When he’s hanging out with friends and family, Ryan Hembree loves to play bartender. He will bring pre-mixed cocktails in a growler and pour out servings for anyone who wants one.
It shouldn’t be a surprise. As the owner of Snohomish’s Skip Rock Distillers, Hembree and his wife, Julie, know spirits intimately. They know what makes a great cocktail and how to take it to the next level.
Now they’re opening up their distillery and welcoming everyone to the party.
“Our goal is to offer a place to grab a cocktail and have some fun beverages,” Hembree said. “We’re excited to get out there and show what we can do.”
A Moscow Mule is prepared at Skip Rock Distillers on March 3, 2023 in Snohomish, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Earlier this year, Skip Rock began serving cocktails in a remodeled space at its distillery in downtown Snohomish. Before that, Skip Rock was only licensed to serve their spirits straight, no mixers. Now the Hembrees can let their imagination run wild.
“Our drink offerings will feature our Skip Rock spirits coupled with fresh squeezed juices and quality ingredients,” Ryan said.
The remodeled space has a beautiful wood bar made from a slab of cedar from a friend’s property showcasing an electric burn design, family tables for customers to sit around and share stories, and a general ambiance that will remind imbibers of the Hembrees’ get-togethers.
“I’m looking forward to guiding customers through our cocktails and how they can create them at their home or gatherings,” Julie said. “Our tasting room is meant to be interactive, which should build a great relationship with our customers.”
Meghan Terry reads a menu at Skip Rock Distillers on March 3, 2023 in Snohomish, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The base of the cocktails is strong. Skip Rock’s spirits have won numerous awards since the Hembrees started creating them in 2011, including its Raspberry Liqueur taking a silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2022. Skip Rock boasts a variety of liqueurs, from nocino to coffee, an award-winning rye whiskey, vodka, gin and more.
Skip Rock’s cocktails menu currently includes the classics: whiskey sour, old fashioned, gimlet, and gin and tonic. Ryan said that the menu will be changing over time as he dials in new recipes and rolls out specials. On a recent weekday afternoon, he was experimenting with a new drink called Spring Wish (recipe below), which used both Skip Rock’s rye whiskey and Raspberry Liqueur, married with vermouth and more.
“We’ll be playing with ingredients and recipes that really show off the profile of our spirits,” Ryan said. “We want to make our spirits shine and serve a memorable drink.”
Production manager and distiller Brian Roys bottles rye whiskey at Skip Rock Distillers on March 3, 2023 in Snohomish, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Hembrees plan to explore spirits and sparkling wines from other local distilleries and wineries, such as Temple Distilling Company in Lynnwood, to create drinks that complement their own. Ryan mentioned how well Temple’s aquavit goes with nocino, and Julie anticipates Skip Rock using another Temple product.
“I’m personally excited to bring in Temple’s Bookmark Limoncello as it’s a perfect match for our Raspberry Liqueur,” said Julie, who will regularly be found behind the bar as she recently took some time away from her career at Starbucks.
Julie and Ryan Hembree own Skip Rock Distillers in Snohomish, Washington. (Skip Rock Distillers)
Skip Rock began remodeling its space in March 2020 with hopes of turning it into a cocktail bar. It was a short-lived project as everything was shut down a few days later. They picked up the process again in 2021 and completed the project in late 2022.
Like most companies based on retail sales of luxury items, Skip Rock muddled through the pandemic. Fortunately, the third oldest distillery in Washington had a loyal customer base, helping them make it through the roughest patches. And like many other distilleries, they made hand sanitizer to make ends meet.
Now they turn their attention to the new space, new cocktails and new adventure. Skip Rock will have a menu of small bites to go with the cocktails and they will be testing new items, from food to cocktails, to find what works best.
Skip Rock Distillers
104 Ave. C., Snohomish, WA
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Website: www.skiprockdistillers.com
Spring Wish
1½ ounces rye whiskey
1½ ounces Raspberry Liqueur
½ ounce BroVo Jammy Vermouth
½ ounce pomegranate juice
½ ounce lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
The Spring Wish cocktail at Skip Rock Distillers on March 3, 2023 in Snohomish, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Hembrees say: “Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into glass with ice. This drink has a solid foundation of rye but the raspberry, vermouth and pomegranate give it a great brightness without being too sweet. We like our drinks not too sweet so a little extra simple syrup can sweeten it up if one needs to.”
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