10 minute read
Mead Magic
Liquid Alchemy co-founders Jeffrey "Doc" Cheskin and Terri Sorantino.
Photos by John Vari
MeadMagic
Liquid Alchemy’s founders haven’t struck gold with their venture, but they’ve prospered over five years and the future looks bright
We hope to create a completely different experience,” co-founder Terri Sorantino said about Liquid Alchemy Beverages, the craft mead and hard cider maker based southwest of Wilmington. That’s why the tasting room has so much stuff showcasing brewing history, a belief that alchemy is transformative and pop culture — including vintage bottles and equipment, hand-crafted drinking horns, a Viking helmet that’s really an ice bucket, a toaster shaped like Darth Vader and a cow-jumpingover-the-moon cookie jar. Plus, “a lot of guests bring us things that they want to live here,” she said.
Twenty or so tables outdoors, some in an open garage, continue their eclectic style. That scene, with patio heaters providing multi-season comfort, is enhanced with old signs and a dog toilet featuring an old Wilmington fire hydrant donated by a city firefighter. The people toilets inside offer their own whimsies, including steampunk fixtures and pop art.
The memorable look accompanies memorable beverages. Liquid Alchemy has earned gold medals from what they called all three of the nation’s mead trade groups (Mead Free or Die, the Texas Mead Cup and the Mazer Cup) and in 2019 was named meadery of the year by Mead Free or Die. ►
By Ken Mammarella
A few of Liquid Alchemy's medal-winning creations.
Liquid Alchemy was born during a 2012 vacation when Sorantino and Cheskin were blown away by the Lavender Lemonade mead from Maine Mead Works. By the end of 2012, they had incorporated. They dedicated all their retirement savings to it, which included buying and refurbishing a building from Hurlock Roofing; scouring the country for supplies and equipment; testing recipes with friends; and scoring, making and commissioning those nifty decorative items. They opened Sept. 10, 2016.
“It’s our first child together,” said Cheskin, who is now engaged to Sorantino. They have five children from their previous marriages.
A few numbers illustrate their success. In 2016, they brewed about 500 gallons of mead and hard cider; in 2020, they brewed about 6,000 gallons. And they’re looking for a second location.
Mead starts with honey, and cider starts with pressed apples. Mead is associated with Vikings, as LiquidAlchemyBeverages.com points out. Hard cider is associated with Colonial America.
Liquid Alchemy has modernized both. Some styles add water, yeast and mechanical carbonation. Flavorings are preferably locally sourced but never include extracts, concentrates, processed sugar, artificial flavors, artificial colors or gluten. Products run 6 to 19% alcohol by volume.
“Hard cider seems to have the edge and is at least pretty popular in regular drinking culture at the moment (and growing),” Cheskin said. “Craft mead is the wild horse by the range and reaction of people [and] has incredible potential. … The younger drinkers are liking the meads. [It] might
Liquid Alchemy's eclectic tasting room.
take a while, but craft mead is definitely in our future.”
The number of meaderies has quadrupled in the last nine years, Wine Enthusiast reported this year, citing Investment Weekly News for valuing the global mead market at more than $400 million in 2018 and projecting it to top $800 million by 2025.
How many styles has Liquid Alchemy developed?
“You mean good and bad?” Sorantino asked before estimating nearly 100. Some recipes are both. Their popular Magenta Dragon cider became the sour Pink Pickle Power when fermented too long. Fermented even longer it became the enjoyable Invisible Dragon.
Liquid Alchemy supports other local entrepreneurs by showcasing their products, including Hope’s Caramels, Hurley’s Happy Place soaps, Musings Fermentation Underground kombucha (ideal for someone in a group avoiding alcohol) and Woodside Creamery ice cream, plus recurring food trucks, entertainers and artists.
Cheskin, 57, and Sorantino, 55, continue their day jobs, as physician and office manager at Cheskin Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Stanton. At Liquid Alchemy, they have nine parttime employees and usually work every day there, with tennis games on Sunday evenings their biggest bit of fun.
— Liquid Alchemy, 28 Brookside Drive, Wilmington, is open 4-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 2-9 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. LiquidAlchemyBeverages.com.
State Line Liquors
Family owned & operated
Since 1933 — 4 Generations!
Great selection of...well... just about everything! —Yelp
Wine, Spirits & Beer Tastings Over 3,000 Different Beers Growler Bar with 35 Taps Gourmet Food & Cheeses
1610 ELKTON RD, Route 279 . ELKTON, MD • WWW.STATELINELIQUORS.COM OUTSIDE MD. (800) 446-WINE, IN MARYLAND (410) 398-3838
NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE CRAFT BEER IS SOLD. SCAN QR CRAFT BEER IS SOLD. SCAN QR CODE TO FIND BEER NEAR YOU. CODE TO FIND BEER NEAR YOU.
THE CITY
WPD LEARN TO RIDE PROGRAM RETURNS
The Wilmington Police Department’s Learn to Ride bicycle training program, a popular community initiative suspended since last year due to COVID-19, kicked-off Aug. 11 at a Chase Fieldhouse even that included the donation of bicycles to 15 City youth by JPMorgan Chase. The Learn to Ride program, held monthly, involves police officers providing safety lessons for children learning how to ride a bicycle. The free program is hosted in the gym of the Police Athletic League of Wilmington, at 3707 N. Market St. To learn more about the WPD Learn to Ride program, visit the City of Wilmington website. Space is limited and preregistration is required. Any questions can be directed to Sgt. Michael Coleman of the WPD Special Operations Division, at Michael.Coleman@cj.state.de.us
Mayor Purzycki meets with kids a the Learn to Ride kickoff event at the Chase Fieldhouse.
41ST FIRE ACADEMY GRADUATES NEW CITY FIREFIGHTERS
Mayor Mike Purzycki and Fire Chief John M. Looney welcomed 25 new firefighters to the Wilm. Fire Dept. during a public graduation ceremony on July 17 at Abessinio Stadium. The ceremony included for the first time the graduation of probationary firefighters from nearby Chester (Pa.) and Upper Darby (Pa.) Fire Depts. In all, 40 firefighters graduated from the 41st Wilmington Fire Academy, which occurred during the 100th anniversary year of the WFD. These included 10 from the City of Chester and five from Upper Darby. Mayor Purzycki congratulated the recruits as they begin their career while also acknowledging their families. In honoring the memory of late Battalion Chief Mike Schaal (Ret.), who died July 8, the Mayor told the graduates “you are not entering a profession or a department as much as you are entering a family joined by your aspirations to help others and bound together by the shared challenges and heroism of your chosen profession.”
The 41st Wilmington Fire Academy graduation ceremony at Abessinio Stadium.
YCD youth employees express their appreciation to Bank of America
2021 YOUTH CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WRAPS UP
The 2021 Youth Career Development (YCD) Program’s summer session, presented in partnership with the Delaware Dept. of Labor and through the generous support of a $100K Bank of America grant, ended in August. Said Mayor Mike Purzycki, “Bank of America has again demonstrated its commitment to our City and its children and youth by enabling us to bring more young people into this program. Many thanks also to Ian Smith and YCD Division Manager Nicole Adams and the Parks and Rec team for their ongoing efforts to assist our youth.” To be eligible for the Youth Career Development Program, participants must be 14 - 21 years old, complete the online/mobile phone registration, meet residency and job-eligibility requirements, pass background checks and drug screenings, and arrange for direct deposit of their paychecks.
NEW KIRKWOOD PARK PLAYGROUND DEDICATED
Wilmington dedicated a new $339,000 playground in Kirkwood Park on East 11th St.—a project funded jointly by the City, State, and Christina School District. The improvements to Kirkwood Park are part of the City’s multiple-year and multi-million-dollar park enhancements program intended to make all City parks more attractive and enjoyable for residents. The new Kirkwood Park playground boasts several features that promote childhood literacy, including a Custom Reading Shade section for public storybook readings and talking point panels developed by Too Small to Fail, a Clinton Foundation organization that promotes early brain and language development. It also features a variety of safe, age-appropriate and ability appropriate play equipment.
The hugely successful 34th Annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival returned to a newly renovated Rodney Square for five days of terrific music in August. “This may have been the best festival ever,” said Cultural Affairs Director Tina Betz, “and we can’t wait to do it all again next year.”
Stubbs children join Mayor Purzycki, Governor Carney, and other officials to cut the ribbon on the new Kirkwood Park Playground.
LIVE JAZZ RETURNS TO THE SQUARE
Terell Stafford and Jazzmeia Horn entertain the crowd in Rodney Square on Day One of the Clifford Brown Jazz Fest.
25th Anniversary
In 1995, the Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware was created to oversee the growth and restoration of the public and private land surrounding the Christina River. Formally home to shipbuilding and industrial centers, the land had become deserted and largely unusable. Thus, RDC began the process of rehabbing the landscape and working with local and regional developers to revitalize the area.
Now, celebrating our 25th anniversary, Riverfront Wilmington has become one of the area’s most vibrant and exciting destinations to live, play, and work. Once a largely abandoned shipyard, the riverfront is now teeming with residences, hotels, restaurants and indoor and outdoor attractions.
As we enter our 26th year — and look beyond — the Riverfront Development Corporation is thrilled to continue the expansion of the Riverfront area as we move to the east side of the river. We can’t wait to celebrate everything Riverfront Wilmington has to offer with you all year long! The Riverfront Market
OPEN
MON-FRI: 9AM-6PM SAT: 9AM-4PM
RIVERFRONT RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN
for in-house indoor and outdoor dining
Stop in and enjoy fresh produce, salads, sandwiches, coffee, pizza, sushi, Mexican,Thai cuisine and much more!
Banks Seafood Kitchen & Raw Bar
Big Fish Grill
Ciro Food & Drink
Cosi
Del Pez
Docklands
Drop Squad Kitchen
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Riverfront Bakery
River Rock Kitchen
StarbucksDine-in or carry out
NOW OPEN at the Riverfront Market! Pachamama Peruvian Rotisserie Serena’s Soulfood
Taco Grande - NEW!
The Juice Joint
Timothy’s on the Riverfront
Ubon Thai
