Wilks & Wilson Elixirs

Holy Heaven, love me some Wilks & Wilson!
I’ve loved their elixirs for a long time, but when my co-​pilot in life asked for the entire 8 bottle set for his birthday a few weekends ago, I was blown away by the awesomeness that we could create in our own kitchen! The recipes that they give you with each bottle are amazing! (even better with local boozes… i might add ;)) Not only is the product awesome, but I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the team at several Unilocal events and they are the greatest people as well.
If you like craft cocktails, definitely give them a go. and if you don’t like craft cocktails, give them a go and start loving craft cocktails :)

I am no mixologist. I mean, the thought of making a gin and tonic leaves me shaking in my pants. The results of my bebida making ways tend to leave people drunk after one drink and wincing every time they take a sip. (Thanks for playing along friends)
Similar to the words of Trena R, Wilks & Wilson Elixirs makes mixology both approachable and extra-​tasty. Not only is their product fantastic (and easy to find — both behind bars and on the shelves of several local businesses). Knowing the masterminds behind the businesses makes it all extra-​sweet — Greg Wilson (the scientist of the two) and Zach Wilks (party boy and bartender extraordinaire) have a passion and enthusiasm for great drinks that is beyond contagious. Note that you can order their product online and that they are currently expanding to include bitters in their line. (Great for Christmas presents!) Fun fact: local coffee shops like Bee Coffee Roasters now use Wilks & Wilson in some of their coffee drinks! Talk about a double dose of local flavor!
Check out their website and the back of bottles for great drink recipes. They also occasionally post food recipes as well.

If you’ve ever had a craft cocktail out and about in Indianapolis, chances are, you’ve had Wilks & Wilson. While small is manpower, they’re HUGE when it comes to impact on the craft cocktail scene throughout Indianapolis.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet the Wilks & Wilson team at several events, and have gotten to taste some of their own cocktail creations as well as their take on some reinvented classics (like the amaretto sour). Truth be told, when I hear W&W is going to be at a party, I smile. When I hear they’re going to be helping out a not-​to-​be-​named local artisan distillery that just opened and needs some help, I breathe a sigh of relief. I envision the W&W kitchen resembles some kind of mad scientists laboratory (and Ziggy in a Lab Coat) with nothing but pure perfection coming out.
Not only does W&W have great elixirs, but they also have a great cocktail recipe section on their website to help you. It’s right next to the «buy online» link that takes you to their online store. I’ve also seen them at Homespun on Mass Ave if you can’t wait for online ordering. swing by and grab some!

One of the local businesses I like to brag about more than most others when I’m talking about Indy is Wilks and Wilson. There really just isn’t anything not to love about what they do and how they do it.
First and foremost, they just make a damn good elixir. I’ve had plenty of cocktails made with the generic mass produced «mixers» that you can buy in every liquor aisle, but it’s always a huge difference when I get a properly made cocktail that uses Wilks and Wilson products correctly. The flavors are just plain better. The ginger is just more fresh and flavorful, the tonic has that unique bitter flavor but without the weird aftertaste taste that tonic waters can have, and the grenadine is in a different world than the sugar water I was used to having. I could sing just as high of praises for the other handful of products of theirs that I have tried, but you might as well go see for yourself. They keep expanding their offerings so keep an eye out for new things, but they have enough now that their recipe book will surely outlast your liver. Might as well try though.
Besides just their fantastic products, the two owners have a passion for their work as strong as any I’ve ever seen. They genuinely enjoy putting out top of the line products and introducing people to things that they haven’t tried before. I think that their desire to only put their name on something that meets their high expectations has reflected in their quality of product. I have been able to attend numerous events in which they were there showcasing their products, and their unique offerings at every one of them has opened my eyes to the world of craft cocktails that I didn’t really know existed. The things that they can do with their drinks, not just with flavors but also with textures, is amazing. If you are ever looking for the perfect drink to wow party guests, then these are the guys to come to.
I am fairly certain that just about good craft cocktail place in Indy has Wilks and Wilson elixirs in their arsenal, and I’d be willing to bet that most of those places got quite a bit of advice and input from the owners themselves when they were coming up with their offerings. If you are looking to stock your own shelves or trying to find a great gift idea, their elixirs aren’t hard to find in most stores you would expect to carry this type of product in Indy.
My last advice is to go to their website and sign up to get their full recipe book to have access to the secrets behind crafting these awesome drinks.

I’ll admit it, the bottles of elixirs and bitters behind the bar or on store shelves have always been super intimidating. I see them and think: that must be one bad@ss mixologist drizzling in a bit of this and an eye-​dropper of that.
Still super impressed with the art and science that goes into them, but — thanks to the guys at W&W — I’m no longer intimidated and will be practicing my not-​ready-​for-​prime-​time mixymixy skills at home.
Their craft — and it is definitely a craft — comes from a place of passion and a long history with making world-​class cocktails… dating back to Prohibition. I’m floored what their elixirs can do to change the shape and experience of a drink.
Run — don’t walk — over to their website and snag some tasty impress-​your-​friends-​without-​hurting-​yourself recipies… then rush out and snag a few bottles. If you ever have a chance to run into these fine folks, say hi, shut up and listen — amazing!