Jason F.
Yelp
When business owners successfully achieve their dream like husband and wife team Joshua and Sarah Opatz have done so with artisan craft distillery Young & Yonder Spirits in Healdsburg, then they have to be celebrated in every way possible. Located in a warehouse area near downtown Healdsburg with the epicenter of wine country that is Sonoma County as their backdrop, Young & Yonder Spirits produces organic craft spirits and cocktails, which sets them apart from all of the wineries and wine tasting rooms that dot the valley. Started a decade ago in a small warehouse in nearby Cloverdale, the Opatz's began their distilling journey by being a hobby and that interest eventually turned into a passion, learning about distilled spirits production, even though they had careers in nearby San Francisco. In 2017 they would move to their current home, a large tasting room and production facility in Healdsburg, where they continue to innovate, all the way from grain to their bottle by utilizing novel techniques to create everything from distilled vodka, gin, whiskeys, absinthe and amaro that any cocktail lover would enjoy. I had previously discovered Young & Yonder Spirits through a special event that was personally hosted by owners Joshua and Sarah in which we received a tour of their distillery and sat down to a liqueur tasting and pairing event in their massive warehouse space which also serves as a bar and lounge area and thought this would be a great place to sit back and relax with a cocktail in hand before a nice lunch or dinner at one of downtown's Healdsburg's chic restaurants.
I finally got that opportunity thanks to a friend who caught wind of another event that Young and Yonder was hosting this past winter in which they partnered with another local vendor, in this case Healdsburg Bagel Company and served two of their fabulous cocktails handcrafted with their organic liqueur that were perfect for brunch. My friend and I were sold when we found out that they were offering when we found out that the cocktails that they were serving were their Irish Coffee made with bourbon, coffee, sugar and cream, and their Bloody Mary Bar which featured either their classic vodka or their lime vodka, and all of the traditional fixings that would make their eyeopener pack a certain punch. Plus they also had mocktails available for those who didn't want to partake in the libations of the afternoon. Clearly we weren't the only ones who were interested in this fantastic event that lured in both club members and newcomers alike as when my friend and I arrived their entire space was packed with customers. But we didn't panic that there would be no room for us, as the staff at Young & Yonder Spirits smartly put out a few more stools for us to put our cocktails and food on, so we could take everything in. And what we did take in were their fabulous cocktails handcrafted down to the detail at their bar area, as my Irish Coffee was a warm delight with enough froth to coated the back of my throat just the way I like it, and my friend loved playing Bloody Mary maker with their festive build your own cocktail bar.
These libations were more than enough but we also had three varieties of bagels to choose from as well. Credit for those must go to the team at Healdsburg Bagel Company for putting out such a delightful spread of Mini bagels topped with house made schmear, house cured lox, red onion and dill garnish; Pastrami on Rye with house made rye bread, topped with house made pastrami, deli mustard and pickled red beet cabbage garnish; and my personal favorite their Mini Spinach and Mushroom Knishes made with organic mashed potatoes, caramelized shallots, mushrooms, spinach and served with all of the horseradish aioli that anyone could spread over your entire plate. My only caveat would be that the latter bagel would have tasted amazing when served warmed up. When combined with the Bloody Mary's and Irish Coffees, we were floating in brunch cocktail heaven, much of which had to due to the precise cocktail making that the hardworking staff at Young and Yonder were doing all morning long. But the staff managed to adapt to everything that was thrown their way by even creating some outdoor seating right in front of their entrance to accommodate the amount of people that kept flowing in and out. We were lucky enough to eventually sit down in their chic tasting lounge where brown suede chairs made us feel at home as we continued to work our way through our drinks and bagel nibbles. I certainly hope Young & Yonder Spirits plans more of these events in the future because it was a fun way to be reintroduced to their classic cocktails and lively ambience, and all sold at a reasonable price of 40 dollars a person. One day I will return to Young & Yonder Spirits to savor a Modern G&T, made with their H.O.B.S. Gin, nosh on a variety of peanuts they have, and revel in the simple pleasure of a classic bar snack with a classic cocktail all in one place.
