Lisa Averbuch and Sabrina Moreno-Dolan are the ladies behind LOFT liqueurs, the producers behind the first certified organic liqueur in the United States. Their story is interesting and inspirational, particularly for those of you who have tinkered with the idea of turning a passion into a small business.

When and why did you start making LOFT Liqueurs?

Lisa: I started making liqueurs for fun about 2 years ago. I came across a recipe for limoncello and at the time I didn't even know you could make it at home! After trying that recipe, using lemons from my boyfriend's backyard lemon tree, I was hooked! I tried to make cello everything: apple cello, banana cello, tangerine cello- you get the idea. After about six months of experimenting I let my friends try it and they were really excited! They said it tasted a lot better than much of what was available in the marketplace and wanted to buy it for themselves and their friends. So I thought, "well you are my friends� I'll make this for you." So many flavored vodkas and other liqueurs have a synthesized taste and obvious artificial color (don't even get me started on the traditional neon-green apple-tini). I wanted to give people the opportunity to go to a bar or restaurant and order a drink that they can feel good about - something that tastes like the real thing and isn't filled with chemicals. And once I learned that alcoholic beverages could be certified organic, it was a no-brainer. Whenever possible I buy biodynamically grown ingredients as well.

Sabrina: The first time I tried LOFT I went into fiendish plan mode. I thought "this is so amazing. There must be a way to share it with people (and save the planet through good-will established with flavor)."

What is your favorite way to serve LOFT Liqueurs? Do you like to pair anything with them?

L: They can be chilled and sipped on their own or mixed with a variety of other spirits, such as vodka or rum. They're great in Champagne, lemonade or even just a splash of sparkling water. We have about thirty cocktail recipes on our website too. My favorite drink is the Lavender Daiquiri. It's a basic daiquiri recipe substituting the usual sugar with LOFT Lavender Cello. I also really like to pair them with dark chocolate or pour over ice cream. One person I know had great results using the Spicy Ginger Cello to marinade a pork chop!

S: With friends. I love people and I love when they are happy. It's cool when people are able to honestly say "I love it" and be happy and proud of you and really want your product. I've brought it to parties for friends and had more than one person approach me and say, "are you the liqueur lady? I really want to taste it. I've heard amazing things." I suggest you try it any and every way.

What makes LOFT Liqueurs great?

L: First and foremost, they taste incredible. We are the first certified organic liqueur in the U.S. We sweeten them with low-glycemic agave nectar. We use only fresh fruit or botanicals from small independent farms. We handcraft in small batches. The flavors are unique (and delicious): lemongrass, spicy ginger and lavender. We use no additives, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors. And we use tree-free bamboo paper labels, biodegradable inks and boxes made from recycled materials.

What would most surprise people about LOFT Liqueurs?

L: I posed this question to a couple of friends and they said they were surprised as to how smooth our drink is compared to, say, most limoncellos. There are a couple of reasons for that. One, we brought the alcohol down a few points to let the flavor of the fruit or botanical shine through. Second, we're the first in the U.S. to use a new technology called Evolution. It's been used for a few years in Japan with sake and shochu but we've had it approved for use here. Basically it rearranges the water molecules to smooth the bite of the alcohol and enhance the flavor.

S: The mouth-watering good taste. No, really, it tastes so good. Up until now I thought organic and that translated into "healthy" but that didn't conjure up images of farm fresh produce or just picked botanicals. In my old way of thinking an organic orange tasted the same as a regular orange but it didn't have the chemicals that hurt the earth and it cost more. So my reason to buy the organic orange (even though it was more expensive) wasn't taste-motivated but planet-motivated. With LOFT you get great tasting, earth-friendly, exotic flavors and you support one of the only female-owned spirit businesses in the U.S. We're a small company, we caringly handcraft every batch, we're fun.

What other natural food producer(s) do you really admire?

L: I love Cowgirl Creamery. If I could make a cheese liqueur I would - I know it sounds weird and crazy, but just maybe� I've seen squid ink used in cocktails, so you never know. Also in my liqueur quest I discovered Equator Coffees in San Rafael, California. They do incredible organic and fair trade coffees and teas.

S: Yummy - Ben and Jerry's Organic Ice Creams. Dreamy - Cowgirl Creamery cheese. Yeah to anyone who makes products thinking about great taste, the consumer, the environment and a good time.

What's your favorite natural food product other than your own?

L: It's really hard to pick one product. I'll just say that I have a renewed respect for any company willing to go through the difficulty and expense of the organic certification process. We only use four ingredients and our application was over 100 pages. So my hat's off to anyone who's done it! It really shows a commitment to wanting to make a good natural product.

What's next on the horizon for you and LOFT Liqueurs?

L: Our first three flavors available are Lavender, Lemongrass and Spicy Ginger. However to date I have tried making liqueurs with over 40 different fruits and botanicals including some herbs such as basil and lemon verbena. I have 15 or so viable flavors and would love to produce them all, but in the meantime we hope to do some seasonal flavors such as tangerine later in the winter and perhaps blueberry in the summer.

S: An endorsement from George Clooney (or at least drinks). No, really- I do want to have drinks with Clooney with my husband- and I believe, more importantly, that people (including George) will love LOFT because it really tastes great and it's chemical free. I hope that LOFT will be a big hit and we can launch exciting seasonal flavors like tangerine. I look forward to people being excited that I am sharing LOFT (the truth) and not fearing that I am trying to sell them anything.

Where can people find LOFT Liqueurs?

L: Full bottles can be purchased online at from Mondo Liquor or at Ledger's Liquors in Berkeley, California. We just launched so we're still working on getting wider distribution, but for the moment any bar, restaurant or liquor store in California or New York can buy from me directly. Consumers can find us in a few restaurants in San Francisco including Jardiniere, Americano, and Kuleto's (who, by the way, has a separate all-organic drink menu). A list of where to buy can be found on our website and will be updated often.

www.loftliquors.com

Comments (4) | May 25 - 6:16 PM

category: Gift Ideas, Interviews/Profiles, New Products, Organic Wine / Beer