Neighborhood + Distillery... it might seem like two concepts that don't go together. Especially if you've never been to a distillery, or you've visited the big names with their warehouses, two-story tanks, and room after room of barrels and vats, or even if you've been to the distilleries in Key West where you stand at a counter for a few minutes, down some sizable samples, and continue on your Duvall crawl. None of these encompass the idea of what we're trying to do.

So what is the vision for Crooked Palm? (Skip to the bottom if you just want the list and don't care about the whys and hows.)

First, we picked this location. We know it's in a less commercialized area and has a special environment because of that. Many of us -- owners, managers, distillers, and bartenders -- live in and around this neighborhood. We bring our kids to these schools, and walk and bike and ride golf carts from place to place. We've done the "where should we go tonight/how far should we drive?" dance.

That's one reason why our wood fired pizza truck is at the center of the outdoor space, part of our DNA from day one, not an add-on. Meaning on the one hand, you could look at us as just another restaurant, but where you can see at the back of the room where the liquid in your drink is made, similar to how you might see your food being prepared in an open kitchen, behind a glass wall. Because "big kitchen" is kind of the vibe and scale of the production we have planned. Good thing our production team is used to tight spaces.

But there's also something different about a space where you aren't expected to just sit down, eat/drink, and leave right when you're done. It's part of what makes it family friendly, and a big part of what we plan to take from the Islamorada Brewery & Distillery model -- just a softer, more elevated version. Learning about the distillation process. Hanging out. The yard games. The dog bowls. The live jazz saxophone for "Sunday brunch" or the acoustic guitar on "Flamenco Friday." (Yes, we will have live music, but this is no so-called "entertainment venue.")

And the tastings! The magic of discovering and dissecting flavors as an experience into itself -- from spirit tastings, cocktail flights, house mixer mash ups -- will be a cornerstone of what we do. Don't be misled by claims that a "tasting room" fosters wild alcoholic consumption, when the reality is the opposite. Most guests (especially visitors) wind up sharing a flight and having fewer drinks per hour than you'd expect at a "regular bar." Our staff are trained to pour sips, not shots. We know that many of our guests have other places to be, and we want them to get there safely, because we drive here too.

And let's make it completely clear, WE DO NOT SERVE ALCOHOL TO MINORS at any distance from a school. We refuse service to parents who order it for their kids.

But, we have firmly embraced the idea that kids and non-drinkers deserve more than Sprite and water! We're imagining kids asking if the family can go to Crooked Palm for dinner because we serve their favorite nonalcoholic Frozen Key Lime Pie or BBQ chicken pizza, then walking, biking, and one-wheeling up to the garden gate to hang out on the patio or pick up a pizza to go.

If you have heard some of the claims being made publicly, you might be led to believe we were asking for something outrageously beyond the scope of commercial business use. But from a parallel business perspective, there are several in a similar level of neighborhood impact to ours in terms of deliveries, types and formats of products sold, traffic, and proximity to schools and churches. There's nothing extraordinary about it other than the incredible drinks, food, and experience that we plan to bring to life from a derelict building and empty lot.

We want to be your neighborhood distillery, and it's ultimately our vision to serve you with:

  • A small production space where spirits are distilled, blended, and aged on site (safely behind glass);

  • A space to sample and learn about those spirits and how they are made;

  • A relaxed but "island upscale" cocktail bar that will exclusively serve spirits made on site and at Islamorada Distilling, and (we hope) select Islamorada Beers, cocktails on tap, frozen drinks, and several non-alcoholic mixers on tap;

  • A wood-fired pizza food truck;

  • A fenced-in, tree-lined outdoor space that runs the length of the property but leaves lots of parking, with a covered patio by the building where you can order from the outside window, which we are willing to close earlier than our inside operations as the neighbors have requested;

  • Live music that respects the fact that we're near a neighborhood and which we are also willing to end earlier than required by the noise ordinance codes;

  • To go sales of spirits, beer, and cocktails, along with carry out pizza.