Hangar 1 Mandarin Blossom Vodka

Mandarin orange blossoms are incredibly fragrant and provide a delicate intensity that suggests the experience of peeling a fresh mandarin. 40% abv one evening we were walking to the laundromat and the aroma from a neighbor’s orange tree was so arresting that we found ourselves sniffing for the good part of an hour. The perfume was extraordinary. We tried distilling the fruit but the acids in the juice were unstable so we thought: let’s use the flowers. Since we only pick at the height of bloom we’re constantly battling time and the elements. The complex floral aroma is always worth the trouble though and much more.