The Hollister family’s history in Santa Barbara goes back to 1866, when Colonel William Welles Hollister moved to town and took over large parts of the Gaviota Coast. His great-great-grandson Clinton Kyle Hollister is writing his own unique chapter today by producing one of the few Central Coast vermouths on the market.
“Landing in vermouth was an evolution,” said Hollister, who wanted to incorporate his family history and toyed with a wine brand at first. Then he met Bay Area vermouth producer Carl Sutton and became fascinated with herbally inflected, lower-alcohol beverage. “Vermouth, being a product of wine, spirit, and botanicals, seems to be the perfect fit for my family’s brand and a natural extension of his great-great-grandfather’s passion for horticulture,” explained Hollister, who works on the brand with his wife, Ashley Woods Hollister.
Here are three recipes to try on an autumnal afternoon while the sun sets.
BULITO BOULEVARDIER: 2 oz. of Glyph 85H Whiskey; 0.25 oz. of Bilardo Amaro; 0.5 oz. of TWHc Dry Vermouth; 0.5 oz. of Casoni Aperitivo 1814. Stirred.
ROSE GOLD NEGRONI: 1 oz. of Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice Gin; 1 oz. of Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro; 1 oz. of TWHc Dry Vermouth. Stirred; garnish with lime.
CLASSIC GOLDEN MANHATTAN: 2 oz. Glyph 85H Whiskey; 1 oz. TWHc Red Vermouth; a few dashes of Angostura Bitters. Stirred.