Uncle Val's Pepper Gin, California, USA

A delightful botanical Gin with an eye-opening bite of fresh peppers.

At the heart 3 Badge Beverage Corp. is August Sebastiani — forth generation grandson of Samuele Sebastiani, founder of Sebastiani Winery in Sonoma. This family has been making premium adult beverages for a LONG time. Interestingly, Sebastiani Winery was the only California winery that didn’t close during Prohibition. How’d they pulled that off? Anyway, these guys keep cranking out some of the best craft Spirits, PERIOD. Currently, they produce a range of Gins, Whiskies, and Rums and you should try them all.

The Uncle Val’s line of products is named after August’s favorite uncle in Italy — Valerio Cecchetti. Evidently, Uncle Val was a doctor who grew fresh herbs and vegetables at home — and elements of the botanical mix was culled from his garden. Uncle Val’s Peppered Gin starts as their famed Botanical Gin. But it has the additions of black peppercorns, sweet red peppers, and pimentos. The bottles are gorgeous and filled at 45% ABV. It has all the Gin-iness and a peppery heat that will bring a warm smile to your face.