“For years I would reminisce about a spirit I had tried on a movie set in Eastern Europe in the late 1970s,” says actor Matthew Arkin, Co-Founder and CEO of Batch 22, and son of Academy Award-winning Alan Arkin. “I would search liquor stores and taste all kinds of spirits, but never found anything that replicated the elixir I remembered.
During the onset of the pandemic, I spent hours in my Los Angeles kitchen trying to create a recipe that would approximate the drink I recalled loving so much. Eventually, I perfected the Batch 22 recipe with my two best friends and co-founders, Bruce Glassman and Marc Marosi. They each brought their expertise and passion to the project and helped to develop the final prototype batch, which was, in fact, the 22nd recipe.”
The idea behind Batch 22 was to create something that inhabits a category all on its own. The ingredients found in classic aquavit – anise, fennel and cumin— were overpowering and unappealing to Matthew, Bruce, and Marc, so they crafted a spirit that would be complex, yet approachable.
Batch 22 is available at select distributors across Southern California and available nationwide for purchase online.
GSN’s Remarks: A much lighter and less aggressive aquavit with notes of orange and lemon peel. In some ways this is more akin to a gin that has a soft touch of cumin. The anise and fennel, if they were used at all, are barely there. Despite the golden color of the spirit, they’ve opted to add caramel coloring, so you’re not getting any effect of wood aging. Overall, this one is definitely easy to drink, and makes for a great addition to your back bar for use in creative cocktails. GSN Rating: B+
For more information go to: Drink Batch 22
#batch22
Good Spirits News 