Aviation American Gin Partners with Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine
The new Marvel Studio’s film, Deadpool and Wolverine, has a local Portland connection with the film’s official gin, Aviation American Gin. The film that stars Ryan Reynolds, an owner of Aviation American Gin, and Hugh Jackman also has a limited-edition series of six bottles at $29.95 each with a design inspired by Marvel Studios’ Deadpool and Wolverine.
These limited-release Deadpool and Wolverine bottles can be purchased at the Aviation American Gin tasting room in Northwest Portland while supplies last. Fans can also take part in a special Aviation Distillery Tour & Birthday Party Experience that’s inspired by Marvel Studios’ Deadpool and Wolverine.
This Deadpool and Wolverine tour only has four days left, Thursday, August 29 – Sunday, September 1. Then atter this weekend it is back to its normal Thursday – Sunday tours that allows patrons a visit to Ryan Reynolds’ office that also doubles as an escape room.
We recently took part in the Deadpool and Wolverine tour on a Saturday afternoon. Tours begin on the top of the hour and are limited to ten people, but the distillery also accommodates larger parties as well.
The one-hour tour takes you through the history of the brand, rubbing botanicals, viewing the production space that features two massive stills and ending with a small shot of the house made gin and a mini–Aviation Cocktail.
After meeting with our tour guide, the group ventured out into the distillery. There we learned about the history of Aviation American Gin and where it is headed.
The original distiller of Aviation American Gin was located in Southeast Portland, then known as House Spirits, was founded in 2006 by Master Distiller Christian Krogstad and Ryan Magarian. The name of the gin was inspired by the Aviation Cocktail that dates back to 1916 but nearly 100 years later, the drink was out of popularity and Magarian wanted to change this.
Once both Krogstad and Magarian began experimenting with a gin recipe, it took them 32 iterations over two years to come up with the gin we have today that’s still made right here in Portland.
Since its debut in 2006, Aviation American Gin began to grow and expand, while continually being highly rated. With this growth came an offer from Davos Brands in 2016 to purchase the brand while House Spirits continued to produce it.
Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds entered the picture two years later in 2018 when he acquired an ownership stake in the company. He truly loved the product and believed in it enough to seek out a financial piece of the company. It was his appreciation of the classic Negroni cocktail that led him to Aviation American Gin and purchase half of the company.
With all of this fanfare and growth, Aviation American Gin can now be found in all 50 states and in 40 countries around the globe. A true world class spirit made here in the Rose City! And since 2020, the distillery has been owned by Diageo, with Reynolds still owning a portion.
After the history of the distillery was discussed, we continued the tour through the distillery and found our way at a table to be part of botanical sensory. This was truly a hands-on experience as the group took in all aspects of this blend of seven botanicals from rubbing them, smelling and with the juniper, even tasting it. Besides the juniper, which is the main ingredient in gin, Aviation American Gin also uses cardamom, coriander, French lavender, anise seed, sarsaparilla, juniper, and two kinds of orange peel. The botanicals are suspended in a neutral grain spirit for 18 hours in macerating tanks.
The liquid then begins the distilling process in the two Italian made stills that are aptly named Ryan and Blake. Yep, one named for Ryan Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively. After the heads are removed it ends up at 142 proof before its blended and bottled at 84 proof. In all, we were informed that it takes about one and half weeks to produce a lovely bottle of Aviation American Gin.
After leaving the distillery floor, the tour continued into a replica of Wade Wilson’s apartment for a gin tasting. Wilson is the alter ego of the character Deadpool, portrayed by Reynolds, in the Marvel Studios film series. It was in this room were we each enjoyed a small pour of Aviation American Gin and a modern take on the classic Aviation Cocktail. And since this tour celebrated Wilson’s birthday, we each received a cupcake to celebrate!
The Aviation Cocktail
2oz Aviation American Gin
3/4oz Lemon Juice
1/2oz Luxardo Maraschino Liquor
1/4oz Cream de Violette
Shake with ice, pour into coupe glass, and garnish with Luxardo Maraschino Cherry
From there the tour ended and we headed to the aviation themed tasting room for mini-cocktail flight. Due to alcohol laws, with the shot and mini-Aviation Cocktail, one can only order three additional mini-cocktails after the tour. Since there were three of us we ended up ordering two flights and enjoyed each one. Of course the Negroni was superb!
Tours at Aviation American Gin cost $35 ($38.50 after fees) and provides for an hour of learning and exploring gin. The tour and tasting was great, but it is on the expensive side with just a small taste of gin and a mini–Aviation Cocktail that were included in the tour cost. But nonetheless, it was a fun and informative experience!
If you’re looking to visit Aviation American Gin, it is open Thursday – Sunday from Noon – 7:00pm.
Aviation American Gin – 2075 Northwest Wilson Street – Portland, OR
About The Author
DJ
D.J. is a Portland, Oregon based writer that spent his formative years in the Midwest. With over 25 years under his belt of drinking beer at festivals across America and the world, he has developed a strong appreciation and understanding of craft beer and the industry that surrounds it. He can be found in any of the great breweries or beer bars that make Portland the best beer city in the world. His writing can also be found in the archives of Northwest Brewing News and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @hopapalooza.