A vodka lover from birth—being from Poland where the national drink reigns supreme—Bea Dale brought her love of the “little water” spirit overseas with her to Venice, where she now calls home with husband and Ohio-transplant, John Dale. Although Ohio isn’t internationally-known for its clear distilled hard liquor innately swilled like water, John’s profound appreciation for smooth-tasting spirits cannot be discounted. The couple easily adopted a favorable Florida pastime—enjoying backyard drinks in the warm evenings with friends.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
All it took was for one of these nights sitting around the table shooting the breeze over cocktails to come up with their newest, booziest business idea. Looking down swirling the ice in his drink, John wondered out-loud to his imbibing comrades: “Why isn’t there a shark tooth-themed vodka in Venice?” Venice remains the Shark Tooth Capital of the World for the number of fossilized shark teeth that wash up on its beaches from the Gulf. Inspired to make a splash in the craft spirit scene, John began calling area distilleries to see how likely that idea could become a reality. Most didn’t return his call. Others were only interested in volume and stocking liquor store shelves, which is not what the couple envisioned. There was somebody who did happen to answer Dale’s call—Steve Milligan, founder of Lakewood Ranch’s Loaded Cannon Distillery. He agreed to help them produce a white label using his distilling expertise and resources. Working together on different cuts and variations—distinctively different from Loaded Cannon’s vodka—the team came up with a smooth and delicate tasting cut that belongs only to Shark Tooth. Distilled 17 times and infused with a charcoal filter to remove the bite (pun intended), the winning recipe captures a taste that, for them, typifies coastal living and is as refreshing as a sea breeze.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
On track to have the first 1,000 bottles released in the coming month, as they await distribution at Loaded Cannon, John and Bea added a sharp souvenir before their striking blue bottles hit shelves—a mascot memento of sorts to immortalize the jawful apex predator and the equally toothsome spirit. Attached to the neck of every bottle, you’ll find an actual fossilized shark tooth wire-wrapped and threaded by hand as a keepsake necklace for your purchase. The black teeth are unearthed straight from the white sand beaches of Venice and found by various local divers, dive clubs and avid sand sifters the couple have partnered with to acquire an impressive supply. “Between us and our friends, we’ve made about 5,000 necklaces by hand so far, sometimes just sitting on the floor together and watching a movie at the end of the day,” shares Bea. “We love Venice, and we want Shark Tooth Vodka to be a tribute to all those who live and visit here in search of that perfect tooth.” SRQ
sharktooth.vodka, @sharktoothdistillery
