North Bay Woman

F A L L 2 0 1 7 | NORTH BAY WOMAN 41 Ashby Marshall creates small batch vodka, gin, sloe gin and whiskey at Spirit Works Distillery in Sebastopol, crafted from organic and local, non-GMO ingredients. Marshall and her husband, Timo, manage a handful of staff, a tasting room and a distillery at the Barlow, an artisan complex comprising boutiques, restaurants, brew- eries and wineries. They've been working together since the day they met at sea — on a research vessel for an environmental nonprofit. "So this is nothing new to us," shares Marshall, on the two working together on a daily basis. She credits the couple's professional success to their closeness and awareness of one another's strengths. "This means that when a new project comes up we know which one of us will do each part as we both have different strengths," she shares. This was put to the test when the cou- ple started Spirit Works in 2011. Their first venture into small business, they under- stood distilling but not everything else. "But that also meant that we put our hands up any time we didn't know anything," Marshall shares, and together they would seek the help they needed to ensure their business thrived. Since Spirit Works' beginning, the dis- tillery has always had a female production team and head distiller, which Marshall says was unintentional, despite working in an industry creating spirits that historically were made by men, for men. "The quality of the spirits we produce speak volumes for themselves," says Marshall. "Sure, there is a little bit of a boys club within the distilling community but nothing we haven't overcome with experience, knowledge and creativity." Spirit Works Manhattan 2 ounces Spirit Works Distillery Rye Whiskey 1 ounces Spirit Works Distillery Sloe Gin 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters 1 Maraschino cherry Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir until very cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cherry. The first distillery in Napa since the Pro- hibition Era, Napa Valley Distillery offers a retro cocktail experience carefully curated and crafted by Lusine "Lulu" Hartunian and her husband, Arthur. Founded in 2009, the couple operate their distillery in downtown Napa, complete with an art deco speakeasy, and a tasting salon and and vintage bar shop in the Oxbow Mar- ket. They offer tastings of their craft bour- bon, gin, brandy and bottled cocktails, alongside all the tools to make a great cocktail: bitters, shrubs and bar tools. "The strengths we have as a couple operating a business together is never doubting one another's ideas," says Hartunian about working alongside her husband to operate not only the distillery, but their epicurean boutique, Napastäk. "We focus on watching each other's back and move forward with our plans," she says. "We're a team and we don't allow anything to hold us back." Hartunian finds empowerment in their business relationship that she shares fre- quently with the couple's three children: "A tree stands straighter and stronger with strong roots to hold it up." She says that while their daily lives are at times hectic, she works on balancing her work and life by knowing what her priorities are and keeping positive. "That has been the key to my success." Napa Valley Distillery 'The Spiked Nog' 2 ounces Napa Valley Distillery's Brandy Cordial 2 ounces eggnog Garnished with pumpkin spice sprinkled on top Combine Brandy Cordial and egg nog in a mixing glass and gently stir and pour into a mugged glass. Sprinkle with pump- kin spice. Serve on ice if you wish it cold. A place to taste Sonoma Coast Spirits in Petaluma. Owners Doug and Jill Olson started the company after popularity rose with Jill Olson's Lemon Drop martinis. – Photo courtesy of Sonoma Coast Spirits

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