DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Durham Distillery, the renowned creator of award-winning Conniption Gin, today announced a strategic leadership evolution to support its sustained growth trajectory and ambitious market aspirations. Co-founder and Master Distiller Lee Katrincic has been promoted to President, while co-founder Melissa Katrincic continues her role as CEO, where she will remain focused on steering the company's long-term strategic vision. This leadership transition underscores Durham Distillery's commitment to establishing Conniption Gin as a top 3 best-selling U.S. gin brand within the next 24 months. Melissa Katrinic Lee Katrinic   The leadership realignment comes as Conniption Gin builds momentum as a premier player in the super-premium gin category. Recent achievements include:   Official partnerships with the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, further integrating Conniption Gin into high-profile entertainment experiences.   Collaboration with The James Beard Foundation, supporting their Women's Leadership Program to champion the next generation of female hospitality and culinary leaders.   Ongoing relationship with Walt Disney World's Epcot Festival of the Holidays, where Conniption Gin will again feature in a signature cocktail for thousands of attendees. "Melissa and I founded Durham Distillery with a shared dream of putting American gin on the global map," said Lee Katrincic, President. "This new role allows me to focus on scaling our operations and ensuring production efficiencies while working closely with our sales team to drive expansion in our growth markets." Melissa Katrincic emphasized the company's enduring focus on innovation and excellence: "Our vision has always been to craft a modern, unrivaled gin portfolio that reshapes the perception of American gin. With Lee stepping into this expanded role, we are fortifying our leadership team to ensure preparedness for the future. This move supports our strategic growth goals and positions us strongly as we look ahead to celebrating Conniption Gin's 10th anniversary in 2025." As CEO, Melissa will remain dedicated to executing the company's strategic growth initiatives, overseeing market expansion, and building upon the compound growth Conniption Gin has achieved in recent years. Meanwhile, Lee will apply his expertise as Master Distiller to drive operational excellence, enhance production processes, and support key sales initiatives that reinforce the brand's position in major markets such as New York, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C. With this enhanced leadership structure, Conniption Gin is poised to continue its exceptional trajectory, marked by double-digit growth in sales and depletions, expanding its footprint in major markets, and cultivating consumer loyalty through standout collaborations. Conniption Gin is available in NC, SC, GA, VA, MD, Washington D.C., TN, FL, NY, NJ, CO, IL, and MA, with further expansion on the horizon. It is also available on conniptiongin.com. Beyond gin, the distillery produces DAMN FINE Liqueurs, Cold Distilled Cucumber Vodka, and a line of canned Conniption Cocktails. Expanding its presence, Durham Distillery opened its on-site Corpse Reviver Cocktail Bar in 2020 and will debut Conniption Cocktails and Cuisine at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in 2025. For more information, visit www.conniptiongin.com and www.durhamdistillery.com. Follow @ConniptionGin and @DurhamDistillery on social media. Media Contact: Taylor Foxman 609-432-2237 387001@email4pr.com SOURCE Durham Distillery

Cocktail enthusiasts have been sipping Aviations for over a century. The drink’s origins are said to date to 1916 when bartender Hugo Ensslin published Recipes for Mixed Drinks and featured a drink made with one-third lemon juice, two-thirds gin, two dashes of maraschino liqueur, and two dashes of crème de violette.  The lilac-hued drink follows the formula of a classic sour cocktail, made with gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur for sweetness, and crème de violette for added sweetness and color. How to Make a Classic Aviation Cocktail The Aviation is a delicate dance between bright lemon, perfumed violet, and fruit-forward maraschino, but gin remains the base component of the drink. We consulted with bartenders from around the country to weigh in on their favorite gins to use in this classic.  01of 08 Conniption Navy Strength Gin Food & Wine / Conniption Gin Durham Distillery’s navy-strength version of their American-style Conniption gin comes in at a bold 57% ABV. This high-proof spirit is packed with complex botanicals, including coriander, cucumber, and juniper. Durham Distillery vacuum distills and traditionally distills botanicals into their gins to maximize flavor. “I like this bottle’s complexity compared to other navy strength gins,” says Jordan Joseph, the bar director for Raleigh, North Carolina’s Crawford Hospitality, which includes Sous Terre, Brodeto, Crawford and Son, and Jolie. “It’s truly singular, with a lot of fruit and cardamom notes that play really nicely with the florals in an Aviation.” When making his Aviation, Joseph likes to go lighter on the maraschino and crème de violette.  “A traditional Aviation recipe will tell you to use at least a half ounce of maraschino, which is way too much,” says Joseph. “I also like to add simple syrup and saline for balance, which allows the floral notes of the gin to shine though, and helps the cocktail not taste like a bathroom air freshener.” 02of 08 Kakira Gin Food & Wine / Kakira Spirits “My go-to gin for an Aviation, and really any gin drink, is Kakira,” says Chase Lanier, beverage manager of Sorry Charlie’s in Savannah, Georgia. “It’s an African dry gin with an awesome story.”  Kakira’s gin is born from excess sugar cane waste. The sugar cane grown on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda is upcycled, fermented, and then distilled with estate-grown botanicals like ginger, coriander, lemongrass, and juniper. Profits from the gin are earmarked for wildlife rehabilitation and water conservation. “It has unique botanicals that make it stand out among others,” says Lanier. “For an Aviation, it plays with the other components perfectly, creating a light, yet floral, balanced cocktail.” 03of 08 Monkey 47 Food & Wine / Black Forest Distillers To make this bartender-beloved German gin, the producers use 47 different botanicals, including lingonberry, lavender, almond, sage, spruce, and cinnamon, harvested almost entirely in the Black Forest. Rob McShea, the beverage director at Cococabana at The Brick Hotel in Oceanside, California, likes to amp up the botanical profile by infusing the gin with butterfly pea flower. “It provides the classic violet hue while giving a complex palate of botanicals that mix incredibly well,” he says.  If you prefer your drink slightly sweeter, McShea recommends adding a dash of simple syrup. 04of 08 Gray Whale Gin Food & Wine / Gray Whale Gin Jerry Skakun, who runs the beverage operations at Vistal at the InterContinental San Diego, is based in California, so he gravitates to West Coast bottles for his Aviation variation. “I love Gray Whale Gin, which is distilled and bottled in Sebastopol,” he says. “The gin uses an array of California botanicals offering a unique set of flavor profiles ideal for blending and making cocktails.”  The botanicals used are based on the migration path of the gray whale, who travel 12,000 miles from the warm waters of the Baja Peninsula up to the Arctic during their migratory period. The gin leans on juniper from Big Sur, bright citrus from Baja, California, kombu from the Mendocino coast, and fir from Sonoma Valley. 05of 08 Jin Jili Food & Wine / High Road Spirits, LLC “When a guest asks for an Aviation, I view it as an invitation for me to play around with other flavors beyond the classic,” says Paresh Patel, the co-owner and beverage director of Besharam in San Francisco. “I have found a gin from India that is very smooth called Jin Jili. It pulls on all of the classic flavors of a juniper-forward gin, but highlights a special blend of botanicals — wild Himalayan juniper, Tulsi leaf, chamomile flowers, cashew nut, and black tea.” 06of 08 Bombay Sapphire Food & Wine / Bombay Sapphire Izler Thomas, head mixologist at Tiya in San Francisco, prefers Bombay Sapphire for his Aviations. “It has a well-balanced blend of botanicals, including coriander, angelica root, and juniper,” he says. “These spices contribute to a complex profile that complements the classic ingredients of the Aviation, enhancing the overall depth of maraschino cherry along with crème de violette.”  To boost the overall flavors in the drink, Thomas likes to add lavender tincture as well as a citrus pickle brine to his Aviation. 07of 08 Plymouth Gin Food & Wine / Plymouth Gin “I love Plymouth in an Aviation because of its bright citrus notes,” says Jonathan Brasher, the front-of-house manager at Alabama-based Tre Luna Bar and Kitchen and Tre Luna Catering.  Plymouth gin is a unique category of gin made in Plymouth, a town on the Southern coast of England. It’s softer than London Dry gins and puts more of a focus on citrus and earthiness — excellent for a hyper-aromatic drink like the Aviation.  In Brasher’s rendition, he adds a pinch of salt to subdue the sweetness and enhance the bright flavors in the drink. 08of 08 Nolet’s Food & Wine / Nolet Distillery “I typically like to reach for a gin with a bit more proof when making an Aviation,” says Tyler Faust, the bartender at The Citizen in Alys Beach, Florida. “At 47% ABV, Nolet’s has been a go-to pick for this cocktail. It’s at the right ABV to cut through when mixed, and their unique botanical blend has more floral notes, which complement the violette without being overpowering.”  The Netherlands-made gin features Turkish rose, white peach, and raspberry. To balance out the higher alcohol, Faust adds a bar spoon of rich simple syrup. “It helps round out the drink and accentuate the floral flavors.”

For regulars at Jianna, a well-loved Italian spot tucked against Greenville, South Carolina’s Reedy River, there’s an unspoken menu hack: an order of “the purple drink,” aka Respect Your Elders, which mixes violet-hued gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and tonic water. The floral cocktail  was a short-lived star at the bar before moving off the menu. “To this day we still receive regular requests for it, and we’re always happy to oblige,” writes Andrea S. Royko, managing partner and general manager at Jianna and contributor to chef Michael Kramer’s new cookbook, Jianna. The drink gets its splash of color from Conniption Kinship gin, crafted in Durham, but Empress gin works as an alternative.      Ingredients Respect Your Elders (YIELD: 1 cocktail) 1½ oz. Conniption Kinship gin 1 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice Splash of tonic water 1 sprig rosemary (for garnish) Preparation Add gin, elderflower liqueur, and lemon juice to a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and top with tonic water. Garnish with rosemary. By Gabriela Gomez-Misserian Recipe by Andrea S. Royko JIANNA Copyright © 2024 Michael Kramer. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Andrew Cebulka. Published in the United States by Story Farm.