Tony's (Mostly) Whisky Corner: Ozark Mountain Daredevils Gin
courtesy Missouri Spirits
A classic London dry-styled gin from an unlikely collaboration
From Metallica’s Blackened American Whiskey to Hanson’s MmmHops beer, there’s no shortage of musicians looking to increase their revenue stream by putting their imprimatur on spirits. But one of the unlikeliest of the bunch is a London Dry-styled gin from a Missouri country-rock band who had their biggest hit single 45 years ago.
The band is the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, the hit single in question is “Jackie Blue” (a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, it’s considered a forerunner of the “yacht rock” genre), and the gin is The Ozark Mountain Daredevils Ozark Gin. The idea goes all the way back to the Daredevils’ first trip to London in 1973, when they recorded their first album with legendary producer Glyn Johns — and hit the pubs when they weren’t working. They discovered the joys of English beer, but also developed a lifelong love of British gin.
The band never thought of making their own booze until 2014, when they were approached by the owner of Springfield-based Missouri Spirits to collaborate on an Ozark Mountain Daredevils-branded liquor. “His first suggestion was moonshine,” says OMD founding member and resident gin enthusiast John Dillon. “He was pretty disappointed when we turned that idea down and suggested that we produce a good London Dry gin. He knew nothing about how to do that. Neither did we.”
The team, including fellow Daredevils Michael “Supe” Granda and Steve Cash (who died in October 2019), set out to produce a gin in the classic London Dry style that also included botanicals native to the Ozarks — namely elderflower, which comes from nearby Mount Vernon in Missouri. “It took a number of batches to get it right,” says Dillon. “We were drunk for months trying to figure this thing out.” Believing that vapor infusion was the best way to get the flavor they were looking for, they actually forged a Carter-head apparatus for the still. After months of testing, tasting, and tweaking, they settled on a final formula. “When we picked ourselves up off the floor,” Dillon says, “we were convinced we had created the best gin in the solar system.” They confirmed their belief with a series of blind taste tests with bigger name-brand gins, “all of which we slammed to the mat for a ten-count win,” he notes happily.
photo by Tony Sachs
Ozark Mountain Daredevils Ozark Gin ($34) definitely harkens back to classic London Drys like Beefeater, with whom it shares an ABV of 47%. Its backbone is solidly juniper but not overwhelmingly so, with a profile of 11 botanicals (they’re keeping the roster secret for now) making for an ample supporting cast. It’s one of those rare gins that’s actually enjoyable consumed neat, with a lively herbaceousness as well as juniper and lush chocolate notes. But it really shines in a Martini (Dillon recommends pairing it with Noilly Prat or Dolin vermouth) — the gin is dry, crisp and bracing, with light overtones of piney sweetness. It also holds its own in cocktails ranging from a gin & tonic (Dillon is a Fever Tree fan) to a Last Word.
Ozark Gin was launched last year in southwest Missouri, and is now available throughout the state through retailer Brown Derby. A deal with Drizly to get wider distribution is also in the works. Fans will recognize the bottle’s label, which is a throwback to the band’s eponymous 1973 debut album. But you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy the gin — although spinning one of their classic ‘70s albums while sipping a Martini or a G & T makes a tasty pairing.