#018: Interview with Kerstyn Zepeda of Bella Mar Spirits - Vodka - a podcast by Speaking Easy: Makers of Cocktails and Lovers of Home Entertaining

In this episode, we interview Kerstyn Zepeda of Bella Mar Spirits. Kerstyn and her husband, Michael, craft infused vodkas using real fruit, fruit juices, and herbal infusions, which preserve the essence of the ingredient within the vodka. If you’ve listened to our show, you know vodka is not our favorite spirit. Yet, Kerstyn hooked us up with a bottle of their Orange Basil vodka and we had a great time experimenting with it (see a few of the drinks below). While we’re not total vodka-converts, we loved the freshness of Bella Mar Spirits and would recommend it to anyone looking for a flavored vodka that uses real ingredients, rather than synthetic flavors. Hope you enjoy the show.

Recipes

Orange Thai Basil Moscow Mule



* 2 oz oz vodka (orange and thai basil flavored–the thai basil adds a bitter, anise flavor)

*

1/2 lime, juiced



*

1/4 orange, juiced



*

4 oz of ginger beer (don’t measure, just pour to near the top)



* Ice

* Orange slice for garnish



Directions

Add vodka to copper mug. Juice lime and orange, and go ahead and drop them in afterwards. Add 3 to 4 ice cubes and then top with ginger beer. Give it all a good stir and garnish with an orange wedge.



 

Thai Sunset



An excellent brunch substitute for a Mimosa or Screwdriver. 



* 2 oz Orange Basil Vodka

* 3/4 oz coconut water

* 3/4 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice

* 3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice

* Soda water



Directions

Add Bella Mar Orange Basil Vodka, coconut water, orange juice, and lime juice to a shaker. Shake hard to blend completely. Pour into a champagne flute (like these) and top with soda water.

Bella Mar Orange Thai Basil Cosmo

Click here for the recipe

A few questions we asked Kerstyn on the show

What was your background before starting Bella Mar Spirits?

I was a real estate asset manager and property manager for about 6 years. During that time, I also completed my MBA in Finance from Pepperdine University. My husband (and co-founder) has extensive experience as a sales person and was a bar manager and bartender before he began his career in sales. We have always had a passion for entrepreneurship as Michael has started businesses before and I worked for my father’s company in real estate. We began Bella Mar Spirits because we saw the niche opportunity and really have a passion for our products.

 

What are some of your favorite cocktails or flavor profiles?

We really began this adventure because of our love of Moscow mules. All three of our vodka products make great Moscow mules which has been really fun to play around with. We also love the juxtaposition of contrasting flavors, which is why we created the Orange Basil Vodka. The fruit and herb flavors really work well together when perfectly combined. We took our time finding the perfect combination to create really unique, deliciously infused vodka.

What got you interested in infused vodka?

We wanted to create the perfect lime infused vodka for a Moscow mule and any cocktail that required the addition of lime. We couldn’t find infused or flavored vodkas with the true essence of lime,

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