Food - Drink
African-Made Libations Are Taking Center Stage With Spearhead Spirits
By MICHELLE WELSCH
Dating back to the very first historical records, Africans have been using fruits, grains, and other botanical elements to make spirits. Think beers made from bananas, maize, and sorghum; alcohol made from the sap of palm trees and mead, and alcohol fermented from honey and water.
Co-founders Chris Frederick and Damola Timeyin first launched Spearhead Spirits in 2021. Their mission was to create liquors that could represent the quality ingredients and provide serious and curious drinkers alike with "authentic and diverse drinking experiences" with copper-distilled gin and sugarcane vodka.
Vusa, the vodka label, is made in small batches and filtered through Baobab fruit shells to deliver a smooth finish and crisp taste. Bayab, Spearhead Spirits' gin, is distilled from African Juniper berries, rosemary, cinnamon, lemon peel, locally-grown wheat, and the Baobab fruit.