From Family Moonshine to Craft Cocktails: Elk Store Winery & Distillery

There's something remarkable about a family legacy that survives across generations, transformation, and even prohibition. In this captivating conversation with Todd from Elk Store in Fredericksburg, Texas, we uncover the extraordinary journey that began when his 14-year-old great-grandfather arrived alone from Moravia in 1895, speaking no English, and eventually established the original Elk Store.

Todd reveals how his family's history during prohibition inspired his own venture into distilling after decades in the wine industry. Having witnessed Fredericksburg's evolution from a sleepy town with just two wineries in the early 1990s to a destination attracting millions of visitors annually, Todd has intentionally preserved something increasingly rare – a business built on craftsmanship rather than scale.

Unlike most distilleries that focus on a signature product, Elk Store embraces the speakeasy concept by producing everything from whiskey and vodka to their famous pecan pie moonshine (based on Todd's grandmother's recipe). Their exquisite cocktail program, featuring house-squeezed juices, handmade syrups, and spectacular presentation, has created a following that keeps visitors returning time after time.

Beyond spirits, Todd continues his négociant winemaking, collaborating with small family producers in France, Italy, Argentina, and California. His stories of working with vintners who step off tractors to unlock their wineries capture the authentic connections he values – a stark contrast to corporate wine experiences.

As Fredericksburg faces increasing corporate development, Elk Store stands as a reminder of what makes small towns special: businesses where owners know your name, remember your favorite drink, and sometimes even receive your mail. Visit Elk Store to experience this unique blend of history, craftsmanship, and community that can only be found in Fredericksburg, where Todd and his team are preserving the art of hospitality one meticulously crafted cocktail at a time.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

I put a blessing on it too real , that's a metaphoric . We just put the I in iconic , buzzing like I'm electronic . Ah yeah , I put a blessing on it . See me dripping in it 24-7 on it . I'm just being honest . Ah , holy water dripping , dripping from my neck to my creps . I'm too stepping on it live .

Episode Introduction in Fredericksburg

Speaker 2 0:15

Hey everybody , this is Tiffany Foy from the Ramblin' Gypsy podcast and we are in Fredericksburg , texas . We are starting off . This is like a prelim , a pregame , to our SPF 90 tour 2025 . And Fredericksburg , texas . We are at Elks Distillery .

Speaker 1 0:30

Elks Store .

Speaker 2 0:30

Elks Store winery and distillery , and this is Todd . Todd is the owner , and I have been in here a million times , had an absolutely amazing time . Your staff are always just so epic . The entourage , the ambiance , the everything is unbelievable . And we just started talking about a little bit of history , and this is a lot of things that I don't know about .

Speaker 3 0:53

There's a lot of history you have so much going on here . There's a lot of history that dates back

Todd's Great-Grandfather's Immigration Story

Speaker 3 0:59

before even the Elkshore time . I mean , yes , my great-grandfather came to this country in 1895 from Moravia . Before there was Czechoslovakia , there was Bohemia and Moravia , and he was Moravian . He came over here when he was 14 by himself 1895 . 1895 in Galveston , landed in Galveston , texas , didn't speak a word of English , just all by himself . Wow yeah , can you believe that ?

Speaker 2 1:21

No At 14 , just up and At 14, . Wow yeah , Can you believe that ? No At 14 , just up and .

Speaker 3 1:24

At 14, . I didn't know what the hell I was doing at 14 , but I thought I did , but not a clue . We all did Can you imagine moving to another country by yourself ?

Speaker 2 1:32

And not knowing what anybody is saying .

Speaker 3 1:34

Nope , nobody knew what you were saying and you didn't have a phone to go .

Speaker 2 1:37

hey , Siri , can you ? No , Can you talk to this person for me ?

Speaker 3 1:41

That's what happened . And there were . He had a sponsor family and the sponsor family were bad people and they he actually was made a slave picking cotton in South Texas . They tore up his letters home and it wasn't until about a year later that they were bringing cotton in in and somebody was speaking Czech and he went to that person and said hey , I'm being held against my will and they're turning my letters home and I need help . And the guy says pack your stuff and I'll meet you at the road at midnight . No shit .

Speaker 3 2:16

And helped him escape and got up to the little town of . So there's a little town called West , on I-35 headed north out of Waco towards Hillsboro , and it's a Czech community and we had family up there . So he got up there with this guy's help and then ended up . There's a little town called Elk . That's about 10 miles east of West Yep and this older couple owned the two cotton gins and elk and tours and he kind of became the son they never had and ended up selling him the cotton gins . He became a wealthy man and he got married and he bought the elk store in Elk , texas , and because it was the hub of all activity it was the journal store , it was the post office .

Speaker 1 3:04

It was the barbershop , it was everything .

Speaker 3 3:07

And he built this house next door and then , uh , unfortunately , in 1920 , as most people know uh prohibition hit .

Speaker 2 3:16

Yeah .

Speaker 3 3:17

Well , you're not going to tell a check . You can't have a dream , so or a German for that matter .

Speaker 2 3:21

I'm sitting right here . Yeah , so I'm her German too .

Speaker 3 3:24

Yeah . So

The Original Elk Store History

Speaker 3 3:26

there was a little bit of moonshining going on in those days and so fast forward to now , about , I guess about 15 years ago , I started getting into distilling and found out that it was I kind of had in my blood . And then he never turned the elk store into a speakeasy , he just made some liquor . But I kind of thought what a cool concept , what if he had ? And so I had this property , so I turned it into a speakeasy .

Speaker 2 3:56

How long have you been in Fredericksburg ?

Speaker 3 3:58

I've been in Fredericksburg since 1993 . So I've been in here so right now , what 32 years ? Wow , yeah , and I've done multiple businesses , as we were just talking about . I kind of been in the wine business since the late 80s in Houston . I was in the steakhouse business there and built a award-winning wine list there and started traveling to Napa . First trip to Napa was like 1988 .

Speaker 1 4:24

Really .

Speaker 3 4:24

Back when I mean Mike Gergich was a personal friend of mine , we'd stay at his house . Robert Mondavi Michael Mondavi is still a friend of mine I would stay in his condo at Silverado Country Club all the time and you know , it was just . It was cool when Napa was not corporate Right .

Speaker 2 4:40

Sorry about the phone , no worries .

Speaker 3 4:41

When I was still Sorry about the phone .

Speaker 2 4:42

No worries .

Speaker 3 4:44

Anyway , long story short , ended up moving to Fredericksburg because I didn't want to raise kids in Houston . I wanted to be in a small town .

Speaker 1 4:52

Really cool .

Speaker 3 4:53

And there were a lot of cool things happening in Houston I mean in Fredericksburg and decided the one thing that wasn't happening in Fredericksburg at the time . This is hard to believe .

Speaker 1 5:03

now , now that we have , 18 bazillion wineries all over the place .

Speaker 3 5:06

We didn't . When I moved here in 1993 , there were two and I decided what two were here ? Well , grape Creek was here , and one that's no longer here with us anymore . Okay okay , it's long since gone , but those were about the only two that were here .

Speaker 2 5:28

That is so hard for me to even fathom .

Speaker 3 5:29

Well , and we had . I mean , our little HEB was where the Nimitz Museum is now , and I mean we had a liquor store , but our wine selection here was terrible .

Speaker 1 5:43

Right

Fredericksburg's Evolution Over 32 Years

Speaker 1 5:44

.

Speaker 3 5:44

And I'm coming out of Houston , out of you know award-winning wine list and going to Napa traveling the world buying wines and it just sucked .

Speaker 2 5:51

Did you know that Fredericksburg was going to become this big wine town ?

Speaker 3 5:55

No , not at all , but I knew that Fredericksburg was . It was so cool and so unique . I mean , this is 30 years ago . Yes , you could see the writing on the wall . There were . I mean , I'm not going to . I was on the backs of some other people Tim and Carol Bolton . I don't know if you know Carol Bolton from .

Speaker 2 6:18

Carol Hicks Bolton .

Speaker 3 6:19

Oh yes , and her late husband Tim , Fabulous mentors of mine . A lot of money in there , yeah , so I worked for them for years they , they picked me up and uh and really taught me how to do business in this town . Incredible people .

Speaker 2 6:35

Very .

Speaker 3 6:35

Um , but you know , there were the Collins family . There were a lot of people that saw the potential and then they , they took it . And then there was another wave of us that kind of came in and took it to the next level , and now there's another wave of younger people that are coming in and doing more restaurants . But it's actually gotten . You know , it used to be small businesses and now we're getting Waldorf Astoria's and now we're getting used to be small businesses and now we're getting Waldorf Astoria's and now we're getting . I just read a deal that this the people that did the Thompson Hotel in San Antonio , the DC properties or whatever they're proposing and building a big shopping center and boutique hotel and all this stuff , and we're so it .

Speaker 2 7:21

I mean Fredericksburg is changing it is rapidly I'm from new bronfels and new bronfels has done the same thing and it was very hard because I'm in the same generation as you and it was very hard . My grandparents and theirs , they weren't ready to let new bronfels do that and they shut it all down for a very , very long time . And then our generation came in and we were like absolutely not . And then our people started fucking it all up . They got the old school money and then they were snorting it , they were doing whatever . Then the next thing , you know the land selling for this and that . And now we're , which is why I wanted to do this , why I wanted to come and introduce people to yourself business owners , small business owners that know the history of the town . Um , well , I mean , make sure it doesn't completely get lost .

Speaker 3 8:09

I don't want it to get lost , I don't want it to be same , I don't want it to be . Everybody says where they'll be the next Aspen . Tell you right , Whatever . They've been saying that for years , but now it's kind of really happening . And , and because it's not , it's not people that we know , people that are living here and are being members of the community .

Speaker 3 8:29

It's corporations . We have a new hotel that just opened up that's out of Austin . There's another one that they just bought a little hotel property here and they're going to gut it and do it and it's going to be a boutique fancy thing and they're not going to live here . They don't know anything . I mean it's going to be a boutique fancy thing and they're not going to live here . They don't know anything . I mean it's just it's corporate . And now this DC properties , which is it's inevitable . It is it's inevitable , but it's kind of sad .

Speaker 3 8:54

Growth is good , but yes , it is it really really is , but there will always and I hope there will always be . One of the things I'm most proud of about my 32 years in Fredericksburg and being in business here and owning multiple businesses and opening multiple concepts is a lot of the cool and groovy stuff that we have in this town are owned and operated by people that used to work for me that kind of came up , came through here and said I want more , I want my own .

Speaker 3 9:27

And they saw a niche and they did it Spread their wings .

Speaker 1 9:30

And they're doing incredible . I love that .

Speaker 3 9:32

It's badass and I love that .

Speaker 2 9:34

Yes , I mean . I've got incredible friends that have restaurants , the proud Main Street , papa . Yeah , well , I mean , it's just you know what I'm very very .

Speaker 3 9:42

I'm very proud to leave , if I , if that's my legacy , that's it .

Speaker 2 9:47

You and I have a lot in common when it comes to that , and I have talked to a lot of people and that is one thing that I said if I go tomorrow , I will feel like I have done what I was put here to do , I have taught enough , I have shared what you know , the things that I've messed up , the things that I've done wrong in business or in personal or whatever . And I've taken that and said you know , you guys , if you all have ever learned anything from me , take this , listen to this , especially in small towns . Sure .

Speaker 3 10:17

I mean this guy . You know the inevitability of growth is going to happen , right , and it's going to be corporate someday , but I've lived a great life .

Speaker 2 10:32

Yeah .

Speaker 3 10:34

I always say I hate to say this , but in less than a little over a week I'm going to be 60 . And so yeah ? I think , it's kind of where you kind of step back and take a little stock of your life . And you go .

Wine Journey Across South Africa

Speaker 3 10:53

Okay , holy shit .

Speaker 2 10:55

And you know what ?

Speaker 3 10:57

I love it . I'm very happy with . I've lived my life on my terms , and I've done what I want to do and how I want to do it and um and it's been a lot of fun .

Speaker 2 11:07

I've had some friends of mine that are in the limelight and comedians that go and travel all over and have been wanting me to get in front of people . I like to sit in the back and design things and make everybody else look cute and shove them out there and go look how good they look . And here I am . But it is important to me that we talk about the small businesses . This is one of my favorite small towns and the history behind your grandfather is great , great grandfather is unbelievable .

Speaker 3 11:45

And that you , yeah , and he , you know it was are you the only one that down the family that picked up the wine and the yeah , so you know , eventually , eventually in the , you know , my great grandfather had a lot of children , was married and had Czech families in the day , had a lot of children , and then my grandfather of one of those . But as it got down the line , everybody had their own ideas of doing their own things Right .

Speaker 3 12:23

And nobody wanted to run the store Right , and so over time it just kind of went away and I mean , that's what it looks like right now . It's sad , it's just , but if you Google Elk , texas , that's the picture . That's the picture you get , and there it is , but you know it makes me proud to , just for a little bit keeping on the family legacy , but yeah , no , I've been a . I was a wine guy forever . I've been a wine guy most of my life . I still make . I make wine all over the world .

Speaker 2 12:51

That's what I want to talk about , the whole distillery portion . So let's go there .

Speaker 3 12:54

What I mean well , so it started off with wine . So , um , there's another business here in town that my brother has now . That was my first wine bar , called Lincoln Street Wine Market , that I opened , ironically , today , 29 years ago today , when you just realized that when we were , we first sat down , yeah , and I have visited here and I was .

Speaker 2 13:15

That was just at Lincoln Street the other day and you know we were in the music deal , the music business , and musicians , musicians , and so I've sent a lot , of , a lot of musicians over there to play and and um , started in March 13th 1996 it's crazy that you can talk about irony at its finest .

Speaker 3 13:29

That's kind of wild , that today's the day and yeah , yeah , and Tim and Carol Bolton were actually my partners in that and to begin with , did not know that , yep uh , because I was . I was running Homestead and working for them at the time , and then I had this idea . And so when I sat him down at dinner one night and said I'm turning my resignation , and I said and they're like what ?

Speaker 1 13:51

And .

Speaker 3 13:51

I said I'm at this concept and I'm going for it . And so they said well , tell me about it . And I told them about it , and then they're like , and without even blinking without even blinking .

Speaker 2 14:06

Tim goes , we're in , and Carol's like what . We're not even going to go home and have like an argument or a discussion about this .

Speaker 3 14:09

They said , uh , they're like no seriously . And I said well , there's a concept that in Napa Valley that I'm kind of . I you know , I saw and I think it would work well , here in Oakville Grocery and it's owned by .

Speaker 2 14:21

I know exactly what you're talking about .

Speaker 3 14:22

Yeah , it's owned by a friend of mine , now JCB . But I said you know what you know , let's go . And so we hopped on an airplane , we flew to Napa Valley , I took him to some of the concept , took him to some wineries , whatever . We came back and on the airplane we inked a deal and then and I think I think it was kind of a , it was a safe bet that if I , if it , if it didn't work , then he , I , he had me back and I was running his , his home , furnishing stores , but it worked , and so he eventually had to spot him out and so then , and then I sold that in 2001 and did some other things , got , became , began making wine in South Africa and had an importation and distribution business and so what made you pick South Africa ?

Speaker 3 15:07

One of my business partners , so one of my really good friends . So when I had Lincoln Street I met a really good friend named Bruce Winsmith that I met through that business and he's from South Africa and living here and at that time apartheid was still going on and we couldn't do business with South Africa and when apartheid ended he started importing wines from South Africa into Little Fredericksburg , texas .

Speaker 2 15:34

Wow .

Speaker 3 15:35

And then , after I sold Lincoln Street , we ended up becoming , because the way the laws work here , you can't have multiple lives , you have to be in different tiers of the system Right , and so when I was no longer with Lincoln Street , I had sold it . Eventually we got into partnership and so I would fly down there . Then they had moved back to South Africa . So I would fly down and live in South Africa for a while and we'd make wine down there , and then I'd fly back to South Africa .

Speaker 2 16:02

So I would fly down and live in South Africa for a while and we'd make wine down there and then I'd fly back and then we'd distribute .

Speaker 3 16:03

Yeah , so for people that don't know , From 04 to 06 , 07 , I spent a lot of time in South Africa , yeah .

Speaker 2 16:12

So , for people that don't know the concept of making wine , give us the because we're on time here . Give us the short version of how long the ? Process actually takes to get a bottle of wine .

Speaker 3 16:25

Oh , wow .

Speaker 2 16:27

Well , right now , I mean a lot of people . They think they just show up at HEB and they bottled it , you know .

Speaker 3 16:30

Here we are . Right now it's March 13th , so probably sometime this week or next week there's going to be a bud break in the vineyards and that means the vines are coming alive for the season . So it kind of starts the process and then , depending on where you are in the world , you'll harvest grapes , and in Texas , because it's so damn hot , we harvest pretty early . Here we got to harvest by July , because August they're just burning up .

Speaker 3 17:00

And but in Napa Valley in France , in Burgundy , they might not harvest until September or even sometimes October , and and then then you make the wine and you know the whole fermentation process and the making of the wine doesn't take longer than a month . But if you want to age it , if you want to put it in barrels , you're going to , so it could be the best . Wines are aged four more years before they're ever gone before they're .

Speaker 2 17:26

Yeah , so ever sat in front of you , which is the process .

Speaker 3 17:29

So that's why there's a . You know , you'll always see wineries they make . Very seldom do wineries just make one type of wine . They'll make a bunch of different types of wine because some can uh ready before the others Right . So nobody badmouths White Zinfandel in Napa Valley because it's called Chateau Cash Flow .

Speaker 1 17:48

It pays for everything else yeah .

Speaker 3 17:56

I mean they make that shit and boom and it's out the door and it's being sold and it pays for the good stuff that's sitting in barrels and all that kind of stuff Makes sense , yeah , but you know white wines tend to take less Swe and it pays for the good stuff that's sitting in barrels

From Wine to Whiskey Making

Speaker 3 18:03

and that kind of stuff Makes sense . Yeah , you know , white wines tend to take less . Sweeter wines , they take even less time . And the red wines , you have to age those . And it can take years .

Speaker 2 18:13

And I'm a red wine , I'm a rosé and a red .

Speaker 3 18:17

Yeah . Rosé and a red , yeah , and so you know , for me it's I'm , uh , I . I like to label myself I'm . I've been in the wine business for so long . I love california wine , don't get me wrong , I love . But the longer that you're in the wine industry , the longer you're doing this , the more you really appreciate old world wines yes you appreciate the french , the Italian , spanish , portuguese ones , and I'm a total French whore . I'm just , it's bad .

Speaker 1 18:47

It's really bad .

Speaker 3 18:49

Over the years , I've just become a total French whore . I mean , there's just the complexity , the beauty , the earth . You know , when you drink a French wine , you , you . It's a history lesson , it's not . It's not a chemistry lesson , it's a history lesson .

Speaker 2 19:10

How did you come up with your , your recipes , your palates , your , I mean so ?

Speaker 3 19:16

well , I mean , I've been in the business for a long time , so I know what I like . But I do . I make wine . I do what's called negotiant winemaking . Okay , and so most people don't know this , but most of the wine made in the world , everybody thinks that , oh , you have a wine , so you have a winery and you have a little vineyard and you have the whole deal .

Speaker 2 19:34

Yes , that's yes .

Speaker 3 19:35

That's most of all the wine made in the world . There's no winery , it's a brand .

Speaker 2 19:43

Yes .

Speaker 3 19:43

It's a brand and it's called the French invented it . It's called négociant winemaking . So a business person , a wine business person , said you know , I have this friend that has this great vineyard and I have this friend who's a great winemaker and I want to take those grapes and I want to give it to this guy and I'm going to have him make it , and then it's going to be fabulous and it's going to have my label on it . That's the negotiation of winemaking . That's what I do . So I go to France , I go to Italy , I go to California , I go to Argentina and I find fabulous little mom and pop wineries that want to work with me .

Speaker 1 20:20

Yeah .

Speaker 3 20:20

And then we make wine .

Speaker 2 20:23

This rosé that we're having right now . How long did it take you ? Or did you know ? Did you have two or three recipes ? Or did you go to this mom and pop and go ? Yeah , that's not what I meant . No , it was .

Speaker 3 20:37

I have a good friend that Michelle Foster , shout out to you that lives in Provence All these big fun words . And she helped hook me up , because if you don't know , you don't know , you don't . And rosé is very popular .

Speaker 2 21:00

Yes .

Speaker 3 21:00

And so there's not enough to go around , but she had a connection and hooked me up with a winery about 15 minutes north of the village of Aix-en-Provence and just one of the most beautiful places in the world . Wow , and with her help , yeah , we made wine together . I love that and I proposed to my wife in Aix-en-Provence .

Speaker 1 21:21

Really .

Speaker 3 21:22

Yeah , I did . I proposed to my wife in Aix . It's one of my favorite places in the world that's epic , and if you've never been there , you have to go Got to go . It's one of the most beautiful places in the world .

Speaker 1 21:31

Wow .

Speaker 3 21:32

And then we were married two years ago in Paris .

Speaker 2 21:35

I love it .

Speaker 3 21:36

Yeah , I love that . So yeah , we're very serious Francophiles . Okay , Frenchies .

Speaker 2 21:42

It's so good , it's so good so you have on your label . Let's give us a rundown of what the Elksource got .

Speaker 3 21:50

Yeah , I make three different wines out of Provence . I went over there to make a rosé and ended up . You know , rosé is made from red wine grape , so I knew I was going to make a red too . And then I ended up falling in love with this white grape that they have over there . It's basically Vermentino , but they call it Roule .

Speaker 1 22:07

Really .

Speaker 3 22:08

Yeah , r-o-l-l-e Roule and it's just gorgeous . And so I started making white wine there too , and then make two different reds and a white out of Argentina , make Mendoza area , make Cab and Chard out of California , of course , and then Riesling out of Washington State , and then I make a Moscato and a wine called Sangra Giuda it means the blood of Judas A sweet red wine out of Italy , actually made by monks , and it is incredible , it's one of our best-selling wines . I mean , it's very sweet , but it's not often that you find a really cool sweet red wine .

Speaker 2 22:52

And people eat it up . That's definitely a niche . I'm not that's .

Speaker 3 22:55

I can't do this , and then I make a Prosecco out of Prosecco Italy , and then I make a Prosecco out of Prosecco Italy . And then I discovered the Rhone a few years ago , went up to Chateauneuf-du-Pape and started making wine out of Gigandat and Côte de Rhone and some different regions right there , mostly all Grenache , syrah , mouved , and just it's beautiful . I mean it's just beautiful and I love I mean the winery , one of the wineries that I work with in the Rhone Valley . I mean , the first time I was there the guy had to come in off the tractor to let me in the winery . He was out in the field in the tractor and you know he's a British guy . He was a British guy and he took a year off of university a ago took a year off university or , after he graduated , took what they call a gap year now and he was backpacking through europe .

Speaker 2 23:44

Fell in love with a french woman next thing you know , we have a number one seller .

Speaker 3 23:49

Next thing you know they're married and and she inherits the wine , and so that's what they do . Boom and it's .

Speaker 2 23:54

It's the two of them and their daughter and they do it yaya and kp were the ones that introduced me to you and and the Elk store , yes , and she is is a Rose absolutely all day person .

Speaker 2 24:09

And , um , first , first trip I went to Napa . She planned the whole thing and of course I'd they'd been going for years and years , and so she didn't send me to the ones that you go and grow like . No , she sent me to the ones where you were up here . We've already , yes , and one . It was either the second or third trip that we had gone down there and it was a brand new . And it was the same same situation . Guy got off the tractor , his cow dog was coming right along with him and I was like I so appreciate everything that is going on here right now and it was just very real , it was very .

Speaker 3 24:47

those are the those are the ones that you really , those are the ones you really want to do , and it's , it's unfortunate and I'm I mean I still . I love california napa wines , but it's a lot of corporate now , and I mean a lot of . I mean I knew Dan Duckhorn when it was . Duckhorn , I mean the Yeager family that used to own Rutherford Hill and Fremont Gabby . We would stay at their house . I mean it used to just be so personal like that .

Speaker 3 25:16

And they would make you dinner and you'd go to have dinner with them . They would make you dinner and you'd go to have dinner with them , and and they were like . You know , I know everybody , you've seen that movie that's about the judgment of Paris , but it it , it , it . I mean that was in the seventies and I was there in the late eighties and it was still that way , you know you would . You know , I've sat on the gazebo with Jim Barrett . You know tasting Chantel Montalena . You know the man .

Speaker 2 25:45

The guy you know , a legend .

Speaker 3 25:47

Yeah , and it's just . It's what it was .

Speaker 2 25:49

Yeah .

Speaker 3 25:50

You know it was , it was so cool and and it still is . But you got to know

The Artisanal Cocktail Experience

Speaker 3 25:55

where to go Right , you got to know , otherwise you're , we're moving , we're moving we're stopping .

Speaker 2 26:00

Exactly this is where we make the 8 million tonnage . Yes , let's talk about the whiskeys .

Speaker 3 26:07

Okay , so again going back to my great-grandfather , I saw a business in wine , business forever , done wine forever and ever and ever , and saw I never thought the Texas wine industry would really be what it is today and but wow , it has really proven to be a you know a force . And so then I was kind of looking for the next thing and I'm like , with the success of Tito , nobody had really done anything . You know the Garrison guys , when they they were in you hang out in here before they started their deal and it's like okay .

Speaker 3 26:47

And , um , I thought this , this could be something , but I want to do it different . I said , you know , I'm not , I'm not , I don't want to do it on a commercial scale , I want to do it on a prohibition , speakeasy way , you know . And so uh started . That's my original . Still , you know you might take a shot of it later . But up on top of the deal that we built that and um back ordered parts off of eBay and built it and just started just distilling beer in the backyard .

Speaker 2 27:24

Which is a whole . If you've never researched the process of distilling , it's a .

Speaker 3 27:29

To make whiskey . It's basically beer . You're just distilling beer .

Speaker 2 27:31

Yeah .

Speaker 3 27:31

A really rough beer .

Speaker 2 27:33

I have an old , vintage one that a gentleman that running around and picking out of people's garages and you know , and so we just did that and you know what ?

Speaker 3 27:43

We started making some different stuff and letting some friends taste it and some customers and they're like it's pretty damn good , you might ought to think about this . And then a gentleman who turned out to be my business partner was just a really good customer and he's a big construction guy and owns a lot of companies out of San Antonio and whatever , and he has a house here and he finally just said one night he goes .

Speaker 1 28:11

I'd like to invest in it .

Speaker 3 28:14

I'm like shit , okay , we did and we started doing it , but the whole thing is where most people , like Tito's , makes vodka .

Speaker 2 28:24

Right .

Speaker 3 28:24

Garrison makes bourbon , bourbon , mm-hmm . People , usually they pick a thing and that's what they do . Right , my concept was I wanted to do a speakeasy bar , so I have to make everything Mm-hmm . So we had a special still made , and then we and that , and we make gins and rums and whiskeys and , you know , vodkas and moonshines , and now we are having tequila made for us , and tequila at least go , and it's just , you know , so that we can make all kind of cocktails and do everything .

Speaker 3 28:56

So , we , it's not just a whiskey cocktail or just . You know , we make all of the , we make a lot of different liquors and and then we , you know we then we do our own version of of , uh , let's say , fireball stuff , and then you know the devil itself he makes a little shot of divorce for everyone that wants to .

Speaker 2 29:21

But yeah .

Speaker 3 29:22

And then , but our claim to fame . The first thing we ever made was pecan pie moonshine . So my grandmother , my , that was some .

Speaker 2 29:32

My great grandfather's daughter-in-law , my grandmother , my dad's mother , late mother she would make the best pecan pies in the world and she'd only make them in holidays and she put a lot of liquor in it and they were just so damn good and so I thought the rum balls and put them in a pie and I thought I thought , well , what the hell I mean if we're gonna make a liqueur .

Speaker 3 29:50

I'm gonna make them taste like that yeah and so pecan pie moonshine became our claim to fame , and it literally tastes like you're eating pecan pie and you pour that , over some vanilla ice cream that's exactly so . That's so funny that you brought that up , because I was .

Speaker 3 30:05

That's just the only way in my mind , my opinion , I was how that needs to work I was doing a wine dinner one night and I was pressed for doing something for dessert and so I got a like a chocolate brownie vanilla ice cream on top . I I swear to pickles you and I are related somewhere somehow , and it went crazy . Everybody loved it , and so I challenged the bartenders to come up with a cocktail that tasted like that .

Speaker 2 30:29

There you go .

Speaker 3 30:30

And we make one and we call it the Nuck and Fuds . You can figure out why we call it the Nuck and Fuds .

Speaker 2 30:37

I have a whole gypsum area and it's shit that I make up , that comes out of my mouth , that people are like wait what ? And I'm like yeah .

Speaker 3 30:43

It's the Nuck Fudge .

Speaker 2 30:43

It is , it's perfect . If you have enough of them , you'll get fucking nuts . Yeah , yeah , it's so perfect .

Speaker 3 30:48

Yes , it's so good , oh , wow . And we even have great candy pecans on the top of it . Oh and , but yeah , we , we . So we took it and then , with the help of the most incredible bartenders , you have gotten to have the coolest bartenders . Oh yeah , without a doubt .

Speaker 2 31:11

I literally have become friends with every single one that I met in here . I was even telling Nick about it . I said you wait till you . They have the cutest little outfits on , they have their . One guy does suspenders all the time and his little little uh , well , and then just right . But the deal is , they've taken the , the the passion behind making their drink , and they've taken a crap cocktail to another level .

Speaker 3 31:33

Yes , and it's and we don't do . We don't do anything , half-ass in here I mean every single juice , and we juice fresh every day . All the simples , all the shrubs , all the stuff we make , they make it all in house . If you there's fresh berries , they're muddled , fresh berries that are bought every day and into the cocktails . And then it's incredible .

Speaker 2 31:55

What's really cool about being here and when you guys come and visit is that you are up close and personal , right at the bar where you watch it all . There's no , I'll be back in a little bit , or let me go check in the back and see where your drinks are . Whatever it's right in front of you yeah , and I mean for some people .

Speaker 3 32:12

When we get busy on a friday and saturday night , for some people they get a little frustrated that it takes a little longer for the cocktail . But if you're paying attention you understand why . It's a process , and when you watch it being made and when you taste it you're like , okay , nevermind , I'm good .

Speaker 2 32:27

I tell everyone , and we go a lot of places , but from the very first time that I watched the whole old fashioned experience , by far and I'm I'm an old fashioned junkie , and by far you've got it down . It is phenomenal .

Speaker 1 32:47

It is , and we're going to we're going to show a video of all that .

Speaker 2 32:50

You'll catch it on the bottom of the um . We'll add it to the episode . We've got some snippets .

Speaker 3 32:54

It's amazing . And then these guys have taken it to another level . So now they're I don't know , my GM is standing right over there how many different , how many different old fashions do we make now Ten , yeah , yeah so .

Speaker 2 33:09

I mean .

Speaker 3 33:10

Seriously different types of old fashions . Yeah , you do a s'mores old fashioned with a roasted marshmallow on the top of it and I mean I cannot . And chocolate , it's just ridiculous . I mean , yeah , you do a s'mores old-fashioned with a roasted marshmallow on the top of it .

Speaker 3 33:22

I cannot and chocolate . It's just ridiculous . Seriously it is . But I'll tell you , for years , our old-fashioned sales were the number one , everything and it was the number one cocktail and everything . But because of podcasts and Instagram and everything else , the espresso martini has now become one of the most popular cocktails that we do . But again , we take it to the next level . So we have our beans roasted for us in Austin and we grind them and make the espresso fresh every day . We don't use cold brew . We don't shortcut . We don't use cold brew .

Speaker 3 34:03

We don't cut , we don't shortcut , we don't do any of that . And then our vodka is the smoothest thing , that's ever been invented , it is just tastes like water , so it is incredible , and ladies will come in here and order 20 at a time .

Speaker 2 34:16

So where can people buy ?

Speaker 3 34:20

Right here , only right here .

Speaker 2 34:22

That's what is very , very important 100% . So you're not going to get this out , You're not going and listen everybody write , your congressman and your state legislator .

Speaker 3 34:30

If we could ship we can ship wine . If we could ship liquor , oh my God , it would be the best thing ever . But right now the law prohibits that . So it's just right here , right so it's not in storefronts ? No , ma'am , it's not , it's right , it's right here , fredericksburg , texas I don't , I'm not , I'm not at a point and I don't know that I I want to this is a valid point .

Speaker 2 34:53

I don't , I don't want to . I know where you're going and I don't want to say cheapen the process . But I don't want to , I don't small batch and small everything which is why we are here Small business owners , small towns , the hidden gems that are here is the inspiration behind my SPF 90 tour . We're doing 11 states in six weeks and I am hitting .

Speaker 3 35:16

I love the SPF 90 . That was funny .

Speaker 2 35:19

I'm serious about my skincare and it's a whole joke . Behind my sunblock because I'm an idiot and I had it looked like I rubbed deodorant all over my face more than once and my girlfriend's turned around and she's like what in the shit is all over your face ? I was like it's my SPF . She's like is it a 90 ? And I'm like I mean maybe whatever , it doesn't matter . But that's our whole . But that's exactly what we're doing . We're going to go in and introduce people like yourself , entrepreneurs , people that have a passion I'm not going to give up , I'm not going to let the corporate come in

Speaker 3 35:49

here , and it's what we do .

Speaker 2 35:50

It's so important .

Speaker 3 35:52

I'm that person as well . I don't want to have to do what is necessary and I don't want to say sell out . I mean , my God , look at Tito .

Speaker 2 36:00

He made a billion dollars out of it . Let me tell you , I own three liquor stores and we're in a tiny little town right outside of New Braunfels , in Canyon Lake , and there's times that I wish there was the Elk Store stuff in there . You know to where we could get it . But then you've got to push them here .

Speaker 3 36:21

It works for us . I've got my resort , so it's the same deal . The reason it works for us is location , location , location , 100% . We're so fortunate I mean , I'm so fortunate that I chose to live in Fredericksburg 30 years ago .

Speaker 2 36:37

Yes .

Speaker 3 36:38

And I'm still here and now . We have 3 million visitors a year . Three million people walk by that door every year . So it's insane , and so yeah , it works yeah , it wouldn't work if you're in BFE , you know it , you . But it works .

Speaker 2 36:53

That this , this concept , this model works in furniture don't break it , I'm not holding firm to it and it's all about what firm to it , and please do it's all about what we do please , and and old , and it's the experience it is , it's absolutely . When you come here , you walk in here , you've got the velvet curtains , the crushed velvet , the seating , that everything is just it's always .

Speaker 3 37:15

It's always dark , it's always sexy , it's always mysterious . But you don't , you're , you feel like your home . You do , and and we we have a lot . We have a lot of repeat customers , whether they're they repeat once a year , they repeat once a month , or they're in here three times a week .

Speaker 1 37:34

I mean during the week we're cheers we yes , we take care of our local clientele and uh but it , yeah , and everybody has their .

Speaker 3 37:42

we know where , everybody likes to sit , everybody sits . We know what drinks they like . We have wine set aside for them and we know what glasses they like You're right .

Speaker 2 37:51

I mean , don't you love that ?

Speaker 3 37:52

I do .

Speaker 2 37:53

I absolutely love that and we have a little a guy that I met . He would come and hang out , he would have cocktails and I had my little boutique in green and we became really good friends , excuse me , Um ,

Events and Community at Elk Store

Speaker 2 38:07

and he opened up a little shipping and mailing and pour them in New Braunfels .

Speaker 3 38:12

And it's that guy shipping and mailing and pouring .

Speaker 2 38:15

Let me tell you what you walk in there and he's back there and him and I have this joke about a mission because he'll his little accent will come out and he's just the funniest guy you've ever met in your life . But it's that guy you walk in . I don't have to say nothing . He hands you your mail .

Speaker 3 38:30

He doesn't you know and we have , we still have that here . It's so great . It's like , yes , we have the big uh company shipping stores , but then there's local ones that deal with those and they know me and they know and I and they'll box everything for me . They'll do whatever , and that's who I go to .

Speaker 2 38:46

They'll send you a text and go hey , you're going to come pick this up . Do you want me to drop it by the river , Cause I'd like to go hang out and sit on the Gwad for a little bit . I'm like I'll go hang out at the river and drop my cold beer . Whatever you want to do , yeah .

Speaker 3 39:00

I'm not going to mention names , but you're going to find this hilarious . We have regulars who have mail delivered here .

Speaker 2 39:07

Okay , yeah .

Speaker 3 39:08

We have people that's called respect .

Speaker 2 39:12

We have regulars that get mail Drop it off in Bob's chairs .

Speaker 3 39:13

The third one to the left or get clothing . You need mail , deals right here .

Speaker 2 39:18

Yeah , that's awesome , I'm not kidding , that is awesome .

Speaker 3 39:20

And then once they're , I'm pointing over there , like you can see , but over there there's an antique shoe shine chair and once a month because our customers requested it once a month we bring in a professional shoe shiner from San Antonio and he shines shoes here all first Saturday of every month and he'll shine shoes all day and all night .

Speaker 2 39:38

I have to come and be a part of that .

Speaker 3 39:40

It's the coolest thing and he is awesome .

Speaker 2 39:47

So I met a little lady and y'all can judge if you want to out there , I don't really give a shit , but she was the cutest little black lady ever and my husband , we were in Vegas and he plays his blackjack and winning all kinds of money or whatever .

Speaker 2 40:02

And I play my roulette , and I'm probably the only person that goes and sleeps in Vegas because I actually can relax , and so I'm the one that gives myself my own spa and I go bring my own bottle of wine and I lay in my room by myself and watch Law Order reruns , and I won $100 on a roulette table and she was just the cutest thing I had ever seen , and so I took my a hundred dollars and went and gave it to her , and this woman literally had tears coming down her face . She was so appreciative and so sweet , and so and it's one of this was years ago and it's one of those stories that I will never , ever forget , and so it's something about the whole shoeshine thing that just takes me back to that . I love it , it is .

Speaker 3 40:45

And you would just be surprised at the number of people that are just like . They just think it's the coolest thing since sliced bread and it's been around forever . Yeah , and you just . But we send out a deal and people will bring in bags of shoes or boots or what have you . This guy will work his butt off all day yes . But his shout out to Craig the shoe shiner .

Speaker 2 41:05

I mean you look him up on .

Speaker 3 41:06

Instagram .

Speaker 2 41:07

Craig , I cannot wait to meet you .

Speaker 3 41:09

He is incredible , yeah , and he can make anything , I mean it's I've seen people brought in like old hunting boots that look like they just need to go in the dumpster . And he brought him back to life .

Speaker 2 41:23

It looked amazing . That is so fun . Yeah , that is so epic saturday once a month . Craig shoeshiner's here first saturday of every month .

Speaker 3 41:27

There it is , and then every friday and saturday night we either have a dj spinning vintage vinyl or we have live jazz and blues the live jazz and blues .

Speaker 2 41:35

That's ironic because speaking of the music thing . I've walked in here a couple of times and be like hi , what are you doing over here ? This ?

Speaker 3 41:42

weekend is going to be so cool . On Saturday night we have this new guy and he I don't know if y'all have ever seen Hauser the cellist guy . This guy plays cello and sings , but he'll play the Eagles , he'll play the Rolling Stones , he'll do whatever on the cello . It's amazing .

Speaker 2 42:01

We have a mariachi band in New Braunfels that will come and play rap songs and it's the coolest thing you have ever seen and they run around the whole . There's like five or six of them and they will start busting out some of the coolest things and they will just turn it into and you're like , okay , now this is fun .

Speaker 3 42:22

Here we go . They're going to be showing up here .

Speaker 2 42:23

When you've got the sombreros out there busting out some Run DMC and some Salt-N-Pepa and some old school stuff . It's so cool , it's so cool , All right .

Speaker 3 42:33

Well , we're out of rosé , so I think we need to get a smoked old fashioned we do Everybody .

Speaker 2 42:37

You guys , Fredericksburg , Texas , Elk Store , Come see Todd .

Speaker 3 42:42

Yes , danny , come meet Danny , the .

Speaker 2 42:43

GM Amazing bartenders . Come have an old fashioned or 10 .

Speaker 3 42:52

Try all the wines he's got every single thing that you could possibly imagine , and you can take all of it home with you .

Speaker 2 42:57

You can take it home . There you go .

Speaker 3 42:58

You can fall in love with the cocktail here and you can buy everything . You can buy the liquor , you can buy the mix . You can take it home with you . There you go . You can fall in love with a cocktail here and you can buy everything . You can buy the liquor , you can buy the mix . You can buy anything . We even took our old-fashioned . We had our old-fashioned made into our own mix . We have our own old-fashioned mix .

Speaker 3 43:09

So if you

Episode Closing and Invitation

Speaker 3 43:10

fall in love with our old-fashions , here you can buy the liquor and the mix and take it home and do it .

Speaker 2 43:23

And if some I happen to be here all the time because I'm only an hour away , tag , message me . Y'all all know how to get a hold of me . Like , share , follow . I'll bring it home to you .

Speaker 1 43:29

Hell , we're fixing to hit the road .

Speaker 2 43:30

Follow our tour dates and I'll load my bus up .

Speaker 3 43:34

We're on Elk Store , 1895 .

Speaker 2 43:38

We're on Instagram , Facebook , all those things .

Speaker 3 43:39

Yeah , Danny does all that , because I don't even know yeah .

Speaker 2 43:42

Hey , we all got people for that .

Speaker 3 43:45

I'm turning 60 , so I don't know .

Speaker 2 43:46

Hey look you got to stick to what you know . Stick to what you know , and it's the Rose Day .

Speaker 3 43:50

Stay in your lane , Trust me . Everybody's telling me to stay in your lane .

Speaker 2 43:53

Yeah , we appreciate what you're doing . Don't fuck it up .

Speaker 1 43:55

Just like your daughter said Don't fuck it up , yeah , hey , it's been fun .

Speaker 2 44:00

We're going to go have some cocktails , yeah , and watch for the videos .

Speaker 3 44:06

Thanks for the things . Yeah , thanks for being here . It was so fun , it was so good to see you . Thank you so much .

Speaker 2 44:09

Yes , boop .

Speaker 1 44:12

I put a blessing on it . See me dripping in it 24-7 on it . I'm just being honest , dog .