by Andrew Chalk
“For years I would reminisce about a spirit I had tried on a movie set in Eastern Europe in the late 1970s,” said actor Matthew Arkin, Co-Founder and CEO of Batch 22, son of Academy Award-winning Alan Arkin. “I would search liquor stores and taste all kinds of spirits, but never found anything that replicated the elixir I remembered. During the onset of the pandemic, I spent hours in my Los Angeles kitchen trying to create a recipe that would approximate the drink I recalled loving so much. Eventually, I perfected the Batch 22 recipe with my two best friends and co-founders, Bruce Glassman and Marc Marosi. They each brought their expertise and passion to the project and helped to develop the final prototype batch, which was, in fact, the 22nd recipe.”
The idea behind Batch 22 was to create something that inhabits a category all on its own. The common ingredients found in classic aquavit – anise, fennel and cumin— were overpowering and unappealing to Matthew, Bruce, and Marc, so they crafted a spirit that would be extra smooth, complex and approachable with every sip. They created Batch 22, the New American Aquavit. Batch 22’s unique flavors and aromas can be enjoyed neat, on ice, or mixed to create exciting new cocktails or elevate the classics, like the Negroni, Bloody Mary and Mule.
Batch 22 is available nationwide for purchase online for $39.99. For more information about Batch 22, or to find the nearest distributor to you visit: drinkbatch22.com.
Sample