Standard Wormwood Distillery

About the Distillery

Standard Wormwood Distillery is a unique Brooklyn distillery and cocktail bar, which has chosen to build its entire bar on spirits and bitters produced on-site. With wormwood from its own farm in Orange County and a special distillation method, the place focuses on uncovering hidden flavor layers rather than adding standardized flavor profiles.

History

In 2006, the idea arose to reinvent classic spirits with the help of bitters, particularly wormwood. Over the years the team has experimented intensively with macerations, recipes, and a new way of integrating wormwood into distillation, a process they describe as capable of reducing bitterness and highlighting complexity. The work has led to an expanding range of homemade vermouths, aperitifs, amari, liqueurs, and bitters, and production is centered in Brooklyn, while wormwood is grown on the farm in Orange County.

Raw Materials and Production

The core of production is the cultivation of wormwood and a distillation method that integrates the plant directly into the process. Wormwood is used both as a bitter component and as a tool to shape the distillates' structure. The production includes hundreds of macerations, limited-release liqueurs, and a complete repertoire of vermouths, aperitifs, amari, liqueurs, and bitters produced in-house. These elements are primarily used in the bar's program, where each cocktail is built from the ground up with the venue's own distillates and infusions.

Whiskyer

Instead of a classic bottle assortment, Standard Wormwood offers a wide spectrum of their own spirits: distillates with wormwood, vermouths, aperitifs, amari, liqueurs, and bitters, as well as limited liqueurs and macerations. The products are part of an integrated bar program, where new and seasonal components are rolled into cocktails rather than presented as separate brands on the back bar.

Visit the Distillery

The distillery is open as a cocktail bar on several evenings per week with fixed opening hours from Wednesday to Sunday. The bar serves a seasonal cocktail menu based on ingredients from the farm, has live music on weekends, and takes reservations for larger groups of 13–40 people, as well as events and off-site bars. Contact can be made via email or phone for group bookings and special requests.

The stated opening hours are Wednesday 16:00-21:00; Thursday 16:00-22:00; Friday 16:00-23:00; Saturday 13:00-00:00; Sunday 13:00-20:00; Closed Monday-Tuesday.

Philosophy and Craft

The philosophy is to create spirits by working with bitters and the venue's own ingredients, particularly wormwood, and to let the farm's ingredients steer flavor development. The aim is to uncover and highlight flavor layers through distillation and maceration rather than masking them, and to produce all components in-house for full control over every ingredient.