Valentine Vodka Celebrates Grand Opening of Ferndale Distillery & Martini Bar

The long-anticipated Grand Opening of Valentine Vodka, 161 Vester Street in Ferndale, has arrived. On Friday, May 20, the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce will host a public ceremony and ribbon cutting at 4:30pm for the Valentine Vodka Martini Bar and Metro Detroit’s only micro-distillery. Afterward, guests are invited to imbibe on a selection of specialty cocktails and infusions throughout the evening.

Valentine Distilling Co., is located in a 5000-square-foot building which once housed the Wolverine Pool Table Company – just a stone’s throw from Woodward Avenue. In mid 2010, work began on the space resulting in a 1000-square-foot martini bar which looks into the 4000-square-foot distillery. Many of the building materials used in the renovations were reclaimed from abandoned or demolished buildings in Detroit.

As Detroit’s first micro distilled spirit since Prohibition, the award-winning Valentine Vodka is well on its way to setting the standard for ultra-premium hand-crafted vodka with its clean, crisp and uniquely flavorful taste. As one of the first distilleries in the world to use a triple-grain recipe, Valentine Vodka proudly utilizes a blend of Red Michigan wheat, malted barley and corn, which all come directly from Michigan farmers and suppliers.

Last year, Valentine Vodka was awarded a Gold medal ranking during the Beverage Tasting Institute (BTI) 2010 International Review of Spirits Competition – the largest and most prestigious annual spirits competition in the United States. The BTI gave Valentine Vodka a rating of 90 in the “Unflavored Vodka” category.

Rifino Valentine – the man behind Valentine Vodka – is a native of Leelanau County. A graduate of Cornell University, where he earned a BA in Economics, Rifino spent 11 years on Wall Street as an independent trader before founding his own successful trading firm. He returned to his home state in 2005 to fulfill his dream of creating Valentine Vodka.

Through his hand-crafted products, Rifino hopes to draw on the inspiration and history that the City of Detroit brings when it comes to distilled spirits, as he develops and grows Valentine Vodka. After three years of intense research and study, Valentine Vodka reached the market in March, 2009. From Christmas 2009 to the same time 2010, sales for Valentine Vodka has quadrupled in sales and can now be found in more than 900 outlets throughout Michigan and Illinois.

For a list of retail outlets carrying Valentine Vodka, as well as a menu of signature cocktails, log onto www.valentinevodka.com (www.facebook.com/valentinevodka).

Official Facebook Event, sponsored by The Metropolitan Detroit: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221596637854678