Bottling lightning: Parade Road golf course bar distills its own vodka

LACONIA — Ray Simanson got the urge to open a distillery about four years ago. When he looked into it, he learned that distilleries have a high failure rate. So, he decided to not be like other distilleries.

He concluded there were three main reasons why distilleries close: they are typically located in industrial parks, where the only natural foot traffic is people going to work; they have difficulty building brand recognition; and they have a hard time getting space on retail shelves.

“I said, I can overcome every one of them,” Simanson said. The result is Dancing Rabbit Vodka, a spirit that Simanson has been concocting in a container-based distillery since March, and which he has been serving since August, to great reviews.

Simanson worked around each obstacle. He got a variance allowing him to set up his liquor production next to his driving range. He can build his brand awareness by promoting his products at the bar and restaurant. And New Hampshire has a program designed for getting local products space at state liquor stores. Easy, right?

Well, this is 2021, which means nothing’s easy. He thought he could catch lightning in a bottle, but didn't realize how hard it would be to get ahold of the vessel.

It’s been 12 years now since Simanson and Leslie Judice reinvigorated a property on Parade Road that offers golf and food. You might think, by their experience over those years, they had bought on nearby Rollercoaster Road. Take this detail for example: Tavern 27, their fine dining, tapas-style restaurant, which had bankrolled the rehabilitation of the par-3 golf course, hasn’t been open to the public since March 2020.

Judice and Simanson live on the second floor of the home that houses the restaurant, and they didn’t want to reside in a building that had been occupied by dozens of people during a pandemic. Instead, they focused their hospitality on the small bar and food truck previously used to keep golfers fueled and quenched.

The bar, known as the Par Bar, a.k.a. Mystic Meadows, and four other names according to Simanson has been a revelation no matter what it’s titled. “Out here, it’s just so relaxed,” he said, especially in comparison to the everything-must-be-perfect standard at Tavern 27.

Now, instead of serving mostly out-of-staters or day trippers, Judice and Simanson are seeing locals, sometimes multiple times per week. In fact, it’s a novelty for Judice, who ran the kitchen at Tavern 27 while Simanson handled the front of the house, to see patrons at all.

“We dream of the day when it comes back,” Simanson said of the restaurant, but for now, they are appreciating the change of pace — one which has allowed them time to develop other aspects of their business.

“The golf course was supported by the restaurant for 10 years,” Simanson said. “The restaurant closes, and the golf course explodes.”

He would like for his vodka to take a similar trajectory, but has run into a problem that has become all too common this year: supply chain hiccups.

Simanson tried to shield himself from such problems by selecting a bottle made in the U.S., one also used by some major players in the industry. However, when an outbreak shut down the factory that makes the bottles, the shortage meant small fish like Dancing Rabbit had to wait until the whales were satisfied.

Simanson ordered 1,000 bottles, and when he had them filled in mid-July, he called for another batch. “They say they can’t deliver until December,” he reported.

That means he doesn’t want to start stocking the bottles in stores, as his most important priority is being able to serve it as the sole vodka at his and Judice’s bar, whatever it’s called.

So far, it’s been a hit, Simanson said. The vodka is distilled 12 times for smoothness, and its mash of corn and apple lends it a subtle butterscotch aftertaste.

They serve it in a variety of cocktails. Simanson suggests the blueberry lemonade, or pouring a shot into a glass of unflavored 603 Hard Seltzer. Or, simply on the rocks. Simanson plans next to develop a gin, has planted grape vines for grappa and brandy, plans to make blueberry mead and, even further down the line, whiskey.

“It has exceeded my expectations with how it has been received,” Simanson said. Referring to the golf course, restaurant, outdoor bar and, now, distillery, he said, “I’m excited to see how this is all going to meld together one day.”