From Grapes and Grain with Ginny Sweeney

When we lived in Scottsdale, we were spoiled with a myriad of beer bottle shops to choose from. We lived close to several and became regulars. As a matter of fact, some of the bottle shop owners remain close friends to this day! In Naples we shopped at Total Wine & More a lot. When we moved to Santa Rosa, I was excited to explore all the great breweries in town, and was sure there was a good liquor store in town. There was… Bottle Barn!

You can find me in the beer aisle every couple weeks stocking up. A few months ago I got lost in the bourbon aisle and stumbled across a gin tasting. I love gin, so I stopped for a sample. Before long Ginny Sweeney and I were talking sharing stories and making plans for another tasting. That is what led to this conversation. The gin is unique, sold in wine bottles, and Ginny’s story is worth telling. When she’s not slinging drinks, she likes to ski with friends and family. This was a fun interview and I really enjoyed getting to know her. Without further adieu, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Ginny Sweeney, the Ginny behind Ginny’s Gin.

We first met at Bottle Barn. You were there doing a complimentary tasting. Do you do a lot of tastings around Sonoma County?
Yes! I do tastings at local liquor stores like Wilibees Wine & Spirits in Santa Rosa and Petaluma and Bottle Barn. I also go further afield to Mollie Stone’s Markets and Total Wine & More stores around the Bay Area. We also pour cocktails to support local charities including Redwood Empire Food Bank’s Empty Bowls fundraiser, NIMBASH and other local school fundraisers.

I love gin. My drink of choice is gin and diet tonic. How do you recommend folks enjoy Ginny’s Gin?
I would never presume to tell anyone how to enjoy Ginny’s Gin, but we do have sixty cocktail recipes on our website if imbibers would like to experiment. Back in England, my mother taught me the art of building a G & T and it was always with a lemon peel. If you’re watching calories, you can simply sip Ginny’s Gin over ice and really appreciate the ten different botanicals and its smooth, round, lush mouthfeel.

You have some creative craft cocktail recipes on your website. Tell me about some of those and are you adding new recipes to that list?
I’m a big fan of the French 75 when celebrating (gin and bubbly – two of my favorites together in one glass!) My husband, Rob, makes some amazing fizzes with egg whites and he’s an expert at ensuring that the cocktail is well balanced – he has a winemaker’s palate.

What sort of botanicals are you using to produce Ginny’s Gin?
Juniper, coriander, lemon peel, lemongrass, sagebrush, angelica root, orris root, licorice root, cubeb berries and grains of paradise.

How much does the gin cost and how do you decide what to charge for a bottle?
It appears on a retailer’s shelf at around $30. Even though it is a small batch, handcrafted gin, we wanted to bring it at an affordable price so more people could enjoy it.

Ginny’s Gin is distilled from grapes and grain. The gin is actually sold in wine bottles. Tell me more about the connection this spirit has to Wine Country.
The original recipe was created by five Sonoma County winemakers, so it seemed fitting to package Ginny’s Gin in a wine bottle – not only to honor their recipe, but to pay homage to its vineyard provenance.

I love the brand. The logo… The colors… The label! Who designed all of that? It fits the spirit perfectly!
It does, thank you! Lisa Hobro of Lisa Hobro Design designed the packaging – she’s amazing!

What bars and restaurants in the Bay Area are currently serving Ginny’s Gin?
We now have over 300 accounts – best way to find a location is to type in your zip code on the store locator map on our website.

I prefer dry London gin. I’ve been drinking the Kirkland gin from Costco, but it is more botanical. How would you describe Ginny’s Gin? Do you recommend people drink it neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail?
Ginny’s Gin is somewhere between a London dry and a more modern American gin. It’s complex with ten botanicals, but super approachable because it is so smooth and balanced. At 90 proof it is dangerously smooth. I recommend people experiment drinking Ginny’s in different ways, depending on mood and the time of year. Negroni or a toddy on a cold night, G & T with lots of ice on a hot summer’s day or a stiff martini after a challenging day at work. (Laughs.)

The gin has a lot of good reviews, but not everyone is going to like it. How do you respond to negative reviews?
“One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” I embrace it!

You have a mailing list on your website. How many email subscribers do you have and how often are you emailing people?
I tried to email once a month and then I just got crazy busy! Thank you for reminding me to send out a holiday email!

When you are drinking Ginny’s Gin, how are you enjoying it?
With friends and family!

You have a really nice video on your website. Who produced that and what other marketing are you doing to increase awareness?
Thank you! Ned Bonzi of Ned Bonzi Photography. We also post on Facebook and Instagram. We just signed up with Jamie Tobin of & Co. PR and she’s going to help us with PR. There have been several magazine articles written about Ginny’s, but we haven’t really focused on getting the story out there until now. Oh, and we are working on an ad for a truck wrap which will appear on two Young’s Market Company trucks – one in Sonoma and the other in Napa.

What’s next for Ginny’s Gin?
We are super excited for 2020! Building a brand in an authentic way takes time and we will continue to generate awareness by sharing our story and our gin with as many gin lovers as possible!

Thank you for doing this. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thank you for the opportunity, Ricky!

I am extremely grateful and honored to be involved in building a business that I am passionate about and want to thank our dear friends and investors in Ginny’s Gin, Amy and Jeff Kloes, for making that possible. I also want to thank my husband, Rob, and our sons for putting up with my workaholic tendencies! Here’s to working hard and having fun with it. Cheers!

Ginny’s favorite thing to do when not working is to ski with family and friends and sometimes that includes getting silly and drinking from a shotski! Here are some fun photos Ginny was nice enough to share with us. Enjoy!