Central Standard Celebrating 414 Day With Free Brandy Old-Fashioned Cocktails April 14

Step aside $4.14 prices. Central Standard Craft Distillery will honor Milwaukee and bring to life the company’s “Crafted to Gather” mantra when co-founders Evan Hughes and Pat McQuillan offer everyone their first Brandy Old Fashioned cocktail featuring Central Standard’s North Wisconsin brandy free on April 14.

“There’s no better way to honor and celebrate all that Milwaukee is than by raising a locally made cocktail crafted with brandy from a local Milwaukee company,” McQuillan said. “On 414 Day, every Milwaukeean is a VIP and we can’t wait to give everyone their first Brandy Old Fashioned cocktail free on Friday, April 14.”

The special 4.14 Day happy hour will be at Central Standard’s Crafthouse & Kitchen, 320 E. Clybourn St. in downtown Milwaukee, on April 14 from 4:14 – 5:30 p.m.

“This our little way of saying ‘thank you’ to all the people who make our city great,” Hughes said. “Every Milwaukeean deserves a free cocktail and a little gratitude this April 14.”

Hughes and McQuillan have a simple agenda this 414 Day: Encourage folks to sample and drink local, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because locally made spirits taste best.

“When we ask, people share that they often order the same old brandy in their old Fashioned because that’s just what they’ve always done,” McQuillan added. “When they taste ours, they’re floored by the flavor. That’s our simple ask: Next time you order an Old Fashioned, give our North Wisconsin brandy a try as we’ll put the taste of it up against any competitors from across the country or around the world.”

In August 2019, Hughes and McQuillan opened the Crafthouse & Kitchen, the Midwest’s first new urban distillery and restaurant. The distillery’s new home, complete with a tasting room, tour operation, restaurant, private events space, and rooftop patio, replaced the formerly vacant Wisconsin Leather Building, which was built in 1874 and remains one of the oldest structures in downtown Milwaukee. In addition, the 11,700-square-foot, three-story Crafthouse & Kitchen houses a 100-gallon pot still that will produce all spirits served and sold on site.

Central Standard Craft Distillery, a small batch, craft distillery in Milwaukee and the fastest-growing top-10 Wisconsin-based distiller, handcrafts award-winning spirits from locally sourced ingredients. Founded in 2014, Central Standard spirits have won 40 medals across multiple categories for their craft distilling.

“For us, it’s not about the awards or accolades,” McQuillan explained. “It’s about making the best-tasting craft spirits with the finest ingredients that bring to life the outdoor lifestyle of the Midwest.”

Central Standard’s portfolio of premium spirits* includes Red Cabin Bourbon, Door County Cherry Vodka, and North Wisconsin Brandy. Door County Cherry Vodka is a blend of Central Standard’s award-winning 100% handcrafted vodka infused with Door County cherries, which are mellowed with a touch of local-harvested, fresh honey. North Brandy, which is handmade in small batches and aged for a minimum of two years, is finished in Central Standard bourbon barrels.

Red Cabin Bourbon is aged to perfection and then finished in California Cabernet wine barrels. Thanks to the red-wine-barrel-finishing, Red Cabin Bourbon – which won a Gold Medal at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits competition in 2019, delivers a complex-yet-approachable taste.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.