In the span of a few weeks, Baltimore has seen Natalie Portman dine at Alma Cocina Latina and Usher pay a visit to Twist in Fells Point. TikToker Keith Lee was just in town sampling the local fare.
Now we hear another celebrity has apparently been charmed by Charm City.
Ja Rule and a team of business partners have picked Baltimore Spirits Co. in Medfield to produce a new line of honey-flavored rye whiskey making its way to liquor store shelves. I have details in this week’s column.
Livin’ it up
How did a New York rapper get involved with a Baltimore liquor company? It all comes down to a local connection.
Herb Rice, a co-founder of the new Amber & Opal Spirits, was born and raised in New York City but came to the Baltimore area to attend Towson University. He’s been living here since 1998 and is an investor in several whiskey brands with a group of business partners.
One of those partners happens to be Ja Rule. The rapper, famous for early-aughts hits like “Always On Time” and “Livin’ It Up,” has known Rice for the past 25 years — their wives are childhood best friends.
So when Rice started to dream of launching his own whiskey brand, Ja was a natural call.
“Whiskey is one of the spirits that’s sorely underrepresented by people of color,” Rice said. “We were interested in bringing the spirit into those communities.”
The result is Amber & Opal, a new line of whiskey infused with sweet notes of honey, smoky lapsang souchong tea and fig, cinnamon and ginger from an herbal tea. Rice said the smooth flavors are a more palatable way to introduce whiskey to the uninitiated.
“We wanted to create a niche product,” he said. “We knew flavored whiskey would be a bit more inviting, a bit curious.”
🥃🐝 https://t.co/Ia4NCBQ17G pic.twitter.com/CSZJH2vpeH
— Ja Rule (@jarule) August 15, 2024
The brand uses two-year-aged rye whiskey from Baltimore Spirits Co. as its base. Rice first connected with BSC founders Max Lents and Eli Breitburg-Smith a couple of years ago after touring the distillery, part of the Union Collective compound in North Baltimore.
Lents and Breitburg-Smith didn’t know Ja Rule would be involved until he popped into a Zoom meeting early in their conversations with Rice and his business partners, Kelvin Barton and Sandy Sandiford.
“It was unexpected,” Lents said. “It was certainly a fun development. We were all smiles.”
Though Baltimore Spirits Co. has done some smaller-scale collaborations and product development, this is the company’s first partnership that involves a new brand distilled and bottled by BSC. The Amber & Opal bottle notes the spirit was produced by Baltimore Spirits Co.
Rice said the brand is in talks with a national distributor and hopes to have the whiskey on shelves soon. In the meantime, a small amount will be available in the Baltimore Spirits Co. tasting room.
Ja Rule has been spreading the word about Amber & Opal on Instagram, alongside concert shots and photos of golf outings.
Lents said the rapper has been to Baltimore for tastings and a private launch party. (“He’s very funny in person,” he said of Ja.)
Will he be back for more?
“I can’t speak to his schedule, but I wouldn’t be surprised,” Lents said.
A mixed berry review
Keith Lee raved about Rooted Rotisserie’s chicken and watched as his family picked some crabs at Kahler’s. He couldn’t leave town without dessert.
Inspired by an invitation from owner LaQuicha Brown, Lee stopped at Berries By Quicha inside the Best Western Plus Hotel in Southeast Baltimore last week for what may be his final Baltimore review.
The TikTok food critic grabbed a selection of chocolate-covered strawberries to taste in his car. The verdict: most were pretty tasty.
@keith_lee125 Berries By Quicha taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic @Berriesbyquicha
“In my opinion, she uses really good chocolate and it’s very snappy, and the strawberries are big,” Lee said after taking a big bite of a strawberry shortcake-coated berry. He rated the majority of the berries he sampled a 7.5 out of 10.
He was less enthusiastic about an ice cream sundae-flavored treat, though. The elaborate toppings on the berry — sprinkles, milk and white chocolate and a cherry on top — overwhelmed Lee’s tastebuds.
“It don’t even taste like strawberry no more,” he said, rating the dessert a 3 out of 10.
One misstep didn’t matter much: Berries by Quicha was still feeling the “Keith Lee effect” after the TikToker’s visit, selling out of desserts last week according to Instagram.
“Knowing that sweets aren’t typically your preference, we’re beyond grateful that you answered your DM,” Brown wrote in a thank-you post to Lee.
She also said she plans to retire the ice cream sundae flavor.
