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Jan and Marsh Mukhtari thought they were living a California dream. Jan has served as the multi-award winning creative director for some of the biggest brands in the world, and Marsh has hosted food and adventure shows on the Nat Geo, Travel Channel, and Food Network. Despite their professional success, they planted new seeds GeneOngoing project during family vacation along Big SurThe iconic coast. With a few distilleries already operating at California, They saw their opportunity to create a unique California spirit that brings joy to others and supports sustainable causes – and perhaps in the process they build something that will make their daughters proud.
“It’s funny that we started a distillery to make our kids proud, but that’s exactly what happened,” Jan says of what became the Golden State distillery. The relationship between sunny California and the blues associated with traditional British spirit may not seem clear at first glance. However, Marsh argues that “there is one soul that embodies the entire state of California – it’s gin,” citing a unique flavor based on “those beautiful plants,” which can be distilled from the entire Golden State.
The couple clung to the prospect and sold their home to launch the distillery, as Jan said, “Just take small little steps, every day, to show it happening.” To learn the distinct art of gin distillation in California, Marsh had to get out of the state, and travel the world to study the craft, while Jan focused on improving his branding, eventually landing on his name: Gray Whale Gin.
“We thought that if we were to create a spirit that says, ‘I love you, California, let’s call it Gray Will Jane,’ ” Jan says,” It’s a celebration of both this beautiful state and the majestic creature that literally embraces the entire coast. “
Fulfilling this initial promise to promote sustainability and make their children proud, Jan and Marsh focused on making a meaningful impact for the gray whales. This includes regular donations to both of them Oceana And the 1% for the planetAs well as partnering with Oceana In a special initiative to successfully ban floating gillnets off the coast of California – a major threat to the migration journey of gray whales and their calves.
The migration journey itself served as the inspiration for what goes on inside each bottle. Each of the six botanicals offers a unique taste of California and is sustainably sourced from organic farms or wild harvesting along the gray whale migration path.
Juniper berries are searched from the rugged coast of Big Sur, Spruce needles bring the freshness of Northern California’s coastal pine trees and Kombu Seaweed adds a hint of Pacific mist in every bottle. Gray Whale Gin also leans into the proud agricultural history of California with a smooth infusion of fresh lemon, mint, and almonds.
It took seven years to perfect this distilled recipe, 152 batches and countless tasting sessions. The end result is gin that smells refreshing on your nose and leaves your palate with a silky smooth finish – the perfect California spirit from start to finish. Their efforts have paid off with numerous accolades and positive recognition from the industry.
Here’s how you can take advantage of everything they learned along the way with a few of Jan and Marsh’s favorite gin cocktail recipes.
Three refreshing gin drinks with a California twist.
Oceanside
“Like Eastsider, it’s an incredibly refreshing mint and lemonade drink served in a tall Collins cup. But this pretzel is simple, which adds a bit of ocean flavor and lifts up some plants. It’s really something you’ll want to drink throughout the lovely summer months, but it’s great all year long.” . Selected Sprinkler
Ingredients:
+ 2 oz gin
+ .75 oz plain salted
+ .75 oz of lime
+ 6 mint leaves
Soda water
directione:
Combine mint, lemon juice, gin and simple salted in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake for 3 to 4 seconds. Lay it over fresh ice in a Collins cup, garnish with soda and decorate with the bunch of mint.
Gold State Gemlet
“It’s a bit more than a cocktail of wine and Chareau Aloe Liqueur adds a level of mint. The ideal sour is lemonade and gin, but we use lemonade and gin and charu. It’s a very small amount of Chareau, which is this lovely California soul, but it’s great.” Marshlands
Ingredients:
+ 2 ounces of gray whale gin
+ .75 oz lemon juice
+ .5 Parts Chareau Aloe Liqueur
+ .5 parts simple syrup
directione:
Shake all ingredients together and strain into a chilled coupe cup. Decorate with the scent of lemon.
Hello Pisces there
“We call it summer in a cup.” It’s very similar to this skinny margarita recipe, so it’s a lemonade, lime, aloe vera, and gray whale juice. The plants really turned out because the recipe is very simple and feels like you’re sitting by the ocean, on the beach. It is a favorite of the crowd, we have it in every event. ” – Jean Mokhtari
Ingredients:
+ 2 part of the gin of a gray whale
+ 1/2 part fresh lemon juice
+ 1/2 part fresh lemon juice
+ 1/2 part aloe vera syrup
directione:
Add all ingredients in a blender, fill with ice and shake until blended. Lay it over fresh ice in a cup of rocks and garnish with lemon peel.
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