Owl Light Outings: Hollerhorn Distilling-Naples, NY

by D.E. Bentley –

After a recent round of deliveries we stepped into Hollerhorn Distilling and brushed off the road dust.  We pulled up a seat at the bar – where tabs are kept and all food and beverages ordered – to quench our thirst and assuage our hunger.  Immediately intrigued by the extensive mixed drink selection (despite neither of us being mixed drink enthusiasts), we started to unwind with a Smoked Old Fashion: Elijah Craig, sweet vermouth and flamed orange bitters with a smoke box finish.  We paired this with Der Hollerhorn (The Hollerhorn): Austrian liptauer spread, smoked trout, and pickled vegetables.  Having traveled to Scotland not long ago, I had overnight become a fanatical fan of smoked fish.  I would go back again just to sit at this one corner pub that I had several delightful smoked entrées and appetizers at.  Then again, Naples, NY, where Hollerhorn Distilling has recently opened its doors, is a wee bit easier to travel to and based on this initial foray into the smoked drinks and fish, every bit as satisfying.

There was something about being inside Hollerhorn – which has one of the most creatively designed interiors I have seen, ever, including an incredible stage backdrop mural by Melissa Neubauer – who opened the Distillery with her husband Karl Neubauer – that inspires experimentation.  I opted for another mixed drink (I almost always sample spirits straight up) and enjoyed a Corpse Reviver #2 concocted with Plymouth gin, lillet, Cointreau and lemon juice. Todd (usually an IPA guy) was drawn – uncharacteristically – to a hot chocolate-inspired Stone Xocoveza Imperial Stout.  Our second shared food item was gefüllte eier: That is, beet-pickled deviled eggs topped with french-fried onion & potato chip crumbs.

In advance of the stop I had, quite characteristically, gotten my days mixed up and thought that it was the following day that a flash-from-my-past band was scheduled to take the Hollerhorn stage.  I was exceedingly thankful that we chanced to stop by, as it turned out that said band – Djug Django – was playing that night – November 30, 2018.  Per the write up at www.watershed-arts.com/djug.html, “Djug Django is the Ithaca area’s premier ensemble for Gypsy Swing, Jazz Standards, Latin Rhythms, and Blues.”  On stage were: Chad Lieberman on Keyboard; Eric Aceto on the fiddle; Harry Aceto on guitar; Al Hartland on drums; Dave Davies on Guitar, trombone and vocals; and Jim Sherpa on washtub bass (“How does he do that?” inquired a fellow band member when he was cooking it with that contraption.).   I have heard all of the musicians in this ensemble – which plays Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz with a touch of blues and a heap of their original musical influences – many in bands that date back to my earliest Ithaca days of bar hopping misadventure in the 1970s-80s.  All are fantastic musicians and collectively they fill the dance floor and help us all (along with some great food and beverages) ease into advanced states of relaxation.  On the night we were there, their song list included a number of Reinhardt classics as well as more standard jazz and blues influenced numbers such as Mose Allison’s Fool’s Paradise.

After our initial drinks and food pairings, and a run home to cater to our canine companions, we ordered drinks for sipping while listening to the band. I, being a lover of imperial stouts, settled in with one of the Stone Xocoveza Imperial Stout’s that Todd had offered me a taste of earlier in the evening.  He, in turn, ventured up to the bar and sampled some Springbank local barley single malt whisky while discussing its characteristics with Karl.  Music will be an ongoing part of the experience at Hollerhorn, and a part of what will bring us back for more. We spent the rest of the evening in a quiet corner seat listening to these talented musicians, and watching the crowds take it in. A note here about corner seating: I adore corner seating as I rarely step out to socialize when I go out – really, neither of us are inclined to mix and mingle much.  There was something special about being at Hollerhorn Distilling on that last night of November 2018, and I believe it had every bit as much to do with the energy that Karl and Allison Neubauer – and their creative and welcoming staff – have put into the place as it did with my stepping back in time to revisit my past (from a more positive, sure present footing).  The place is, well, really nice!

Did I mention distilling?  Hollerhorn is just revving up for this all important “phase II” of their venture – and based on the range and creativity of what they currently offer, and their evident knowledge base, this will be well worth the wait.  During my last paper drop off, the distillery was closed and I stepped into the basement where Karl Neubauer was hard at work setting up the production end of things.  Like all good dreams come true, the couple has invested a heap of faith and many hours of hard work.  In doing so, they have clearly set the bar high for “raising spirits in the Finger Lakes,” by becoming one of the newest regional beverage artisans that are defining our region.  Together they have dreamed up a place that comes pretty close to my personal heaven, by taking the ethereal spirit of dreams  (and a love of spirits) and transforming it into something real.