Fall Cherry Kombucha Boulevardier – this is a perfect cozy, fall drink that will keep you warm all season long!

This Fall Cherry Kombucha Boulevardier is a bourbon-based cocktail that uses Northstar Kombucha’s cherry elderberry kombucha as a substitute for Campari.  It is so delicious and will keep you warm all season long!

I have been so excited about this post you guys!  It has been more than a hot minute since my last Eat MPLS installment, but I promise it was worth the wait!  I am so very pleased to introduce you to Northstar Kombucha – a local kombucha start-up here in the Twin Cities.

Just a little bit of background for anyone new, I start this series “Eat MPLS” to feature local food/drink companies in the Twin Cities area.  Part of what I do behind the scenes (and on Instagram stories ? ) is try new foodie products and scour Instagram and the web for fun, new foodie start-ups.  If I think it is a brand that you guys NEED to know about, they get featured on TWS!  I absolutely love trying new foodie products and, with my law/MBA background, I get totally engrossed in each start-ups personal story of how they got started.

I was instantly drawn the branding of Northstar Kombucha.  The clean and classic design, paired with the cool bottle just made me want to be holding one in my hand.  I was lucky enough to sit down with Christina and Dan, the founders/owners of Northstar Kombucha a couple weeks ago and hearing their story and then taste testing several of their flavors – wow.  They totally lived up to and exceeded my expectations.

They are a match made in kombucha heaven – Dan is a food scientist and Christina is a graphic designer (she, of course, is responsible for the beautiful packaging).  Together they are a one-two punch – and seriously the nicest people I have ever met.  They got into the kombucha game after Dan tried his hand at making home-brewed beer.  But, after realizing the market was somewhat saturated and he could just as easily go out and try a new micro-brew whenever he wanted, he switched to kombucha.  After visiting Hawaii and seeing how much kombucha was a part of the culture there and how popular it was – they decided to really go for it here in MN.

What really struck me about their product, was the amount of care, thought and creativity that they put into it.  I am not kidding you – these flavors are AMAZING!  My favorite was the citrus hop (grapefruit basil and cherry elderberry were the other two I tried).  But the citrus hop was mind-blowing.  As someone who enjoys a good beer (hello – I am from Wisconsin!  Even if I eat/drink healthy I still need a beer during my Packers games…) this was the beer version of kombucha.  How unique is that.  And not only unique, but it was done right.  Like, I didn’t taste it and go – wow cool idea, but it doesn’t taste very good.  No, no.  My husband and I both tasted it and we basically fought over who got to finish the bottle. I would have used it for the recipe below, but cherry elderberry won out due to being more favorable to the season ?

Dan described to me the pages and pages he has of different flavor combinations and techniques….. this guy knows his stuff and puts his everything into making a kick-ass product.

So, if you are anywhere near Minneapolis or the Twin Cities, you gotta check these guys out.  I can see big things happening to them in the very near future and I cannot wait to watch it all happen.

Okay – now for that drank recipe ?

So I played around with a couple different ideas, but the clear winner was this Fall Cherry Kombucha Boulevardier – the cherry elderberry kombucha was the perfect replacement for the Campari that is typically used in a classic boulevardier.  The resulting flavor is warming, not too sweet and balanced.

Bourbon is the perfect spirit for fall – it just reminds me of being cozy and fires and hanging out with friends and family.  I think you guys are going to love this one!  If you are loving kombucha-inspired drinks (like me…) also check out these Guava-Lime Kombucha Shooters!

I can’t wait to share the next Eat MPLS feature with you guys! If you have any suggestions for new foodie start-ups, shoot me a message!  Check out Northstar Kombucha on Instagram or check out their website!

Don’t forget to check out my Instagram account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!

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