillery crafts small batch gin, vodka, and whiskeys. You can visit Griffo’s tasting bar in Petaluma for a spirits tasting, cocktail, beer, or wine on Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays or on weekdays by appointment. Or, pick up a bottle of spirits, or a few of their canned cocktails to-go.
Looking for a unique gift, or an excuse to spend the night in? Try one of Griffo’s cocktail kits or consider a quarterly cocktail kit club subscription. They’ve got kits for all types of different cocktails, including holiday themed kits.
Spiritworks Distillery (Sebastopol)
This local women-lead, family-run distillery crafts their spirits batch by batch using whole organic grains (grown locally whenever possible) which they mill, mash, ferment, and distill entirely on site. While they are relatively new to the local craft spirits scene, they’ve quickly become a favorite due to both the quality of their products as well as the ethics of their company.
Try one of Sonoma Spiritwork’s cocktail kits for the aspiring bartender in your life. Or, grab a bottle of their Four Grain Straight Bourbon whiskey for the whiskey lover in your life.
Order online and pick up locally at their distillery inside the Barlow in Sebastopol.
Hanson of Sonoma Distillery (Sonoma)
Voted 2020 Distillery of the Year by the NorthBay Business Journal and 2020 Vodka of the Year by U.S. Spirits, Hanson has been taking the local, craft vodka scene by storm. What’s unique about their vodkas? They’re made from distilled grapes (versus grains or potatoes) and go through an incredibly exhaustive distilling process that ensures the finished product is free of all harsh aromas and flavors and has a nice texture. There’s a reason these guys take home so many awards (both nationally and internationally).
If you haven’t visited Hanson’s tasting room and bar in Sonoma yet, you are missing out. The cocktails are both AMAZING and beautiful, and the property and tasting room offer a great ambiance with both spacious indoor seating and covered outdoor seating with an outdoor bar and a food menu (cheese and charcuterie, oysters, wood oven pizza).
Looking for a creative stocking stuffer or something to show up with to a holiday party? A bottle of Hanson’s vodka would or one of their pre-batched seasonal cocktail kits would make a great gift.
Prohibition Spirits Distillery (Sonoma)
This craft distillery has an adorable tasting room in downtown Sonoma off of the square, where you can taste a selection of their gins, brandies, and liquers. My personal favorite drops at Prohibition are their gins (especially their pink gin, dry gin, and melon-mint gin, so smooth and aromatic), their XOX brandy, and limoncello (big surprise for me, as I’m not really a limoncello person).
Prohibition’s beautiful old pharmacy style bottles would make the perfect elegant stocking stuffer or gift. Or, you could also gift one of their spirits subscriptions to the craft spirits lover in your life.
Young and Yonder Craft Spirits (Healdsburg)
Pick up one of Young and Yonder’s excellent locally-distilled and crafted spirits (gin, vodka, rye, amaro, bourbon..) or opt for one of their ‘cocktail of the month’ kits to add a bit of ‘hands on’ fun. Kits include a bottle of spirits plus mixers and garnishes. Popular kits include Y&Y’s Old Fashioned kit, Lime Vodka Mule kit, H.O.B.S Modern G&T kit, and Vodka Bloody Mary kit.
Purchase online and pick up locally in Healdsburg.
Shop Young and Yonder spirits.