For being the shortest month of the year, February holds a surprising amount of celebrations — Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl, and, of course, Black History Month. During this time, it’s easy to look for black-owned businesses to support and feature. But these brands often have an extra level of care taken with the products, to make them stand out against the competition. With so many other events that could call for an alcoholic beverage this month, here are some Black-owned alcohol brands that you can support this February and year-round.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
The first major American spirit company to be led and founded by a Black woman, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is one of the fastest growing whiskey brands of all time. The brand was inspired by Nearest Green, a former enslaved person who mentored Jack Daniels himself. Fawn Weaver, the founder and CEO, works with an impressive team, including Green’s own great great-granddaughter, to make smooth, award-winning whiskeys.
Black Momma Vodka
Another milestone creator, Black Momma Vodka’s founder, Vanessa Braxton, is the first African-American master distiller and master blender in New York State. Her flavors are creative, featuring options I would never even think to make into a vodka, such as Chai and green tea. The specific formula is perfected through five rounds of distillation and filtration.
Harlem Haberdashery Bespoke Spirits
One of the more unique options on this list, this spirit brand is the brainchild of a fashion brand. That’s right — not just a haberdashery in name, the brand started with a focus on designer fashion. They expanded into liquor too, inspired by the flavors of the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Haberdashery offers vodka, gin, and rum in their collection.
LS Cream Liqueur
Many of these brands have direct connections to the founders’ personal cultures, and LS Cream Liqueur is no different. These cordials come from the tradition of Haitian cremas, a beverage used for many traditional celebrations in the country. Founding couple Myriam Jean-Baptiste and Stevens Charles missed this drink in the United States, so they decided to launch their own brand, based off of Charles’ late grandmother’s own recipe.
Grown Folks
The creator of Grown Folks, Danica Dias, had over 20 years of experience in the food, beverage and hospitality business before creating Grown Folks. As a member of a large Louisiana Creole family, she wanted to make alcoholic beverages that spoke to her culture, thus developing these soul food-inspired seltzers. Their three flavors are ambrosia, key lime, and peach cobbler.
Saint Liberty Whiskey
While alcohol can now be enjoyed by anyone 21 and over, Prohibition once prevented all alcohol sales in the United States. Saint Liberty is inspired by many of the female “bootleggers” during this period who operated their own alcohol businesses and home speakeasies. Each whiskey is named after one of these industrious women, such as Bertie’s Bear Gulch Bourbon, after Bertie Brown, or Josephine’s Flathead River Rye, named for Josephine Doody.
Abisola Whiskey
Characterized as whiskey for the new era of whiskey drinkers, Abisola tries to produce a whiskey that anyone can enjoy. Abisola is also the name of the founder, who has felt left out of the traditional whiskey-drinking community. The drink blends both bourbon and malt whiskey, creating a reportedly rich and layered flavor.
Highway Vodka
Texas’ first Black-owned distillery, this is the first vodka to be made from hemp seeds in the country with mainstream distribution. Childhood friends Ben Williams and Wendell Robbins had practiced experimental distilling for years before deciding to launch their own brand with these techniques. The recipe is simple, but perfected.
Matugga Rum
As opposed to many of these other brands, Matugga has global reach. Based in the UK, made in Scotland, and showcasing many East African flavors, Matugga aims to produce artisan rums with a unique authenticity. Their flavors are varied, from coffee and chocolate to passionfruit and pineapple.
Mascota Tequila
Possibly the cutest brand on this list, Mascota Tequila was created to raise awareness for pet adoption and animal shelters. The bottles reflect this, each made to look like a specific bulldog that the flavor of tequila is inspired by. A portion of their profits are donated to animal shelters, giving back to the adorable dogs represented on their bottles.