Apr 8

Apr 8 Bottling History

Photos by Marc Alt

The Ranch.

If you’re a surfer, you’ve heard of it. Stretching along eight-and-a-half miles of pristine coast between Gaviota State Park and Point Conception is a mythical community called Hollister Ranch. Behind guarded gates lie 135 parcels carved from one of California's oldest still-working cattle ranches, originally the property of El Capitan himself, Don Jose Francisco Ortega.

In the mid-19th Century, “Colonel” William Wells Hollister crossed the Oregon Trail and began establishing himself in California. Eventually settling in Santa Barbara after the Civil War, W.W. Hollister helped finance and develop Stearns Wharf, the Arlington Hotel, Santa Barbara News-Press, and the Lobero Theatre.

The Colonel’s descendants have held onto access to the 14,000-acre cattle ranch where they often gather to enjoy a family picnic in one of the property’s beachside Cabanas.

The Colonel’s great-great-grandson, Clinton Kyle married Ashley Woods on Bulito Beach in 2011. The couple sought to start a business that would honor the family’s history and decided upon vermouth, a fortified wine infused with botanical ingredients from the ranch and beyond. T.W. Hollister & Co. is named for their son, Theodore, and Ashley’s maiden name.

Oso de Oro (Golden Bear) Vermouth comes in two flavors. The dry white uses 12 botanicals, including orange peel, chamomile, rosehip, and wormwood. The red is made with 19 botanicals including hummingbird sage, blood orange, grapefruit peel, ginger root and sweetened with rich, buttery caramel for added texture and depth.

Because vermouth is a wine and not a spirit, it is best enjoyed fresh and cold and can be served simply with soda water, a citrus twist, and ample ice for a refreshing midday spritz. The unique, regional ingredients make for an interesting substitution for any cocktail calling for vermouth, traditionally produced in Italy and France.

BULITO BOULEVARDIER:

2 oz. of Glyph 85H Whiskey
0.25 oz. of Bilardo Amaro
0.5 oz. of TWHc Dry Vermouth
0.5 oz. of Casoni Aperitivo 1814
Stirred

HANNAH HOLLISTER, DWARFED BY ONE OF THE FAMILY’S RHODESIAN RIDGEBACKS

JOANNE AND CLINTON DOYLE HOLLISTER WITH GRANDCHILDREN, THEODORE AND HANNAH

Because it’s created in tiny batches by hand, Oso de Oro can be tricky to get your hands on. The TWHc website suggests several retailers on both coasts and they offer a two-bottle per month subscription that should keep your apéritif habit well-supplied throughout the year.