Jardesca Aperitiva
THE SPIRIT OF EPICURUS’ GARDEN IS ALIVE AND WELL IN SONOMA COUNTY
Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher and founder of the school of thought known as “Epicureanism,” referred to his school in Athens as “the garden.” Though his philosophical letters veered into a great many subjects, the main mission of Epicurus’ philosophy was to help people achieve a tranquil life, free of pain and fear, a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends.
The ideal of leading a simple life, surrounded by friends, enjoying “the garden,” is one of the guiding principles of Sonoma County resident Marshall Dawson, co-founder of Jardesca aperitiva.
Dawson and his business partner, Roger Morrison, launched the Jardesca brand in 2011, having formed a consulting company together in 2006. Each had spent decades in the spirits business, Dawson as a global brand director and Morrison on the agency side. “We both had the idea of the European apéritif moment ingrained in us,” Dawson said.
In many European countries, apéritifs are commonly offered before meals to “open the appetite.” They are lower in alcohol than spirits, and often paired with appetizers. Dawson and Morrison had always liked the idea of this pause, a moment to take a breath, enjoy a conversation and a nibble. “Wonderful moments,” Dawson said.
Morrison lives in Los Angeles and Dawson in Sonoma, so with their combined California sensibility they set out to create something that matched the outdoorsy, ultra-fresh California lifestyle. And something that did not already exist in the U.S. market.
They started tinkering. The partners realized that the idea of an “apéritif” translated differently in the U.S. than in Europe, that it meant something more like a lighter spirited beverage that could be enjoyed during the day—something suited for picnics, for sitting by the pool, for enjoying over brunch. Starts and stops abounded, but the idea of a garden kept returning to the conversation.
First, they wanted to come up with the perfect name for their brand. Would they call their drink Jardin, the French word for garden? How could the idea of freshness be built into the name? “–esca” implied a certain freshness to the partners. Ultimately, they combined the two into Jardesca, a one-of-a-kind brand name that summed up the concept they were after.
By starting with the brand and not the product itself, the Californians’ vision of what the product could be superseded the European apéritif idea, setting Jardesca up as a definitively Californian beverage. To further distinguish Jardesca, Dawson calls it an “aperitiva,” not the more common “aperitivo.” “It is Californian,” Dawson says. “It is different.”
Then it was time to craft a product that lived up to the name. It needed to serve the essential function of an apéritif—or, in this case, aperitiva— to wake up your palate and appetite. For the base, Dawson looked for wines that could be consistent year after year, settling on Viognier. Next, Dawson said he knew he did not want to add traditional bitter flavors, but to focus instead on botanicals. “We didn’t want to cover up incredible California wine, but enhance it and add apéritif qualities.” The additions of pink grapefruit, pink peppercorn and bay laurel were inspired by California.
More tinkering ensued. Dawson and Morrison needed a still that could handle their exacting requirements—an end product with a tight proof range, that smelled fresh and not like alcohol. They consulted industry friends. They tasted white spirits. Distilling nirvana finally came from what is known as a “Bordelaise still.” Made in the Bordeaux region of France, the Bordelaise is specifically designed for grape spirits like eau de vie, the clear, high-alcohol spirit similar to schnapps or grappa that Dawson and Morrison landed on as the agent that would soak up their botanicals and add intrigue to their aperitiva.
“A good-tasting high-proof spirit is something to marvel at. ‘Continuous stills’ are used for higher-production spirits like vodka; pot stills are used for brandy and whiskey,” Dawson expounded. “The Bordelaise is more in the world of pot stilling that results in a purity and a concentration of aromas and flavors.”
To get just a bit technical, wine-based Jardesca did not need as many “esters” and “aldehydes” as required for whiskey and other spirits meant to be aged. But it still needed some. “We looked at different private distillers that had the abilities we needed,” Dawson said, and eventually worked a deal with Mountain View’s Essential Spirits, which housed the only Bordelaise still Dawson knew to be operating in the country.
The distillate it produced hit the mark, and was blended with Viognier wine to be bottled and released as Jardesca White in 2013.
Then the pair had to get the word out. Dawson and Morrison hosted many a cocktail party and manned tables at countless events, sampling their new California aperitiva. They also developed recipes using Jardesca, listening to feedback from customers who told them how they were using Jardesca at home to “refresh their spritz.” “We grew into it,” Dawson says.
The fairly recent trend towards cocktails with low or no ABV (alcohol by volume) certainly helped, and fans clamored for more. In 2017 the company obliged, launching Jardesca Red, a Zinfandel-based aperitiva layered with zippy botanicals of ginger, cardamom and tangerine.
Tasting Jardesca is like tasting any wine or spirit for the first time. Taste Jardesca White and at first you might notice the fresh nose, maybe a hint of citrus. Add an ice cube and the pink peppercorn expresses itself more assertively, adding a sparkle of sorts on the palate but without effervescence. With the Jardesca Red, the cardamom, ginger and tangerine impact the palate similarly to the pink peppercorn; there is a tingle, an effervescence. Dawson notes that chilling the Red, as well as the White, is a good idea. Go ahead and add ice, too, whatever floats your boat. “You cannot break it,” Dawson confirms. “There is no exact recipe where it does not taste good.”
As for Epicurus, the ancient Greek, he is pictured on every bottle of Jardesca, a reminder that life is short and every day deserves a pause, a moment for an aperitiva. Perhaps it was Epicurus, or perhaps it was Dawson, who said: “Our abundance is what we enjoy, not what we have.” Cheers to that.
