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A.J. Fazendin, the man behind Prescribed Spirits, is set to debut his new brand of gin at the Craft Spirits Festival in Coconut Grove on October 8.
This moment has been months in the making for Fazendin, who's been trekking back and forth between Miami to Fort Lauderdale, where he distilled a batch of gin at South Florida Distillers in Fort Lauderdale.
South Florida Distillers owners Avi Eisenberg and Joe Durkin opened their distillery to Fazendin.
Fazendin began distilling over the summer. Now, he's got 40 cases and 360 bottles ready to go for distribution. A couple of those bottles will be available for tasting at the upcoming festival. He received label approval from the federal government in late August and recently finished labeling every bottle.
Coming in a
Fazendin prefers a Tom Collins made with his
"Maybe a little bit of dry vermouth too," Fazendin adds. "It's definitely not your strong, overpowering gin."
Bottles of Prescribed run $35 a piece. Fazendin hasn't gotten around to selling his product yet. It's coming, though. He signed on with Morgan Wine and Spirits, which will be distributing the gin.
When it comes time to convince bartenders to try his gin,
Eventually, Fazendin wants to be a full-time distiller but doesn't have any immediate plans to leave his current job. He does have plans to make more gin, though.
"This is is my product and my label," Fazendin says. "I just needed the space to do it."
South Florida Distillers - Small Batch Craft Rum Distillery is located at 1110 NE Eighth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-541-2868, or visit southfloridadistillers.com.
The Craft Spirits Festival is 7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, October 8 at the Cruz Building (3157 Commodore Plaza, Miami) in Coconut Grove. Admission is $75. Visit craftspiritsfest.com.
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