In the early 2000s, distiller Stephen Gould became fascinated with absinthe. When the U.S. government allowed the infamous herbal spirit to be made and sold in America, in 2007, he began to distill it on antique stills that he had accumulated in his garage. That hobby distilling business eventually turned into Golden Moon Distillery, founded in 2008, and its current line of eighteen spirits, including the original absinthe. Those spirits represent an eclectic family — Golden Moon distills products that most distillers don't, such as crème de violette, amer dit picon and grappa. All of Golden Moon's spirits are made with Gould's skillful hand, with no artificial ingredients and a painstaking adherence to traditional distilling methods, often dating back to the 1800s. Gould cleverly planned his production so that his entire line of spirits would make up a complete backbar, which is exactly how they're used to make craft cocktails across town at the Golden Moon Speakeasy.
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