There’s something satisfying about slipping through the door to Humboldt Craft Spirits and being greeted by a row of pale wood barrels and, beyond them, a wooden still dotted with brass stars, like a low-key steampunk contraption.
David Cook and Tera Spohr-Cook, who’ll wave you over to the tiny bar they’ve set up on the right side of the industrial space for tasting, bought the local business in October of 2022. By then, its Blue Lake Vodka, Little River Gin, Redwood Rye and Eureka Chocolate Liqueur were already well known around the county and beyond.
The couple met while working at Mad River Brewing, where he was on the production side of the business, and she was in distribution. “We really loved it,” says Spohr-Cook, who now works for Six Rivers Brewery. “There’s a lot of camaraderie in craft beer.” It was on a long drive during a family vacation that they “got the dream going,” she says, first fantasizing about running the distillery they’d heard was for sale, then, as the miles wore on, hammering out how they might actually swing it.
A favorite they both enjoy as a dessert, or a holiday treat is the Eureka Chocolate Liqueur. It’s made with a somewhat unusual process, using whole chocolate instead of just cocoa flavoring, that gives it more than the typical thin consistency of a chocolate liqueur. Using locally made Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate’s single-bean, 72 percent cocoa, Madagascar dark chocolate — about half a bar per bottle — they make a syrup that’s blended with their vodka.
“It’s definitely rich and creamy. I think it has a hint of sweetness but doesn’t overpower the bitterness,” says Spohr-Cook. “You get a sense of the richness of the chocolate.” Using real chocolate means you have to shake it, though, as Eureka is made without adding emulsifiers and, she notes, “the chocolate is going to want to settle.”
If you’re looking for more of that flavor in solid form, the Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate flagship shop and café is a short walk away at 333 First St. But you won’t find the liqueur there. Rather hit up Murphy’s Markets around Humboldt, Wildberries Market and the North Coast Co-op in Arcata, or independent liquor stores around the county.
You can also pick up bottles at Humboldt Craft Spirits tastings on Saturdays from 1-5 p.m., by appointment or during events like Arts Alive on the first Saturday evening of the month.
Cook and Spohr-Cook are fans of pouring the liqueur over ice cream or in coffee.
Then there is the endless variety of chocolate Martinis, among which the Toasted S’Mores Martini is a favorite.
Toasted S’Mores Martini
2 ounces Eureka Chocolate Liqueur
1 ounce Blue Lake Vodka
1 ounce heavy cream
Chocolate syrup
Marshmallow
Graham cracker crumbs (optional)
Drizzle the syrup inside a Martini glass. (If desired, rim the edge of the glass first with syrup, then with graham cracker crumbs.) Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Shake the liqueur, vodka and cream in a shaker of ice and strain into the chilled glass.
Lightly toast a marshmallow on a bamboo skewer, then place atop the glass before serving.
This article appears in Humboldt Insider Fall/Winter 2024.
