Dancing Daughters, owners

Dancing Daughters

Lemon and whiskey are longtime pals, whether it’s whiskey sours or spiked fridge lemonade.

Now San Diego’s newest flavored-whiskey company Dancing Daughters has cut out the middleman. It started with co-founder Kelly Nolan, who would routinely squeeze lemon into her whiskey to help temper the burn. In mid-202 she, like the rest of the world, found themselves with more time to dabble and think beyond the week’s to-do’s. She decided to shake up her life and launch the combo as a standalone spirit.

Dancing Daughters

Dancing Daughters

She convinced her cousin Jessica Steelberg to join the career pivot (Nolan is a digital marketing professional, and Steelberg a former teacher). Dancing Daughters was the term used for certain women in the 1920s. Against societal norms of the time, these women (also known as flappers) entered the workforce, raised their hemlines, drove cars, and with the passage of the 19th Amendment, some were the first American women to vote. They were the archetypes for gender equality and freedom. In the 20s the world was also emerging from the Spanish Flu, which fits.

The cousins launched Dancing Daughters in April, and they hope to attract more women into the whiskey-curious fold. “The marketplace is very male-dominated and marketed toward men,” Nolan says.

Whiskey’s gender shift is happening. Women comprise 30 percent of the market, a jump from 15 percent in the 90s. And one BevMo spirits category leader told Beverage Industry Magazine Market Watch that sales for flavored whiskeys at the West Coast-based retailer were up 22.6 percent in 2020.

The Christy Cocktail

Dancing Daughters

As far as flavored whiskeys go, San Diego is becoming the epicenter. The movement is led by Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey (launched 2017), which started as a ragingly popular hand-mixed shot at O.B. Noodle House and is now one of the top-selling liquor brands in the U.S. In 2018, Julian Hard Cider founder Paul Thomas launched a chocolate-flavored whiskey called 8-Ball. Two years later, First Light Coffee Whiskey introduced a light roast and dark roast concept. Dancing Daughters’ lemon-flavored offering is produced at San Diego Distillery, and for now it seems to be the only locally produced citrus flavor in the category.

Anyone releasing a flavored whiskey unfailingly faces pushback; the entourage for whiskey (and especially bourbon) is especially rife with purists. Nolan and Steelberg take it in stride. “Jessica and I don’t come from a spirits background and are coming into the whiskey market with a flavored whiskey,” Nolan says. “There are some whiskey connoisseurs out there who take it very seriously, and we respect that. Their target audience is not our target audience.”

Like any small business, the hats are many and all are worn by both cousins. They’re the strategists, marketers, sales representatives, and administrative assistants. “My creative side that has been helpful as a teacher has also been good for this business,” says Steelberg, who helped design their label and website. Nolan’s experience in male-dominated industries, including sports and electrical marketing, also helps. “I’ve had enough experience to not be intimidated, to break through the noise and identify the value proposition,” she says.

The Helen Cocktail

Dancing Daughters

Last month, they inked their first statewide distribution deal with Total Wine & More. The retailer will carry Dancing Daughters throughout California, including its Carmel Mountain and Mission Valley locations. Readers can also find Dancing Daughters at select liquor stores including Royal Liquor in Encinitas, and Keg N Bottle in Rancho Santa Fe, La Jolla, and College Area. Currently, Sets restaurant in San Elijo Hills (they just launched live music on their patios on Fridays) is the only restaurant in the county pouring Dancing Daughters.

Their first batch is intentionally smooth and drinkable, a summertime spirit that’s sippable over ice or as a base for cocktails. I first tried it in a sparkling wine cocktail, found it surprisingly refreshing and sneakily boozy. I make a mental note to try it straight over ice next round.

“We really wanted to be accessible for people who aren’t used to the taste of and drinking whiskey,” Nolan says.

The post San Diego, The New Flavored Whiskey Capital appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

Tony Duquette Hutton Wilkinson Jewelry

1. More is More

This “Floral Wreath” Necklace is part of the all-jewelry ex- hibit, More is More: Tony Duquette Hutton Wilkinson Jewelry, opening at the Gemological Institute of America HQ in Carlsbad. The Duchess of Windsor (Wallace Simpson!) is said to have commis- sioned Duquette to create a wreath based on this one, making it accept- able to wear gold— not platinum—after 5 p.m. October 10–March 2014

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure San Diego

2. Powerful in Pink

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is big business. But instead of buying a pink lipstick, we’d rather get out in our city. A series of events benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego will take place throughout the month. The kick-off (October 5) is Bras Across the Bay and involves pink cocktails and live music aboard Flagship Cruise’s California Spirit. Other events range from Survivor Crop, a 24-hour scrapbooking party in Vista, to Row for the Cure, an annual regatta on Mission Bay, and culminate with the 17th annual Race for the Cure, November 3 in Balboa Park. Money raised goes to mammograms, surgeries, meal deliveries, and more in San Diego County. Don’t forget to wear pink.

Solid gold kero

3.The Sun God Drank Beer

Actually, his descendant, the leader of all the Inca, drank corn beer from this solid gold kero. As you’ll learn at the San Diego Museum of Man’s fascinating BEERology, beer dates back more than 10,000 years. The liquid has been used as cur- rency, medicine, and suste- nance (Amazonian men drank four gallons a day). “All these different cultures—the thing they have in common is beer,” says curator Rex Garniewicz. Check for scheduled tastings. Through Summer 2014.

4. House Whiskey!

whiskey

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa’s food and bev team flew to Tennessee to select their very own Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Whiskey. Taste it at their Whiskey & Wine BBQ October 24 and see Estancia’s new Trinitas Cellars Wine Bar. $50 per person; $200 for two and take home a bottle (they’ll engrave it so you can gift it).

photo of a fashion model

5. Ambush on the Port

Gallerists, boutique owners, and artists will take over Broadway Pier at Port Pavilion October 19. Exhibit Ambush Phase 2 is a walk-through interac- tive event and seated fashion show where guests can view art, “extreme set design,” and special effects make-up. Expect a DJ-loving crowd looking for inspiration, and say hello to fashion designer Jesus Estrada (a participant in Project Runway season 7) and Leslie Hughes from The Bachelor season 17, both in attendance. Best part of all? This ambush benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego. 1000 North Harbor Drive, $40

FALL SEASON FOOD ALERT! After 50 years in Santa Ysabel, Dudley’s Bakery has decided to expand, with a new store in Santee. And look for Dudley’s new fruit bar flavor: Apple, Walnut, Cinnamon. We’re told it “tastes like the top of an apple muffin.” Delish.

The post San Diego Hot List: October 2013 appeared first on San Diego Magazine.