Main Street News

Take a drive down the single-lane gravel path off of State Route 23 in Claverack, NY, and you’ll find yourself greeted with warm restored barns, a cocktail garden with an abundance of seating, and – of course – spirits aplenty. 

Cooper’s Daughter Spirits, located at Olde York Farm, is a woman-owned and family-operated distillery, cooperage, and apple orchard. Owned by Sophie and Stuart Newsome, the name of the distillery shares the story of a father and daughter who combined their passions to create a business. Sophie’s husband, Rory Tice, serves as head distiller and chief operating officer. 

How does one get into making spirits? “My dad started it all. He was tinkering with distilling as a hobby. Rory and I were interested, but we were really bad at it,” Sophie laughed.

Though none of them have a background in the food and drink business – Sophie has a degree in writing, Rory a degree in organizational communication, and Stuart a lengthy career in historic restoration and carpentry – the stars seemed to align for them. 

“The farm-to-table movement really inspired me,” Sophie said. “My passion for farm to table came together with my dad’s passion for history and bootlegging in America, and we combined that with my husband Rory’s passion for distilling.” 

Cooper’s Daughter Spirits has been open for eight years, and in that time, has expanded significantly. The distillery is located at the historic Jacob Rutsen van Rensselaer House & Mill complex, which housed a distillery and cooperage in the 1800s. Cooper’s Daughter started with a small cocktail bar set up in the barn, and later added the patio and pavilion. 

Most recently, they’ve refinished the cocktail barn, which was historically used as a toll house along the Claverack Creek. Inside, there are floor-to-ceiling barrels filled with aging spirits on one side of the room, unfurling the aroma of bourbon throughout the barn. Most of the bourbon barrels are handmade by Stuart onsite at the cooperage. Stuart sources local oak and mills the wood himself. The process of toasting a barrel gives whiskey, bourbon, and brandy its dark color and smooth caramel notes. 

All about flavor

When it comes to choosing flavors for their spirits, the owners look to see what is in season in the area and available from local farms. The vodkas and liqueurs are distilled from apples and infused with local botanicals, and the whiskey and bourbons are aged in barrels that are handmade on site. 

“We utilize whatever is near us and what we think is tasty,” said Rory. “We like to work in small batches, which are not only easier for us to produce, but give the spirits the best, most intense flavor.” 

Cooper’s Daughter offers a handful of spirits year-round. The smoked maple bourbon is cask finished with organic maple syrup that has been smoked with American white oak from Maple Leaf Sugaring in Ghent, NY; the cacao maple vodka features organic wheat vodka steeped with 100% organic Peruvian cacao nibs and sweetened with local organic maple syrup; and the diamond street vodka is a clean, organic wheat vodka that is smooth enough for sipping and neutral enough to be the base of a cocktail. 

In addition to the spirits available year-round, Cooper’s Daughter also has a variety of liqueurs on summer rotation, including rose, Thai basil, and raspberry & black pepper and a rhubarb & honey vodka. 

The rose liqueur is infused with roses that have been passed down and grown by generations of women in the Newsome family. They pick the roses during the hottest days of the summer and pluck each petal to infuse flavor into the spirit. 

The Thai basil liqueur is made with organic Thai basil grown by Deep Roots Farm, Whistle Down Farm, and Commons Hands Farm – all located in the Hudson Valley. The liqueur has an herbaceous flavor with peppery notes and makes for a unique mixer. 

Finally, the raspberry & black pepper liqueur is made with raspberries from Montgomery Place Orchards in Red Hook and Samascott Orchard in Kinderhook, NY. “Freshly cracked black pepper excites mature taste buds and elevates the raspberry flavor. Simply enjoy with ice and bubbles or stir into a crisp, dry New York cider to welcome fall.” 

The Newsome family also inspired the rhubarb & honey vodka. The family originally hails from the Rhubarb Triangle in Yorkshire, England. The vodka is sour and sweet, clocks in at 80 proof, and is flavored with organic rhubarb grown at the Cooper’s Daughter orchard in Red Hook and sweetened with Ray Tousey raw honey. 

“There are lots of variables, which is why all whiskey tastes different,” Rory explained. “Vodka is ready to go once you distill it, but with whiskey, you have to put it into a barrel to age. Distilling whiskey is about feeling it out the entire time.” 

The distillation process is different as well. Whiskey is made from grain and has starch that needs to be turned into sugar, whereas vodka is made from apples and doesn’t have to be cooked since it has fermentable sugar in it already. Whiskey stills are designed to leave a lot of flavor and character in the spirit and vodka stills are designed to take everything out and leave the spirit as neutral as possible.

“You can easily teach someone how to run the vodka still, but with the whiskey one, you have to use your senses and feel it out a little more. It becomes more subjective, whereas vodka is more objective,” Rory explained.

Cooper’s Daughter ages its whiskey between two and four years and runs a special release of a five-year, single barrel whiskey. Keep your eyes out because the next special five-year release should be coming soon! 

The cocktail menu is also seasonal and changes almost weekly. Currently, you can find delicious cocktails including bourbon punch, made with Cooper’s Daughter smoked maple bourbon, blueberry cardamom bitters, orange, lemon, and cherries; the sugar shack old fashioned, made with smoked maple bourbon, bruleed maple sugar, apricot vanilla bitters, Luxardo cherries, and garnished with an orange peel; and the rhubarb marg, made with rhubarb & honey vodka, black currant liqueur, lime, blackberry lavender shrub, and served with a salt rim. 

“Neither one of us has ever worked at a cocktail bar, but we’re passionate about flavor and cooking,” Sophie said. “Making a cocktail is similar to making a meal. We focus on building on flavors and making things pop.”

On the farm in Red Hook

The next big project for the Cooper’s Daughter family is working on their farm located off of Route 9 in Red Hook, across the street from the Reclaimed Motel. The farm was previously an apple orchard, and currently they’re growing apples, peaches, plums, pears, and pumpkins across ten acres. They also have almost 40 rose bushes that they’ll also use for their spirits. 

“It’s a passion project right now, but hopefully one day it’ll be an industrial venture,” Rory said.

Sophie also wants to get the existing farm stand up and running as soon as possible so that they can bring their products, as well as other produce from local farms, to the Red Hook community. She also hopes to host a farmers market once a month at the farm in the future.

“Now that we’re farming, we have even more appreciation for farmers. It’s probably the hardest job on Earth, so supporting other local farms is what it comes down to for us,” Sophie said. 

She also hopes to expand their wholesale business. Currently, Cooper’s Daughter sells its products in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, and California. “A few years ago, we wouldn’t have even fathomed being in the five states that we’re in now,” Rory laughed. “It takes a lot of persistence to get to those states, and we’re looking to expand further.” 

Another dream of Sophie and Rory’s is to have a cocktail truck so that they can travel for weddings, festivals, and other events. However, with Sophie and Rory expecting their first baby this August, they’re also seeking some balance, both for the sustainability of their own personal lives as well as for the life of the business. 

“This business has been our only baby for so long, but there’s a point where we can’t just keep adding more,” Rory said. “There will be some give and take, which hasn’t been something that we’ve considered until now. It’s a new mindset for us, but we think that Cooper’s Daughter will be stronger because of it.”

Visit Cooper’s Daughter Spirits at Olde York Farm at 284 State Route 23, Hudson, NY. The distillery is open on weekends for drinks and food truck pop ups in the cocktail garden, and you can find Cooper’s Daughter Spirits at a variety of farmers markets across the state of New York. For their full farmers market schedule, visit the calendar at coopersdaughter.com/markets. To learn more, visit coopersdaughter.com and follow them on Instagram @coopersdaughterspirits.