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Naomie Lucas '93

Naomie Lucas ’93 embraces her heritage as the granddaughter of an eastern North Carolina moonshiner. (Anagram photo/Anna Routh Barzin ’07)

While distiller Naomie Lucas ’93 embraces her heritage as the granddaughter of an eastern North Carolina moonshiner, she’s aiming her spirits at the Saks Fifth Avenue crowd, not backwoods imbibers.

Since its debut in February 2017, her Southern Wicked Lemonade has gained a following among affluent women — its target audience — and men more inclined to choose wine over the bite of hard liquor. Its pretty bottles of ready-to-pour cocktails were tucked into celebrity swag bags at the 2018 Oscars and Grammy Awards.

Moonshine has had a spotty reputation. Also known as white lightning or mountain dew, the usually clear, unaged spirit traditionally has been brewed since Colonial times from corn mash in crudely rigged stills, usually at night — in the light of the moon — to avoid law enforcement. A recent change in U.S. liquor rules brought it out of the backwoods and into the mainstream, but it still had that lowdown reputation.

Lucas, a former global marketing executive, set out to change that image.

“I studied the global market and found that the U.S. had a hard time exporting moonshine,” she said. “The world saw it as backwoods and unrefined.”

Her grandfather made moonshine with his brother out of desperation. A family of poor sharecroppers, they sold liquor to pay the sanitarium bill of Lucas’ grandmother after she contracted tuberculosis. A health crisis likewise motivated Lucas: A heart attack while participating in a charity biking event prompted her to cleanse her diet of processed foods. In the process, she noticed retail cocktails were full of artificial flavors and preservatives. “I knew I could do better,” she said.

The Southern Wicked line is organic, low in sugar and gluten-free, mixing moonshine with other spirits and pure fruit flavors — such as peach, blueberry and raspberry — to create 64-calorie cocktails. The company plans to launch a new line this summer, including its first bourbon whiskey blend. A rum version also is in the works.

Her grandfather got out of moonshining after taking the death of a young family member as a sign from God. To keep on the right side of heaven, Lucas tithes 10 percent of proceeds to benefit homeless shelters, survivors of domestic abuse and struggling farmers.

“God works in mysterious ways,” Lucas said. “I feel close to my grandfather once again and grateful for the opportunity to give back and support the common good.”

— Jill Warren Lucas


Tommy's Wicked Mule cocktail

Tommy’s Wicked Mule cocktail. (Anagram photo/Anna Routh Barzin ’07)

Tommy’s Wicked Mule

Created by Wicked CEO T. Naomie Lucas

2 ounces SWL Blueberry Lemonade Moonshine

1 ounce Barsmith Honey Ginger cocktail syrup

1 ounce Sprite soda

Mint sprig garnish

More recipes for cocktails featuring SWL can be found at wickedlemonade.com/wickedtails.


 

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