Believe we might be, when a kid like this gets it so early

Watch "Jake Bugg - Lightning Bolt - David Letterman 4/10/2013" on YouTube

This may well be the MicroShiner theme

With The Great Gatsby in theaters and the Jazz Age revival in full swing, everyone is looking to capitalize on the great style of the Roaring Twenties. While not necessarily hand-crafted (though many of the vintage offerings certainly are), here are a few excellent resources for curating a Flapper look of your own to pair with that craft cocktail at your favorite summer gala.

Always one of our favorites, Your Vintage Life offers up their tribute to The Great Gatsby in their weekly 10 of the Best.

For a modern take on Jay Gatsby style, check out The Weekly Outfit by HighSnobiety.

A new find (via YVL of course) is Love Miss Daisy with their curated Great Gatsby collection of vintage items.

And for the distinguished gentleman, the ultimate in personal style, a bespoke suit hand-tailored by the likes of Astor & Black

"There's this new place in town"
For us in Missoula it's Montgomery, but I'm sure people are saying it in cities and towns everywhere. Some old friends recently returned to the area, and the first place we insisted they had to go was our local distillery. And as crafters themselves, a green builder in Mendocino County and a custom furniture maker, they certainly appreciated it.
Look out everyone. This is only the beginning.

Given the massive amount of money that goes into even the smallest Hollywood production, it is hard calling any of them craft. Most people would assign that label to the independent films made outside of the big studios. But if there is one person today whose personal mark is unmistakable, someone who embodies the craft of filmmaking, it is Baz Luhrmann.

Of course we’re referring here to the director’s latest work, The Great Gatsby, and whether you appreciate him or not, if you’re a fan of cocktail culture, this movie is a must see. In typical grandiose style, Luhrmann does reasonable justice to the original Fitzgerald masterpiece while painting a picture of the Roaring Twenties that, if not historically accurate, portrays them as they may well manifest here in another decade. It is undoubtedly a tragedy, as nearly all of Luhrmann’s subjects are, but regardless of the unfortunate and inevitable outcome, it provides, at the very least, wonderful inspiration for a Jazz Age summer gala of your own.

In a recent post, Grub Street NYC shared their list of 50 outstanding cocktail recipes, one each from every state in the Union. Not surprisingly, craft spirits featured heavily in that inventory, playing a role in over a quarter of these concoctions.  That’s a rather high percentage relative to the share of the total spirits market that craft currently captures, and indicative of a trend that, we feel, speaks loudly about the future.

While we highly encourage that anyone with an interest explore the entire country, trying each and every one of these amazing recipes, our personal interest is with those highlighting craft spirits, so here’s a whirlwind tour.

In Alaska, as evidenced in the words of our own Will Lascelles, the fisherman’s drink of choice is a Bloody Mary made with Alaska Distillery’s salmon flavored vodka. Delaware steps Into the Wild using Bulleit bourbon. The Denver speakeasy Williams & Graham offers up its Mixology featuring Old Tom Gin while Dry Fly provides the foundation for The Spring Whiskey Sling from Red Feather Lounge in Boise, Idaho. The key to Indianapolis watering hole Tavern on South’s contribution, the North Shore Flower, is the namesake’s own Distiller’s Gin No. 6.

The signature drink at the Devotay uses Templeton Rye. Amazing Grace in Maine is Dust to Dust, a ginger based cocktail made with Cold River vodka, and you’ll find Copper Fox at the core of the Manhattan-esque Lancaster from Rye in Baltimore, Maryland.  On the lighter side, Jackson’s Parlor Market creates its Maridel from Mississippi’s own Cathead honeysuckle vodka and Montana distillery Montgomery serves up the Black Diamond in its tasting room. New Hampshire’s Bad Apple, found at Portsmouth eatery Moxy, makes use of Flag Hill brandy.

Further south, Redemption hits the spot in the Rye Malvado from Mateo Tapas in Durham, North Carolina. OYO represents Ohio in the Crème Spritz at Mouton. Oklahoma’s version of the Manhattan, the St. Thomas Porter served at the Valkyrie, uses Low Gap whiskey. Great Lakes Distillery does the honors in Milwaukee bistro Distil’s Wisco whiskey sour, and Vermont’s own Dunc’s Mill provides the spiced maple rum for Crop Bistro’s Lost Sailor.

Last but not least, bridging the gap across the Mason-Dixon line, Bluecoat gin from Philadelphia Distilling finds its way into Richmond, Virginia café Heritage’s Brooklyn Stunner, while their neighbors to the West at the Bluegrass Kitchen offer a gin & tonic variation using a barrel aged gin from Smooth Ambler.

Clearly, artisan spirits are already well entrenched in the burgeoning craft cocktail and mixology scene. But given the exponential rate at which micro-distilleries and small batch producers are surfacing in every corner of the land, it won’t be long before every drink on this list finds its basis in a craft spirit.