Michael Stuckey uses the word “tinkering” a lot when discussing his distillation methods. It’s an appropriate word for the improvisational approach he uses as owner and master distiller of Lifted Spirits. Rather than staying stuck on tradition (something the distillation world can be hell-bent on), Stuckey is more interested in evoking an experience with the various liqueurs he produces for his Crossroads micro-distillery and cocktail bar. That’s how tulsi, or holy basil, ends up in a bottle of gin and hibiscus finds its way into absinthe.
“That’s why I think what we do is inherently Kansas City,” says Stuckey, who opened Lifted Spirits in 2016. “It’s like Kansas City jazz, Kansas City barbecue. It’s an improvisation built off of knowledge to make new things.”
Stuckey started building his foundation of distilling knowledge from library books, specifically French distillation manuals from the late 1800s. This worked particularly well when he began distilling Kansas City’s first absinthe, Absinthe Verte. Then, as a former gin hater, he created a gin he loved: Bright Gin. Bright Gin uses 11 botanicals, including hibiscus, chamomile, orange zest and elderberry. Stuckey describes it as “meant to heal that relationship with gin from the past that maybe didn’t go so well.” The more comfortable Stuckey got with experimenting with botanicals, the more he felt comfortable playing with what was locally available, like Traminette grapes grown in Missouri and pawpaw fruit.
Stuckey gets his Traminette grapes from KC Wineworks, a small family-owned winery in Macon, Missouri. The vineyard partnered with Stuckey to create a brandy that’s aged seven years in Missouri white oak barrels. Stuckey describes the local brandy as “very kind,” mellow and gently sweet with notes of honey, caramel and elderflower. It was recently released as part of the distillery’s Lab Chronicles, a single-batch project with a “when it’s gone, it’s gone” approach, Stuckey says. He doesn’t worry about running out of a spirit. He feels confident the next one will be just as great.
Possibly one of the more exclusive batches from Lifted Spirits and its Lab Chronicles line is the pawpaw gin. Stuckey’s team personally foraged for the pawpaw, the native Missouri fruit and the gin’s key ingredient, resulting in just 600 bottles. In the gin, jasmine green tea, mango and banana balance the pawpaw, making for a bright, citrusy gin. If you’re quick, you should still be able to snag a bottle this month.
When drinking one of these limited-edition spirits, you might notice Lifted Spirits’ taproom is like the spirits it creates—unexpected. With drinks like the Dirt Road martini, vinyl records blasting Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and string lights hanging from the ceiling, drinking in the distillery feels more like a quaint dive bar. If it weren’t for the oak barrels lined up along the west wall, it would be hard to tell you’re in a space where they work with beakers and droppers in the back.
Stuckey says he has big plans for his distillery’s 10-year anniversary in December, including some more funky new spirits and a celebration in the taproom. He won’t divulge any more details, though. Or maybe he’s still tinkering with them.
