Courage BORO: How did you start the Astoria Distilling company? Chris Murillo: It took a lot of work. Starting in 2012, after I decided that I wanted to create the first distillery in Queens since prohibition, I went about researching everything I could about distilling and the spirits business. By mid-2012 I formed a company, and was well on my way to building a business plan, financial plan and, of course, getting a formulation for Queens Courage and all the branding and permits. BORO: What made you change careers from law? CM: Both of my grandfathers were engineers and worked with their minds, but also their hands, so I think the need to make something with my hands is deeply ingrained in me. Once I had the idea to build the first distillery in Queens, my passion for cocktails and spirits combined with my passion for working with my hands to convince me that leaving my law firm job was the right thing for me. BORO: What research did you have to do to come up with Queens Courage? CM: Once we decided to do an old tom gin, and we went about finding out as much as we could about old tom from books and the few remaining old tom brands out there. In the end, it took us over a year and a half to formulate Queens Courage through a mixture of historical research and trial-and-error on a lab still. BORO: Why an Old Tom Gin? CM: I love classic cocktails, and many of these call for old tom gin, which was very popular in the 1800’s and pre-prohibition era. It’s no secret that Queen’s has been expanding into a cultural hotspot of its own over the last few years. One of my favorite additions to this boom has been the Astoria Distilling company and its spirit, Queens Courage—rated the Highest Old Tom Gin in the Ultimate Spirits challenge. BORO spoke with Chris Murillo about his transition from lawyer to founder of a distillery, what it takes to create a spirit, and his favorite cocktails. BORO: How did you wind up living in Astoria? CM: Some friends of ours moved here and we visited their housewarming party. My wife and I fell in love with Astoria, so as soon as our lease was up we moved here. That was back in 2008, and since that time we bought an apartment here, and plan to stay in Astoria indefinitely. BORO: What’s next for the Astoria Distilling Company? CM: The next step for us is to open up our on facility in Queens. I’d like to get a space where we can blend and bottle in Queens by the end of the year, and ultimately I want to have production, start-to-finish, in Queens. BORO: What’s your favorite Queens Courage cocktail? CM: It is the dead of winter, so I’m enjoying Dirty Martinis most recently, I was enjoying Martinez Cocktails, a classic cocktail with Queens Courage, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and orange bitters. BORO: What is your favorite local spot to get a cocktail? CM: Mar’s is great and happens to be on my way home from the office—you can’t miss with oysters and cocktails. BORO: What are some upcoming events with Queens Courage? CM: The best place to look is on our website, QueensCourage.com. Under ‘Events’ there’s a calendar with our upcoming events, and that gets updated as soon as we book something, so I encourage people to check it periodically. 10 | BOROMAG.COM | MARCH 2015 SHOPS Interview + Images By Lizabeth Nieves For more info & where to purchase Queens Courage, check out astoriadistilling.com and queenscourage.com
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