By TR Robertson
The folks at Misadventure & Company like to say they are the first in the world to offer consumers the option of helping save the planet simply by having a drink. Sam Chereskin and Co-owner Whit Riguli formulated an idea over drinks in 2013 that would lead to years of study, investigation and construction of a distillery that would be producing vodka marketed as the world’s first carbon negative consumer good. Their distillery, Misadventure & Company, opened doors to the public, at 2420 Grand Ave. in Vista, on Sept. 10, 2019, remaining open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and still open today.
In a recent interview with Sam and with Romi Rossel, Content Marketing Manager, the unique process of producing their popular vodka, and the variety of cocktails the distillery offers, was outlined. The key to the business is wrapped in the Spirit of Sustainability. Sam referred to the company as a “sustainable distillery.” Forty per cent of America’s Food is wasted every year, meaning between 50-60 million tons of food never is eaten. A substantial portion of this involves baked goods. The usable starches from this bread can be converted into sugars that are then eaten by microscopic yeast and through the distilling process turned into alcohol. Romi said, “the distillery is big on building community connections and supporting other local businesses and non-profit organizations”. Part of this process is collaborating with other anti-waste organizations, such as Produce Good, Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative, San Diego Food Bank, Kitchens for Good, Sustainability is Sexy and others. Unused baked products from these groups are obtained to begin the fermentation process that will lead to the production of their vodka. Using the unused bread saves this product from adding to the landfills, where it would eventually turn into environmentally damaging gases mixed with the rest of the waste filling up the landfill space.
On the Misadventure website, the process is explained as using “batch distillation and carbon filtration on hand-built equipment to remove excess impurities and smooth out the flavor. The brewing and fermentation technique uses a bio-mimicry based approach to make sure the energy rich breads and pastries it uses are bio-available to be turned into ethanol in stills designed by the owners featuring multi-story equipment to produce ultra-high purity vodka.”
A tour of the distillery featured the unique and specially designed equipment, much of which was constructed by Sam and Whit. Sam said most of the distillery was built between 2018 and 2019. He designed the specially made IBC fermenters. He said he would ask people familiar with the project they were undertaking if what they had in mind was plausible, and if they did not say no, he would keep going. One large piece of equipment they were able to obtain was a machine that could quickly separate baked goods and pastries from their packaging, then reduce the size of the product to the size they needed for the distillation process. They obtained the machinery by competing for and being granted a $500,000 grant offered by the California EPA Climate Investment Fund.
The new machine, a Turbo Separator, can separate 10,000 pounds of individually wrapped product an hour. Another new piece of equipment that will eventually be online is a large bottling machine that will speed up their bottling process.
Like other distilleries and breweries around the country, during 2020 Misadventure turned their distilling process into making hand sanitizer. The distillery was featured on Channels CBS 8, KUSI, Fox 5 and NBC 7 during this time, as a business striving to keep open and help during the pandemic. Hand sanitizer is still available from Misadventure, but they have stopped producing the product.
Sam said one problem they are still dealing with, because of the COVID pandemic, is the incredible difficulty of obtaining glassware they used for the bottling of the vodka. Much of the glass bottles come from China and Mexico and the difficulty of getting their bottles in a timely manner, combined with their difficulty getting their orders filled, has played into their bottling process progressing. He said many of the companies are requiring orders 12 months in advance, which is not a viable process for their company to follow, leading the owners to produce creative ways to continue offering their vodka for the public.
People who visit the distillery will find a beautifully designed, calming atmosphere with comfortable leather chairs, uniquely designed wood paneling and shelving, with a speakeasy feel to the distillery. The designs, bar, lighting, paneling, and shelving and much more was a family and friends’ project. They are especially proud of being the runner-up for Best Cocktail and tying for Best Distillery in the ‘2020 San Diego Magazine’. Misadventure also won a Gold medal from the 2020 American Distilling Institute. There is no question this is a hidden gem in North County.
The wide variety of cocktails allowed their bartenders a chance to highlight their talents and show the different cocktails that can be enjoyed with vodka. Misadventure also offers other spirits as well as wine and two different local beers. They have an extensive cocktail menu online at www.misadventure.co/menu which lists cleverly designed cocktails ranging from effervescent cocktail High Balls to Direct Cocktails like Dirty Martini’s to Refreshing Cocktails with names like The Wade Boggs to Shadowridge Rickey. Prices range from $9-$13 per drink. They have a Lager and a Hazy IPA on tap and have other spirits available. A Sourdough bread from Black Hat Breads, served with oil and balsamic vinegar is available and occasionally food trucks provide other selections on Saturdays. Misadventure vodka can also be found in a number of restaurants throughout San Diego County as well as many liquor stores.
Sam wanted to point out how helpful the City of Vista was with the permitting process and business contacts. They feel their knowledgeable staff at the distillery, homelike feeling for patrons and environmentally conscious business structure makes Misadventure a place anyone who visits will want to return to over and over. Their Mission Statement is important for people to know – “Making sustainability both accessible and fun, then it can entice further participation in the sustainability movement.”
Misadventure is open from 5 pm until 10 pm Thursdays and 4 pm until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Bottle sales are available Monday through Thursday from 10 am until 6 pm by calling or e-mailing the company. Email is at info@misadventure.co or orders@misadventure.co. Call 760-216-6930 for more information or go to their website at www.misadventure.co.
Sam summed up the name and attitude of the company saying, “Misadventure is the celebration of the lessons learned from falling down, picking yourself up and trying again.”
