May 1/Miami -- Rave Review! Original Culinary Spirits launched this past weekend. The products -- blended bourbon, brandy, hops and rum -- are formulated with natural ingredients to bring quality, creativity, and innovation to cooking with alcoholic spirits. The line promises to blend an affordable price with high-end design to create a truly distinctive product.

“The initial idea was deceptively simple: if you made a spirit specifically for cooking, how would it be different from one for drinking? What benefits would result from designing the spirits with cooking and food foremost in mind? We decided to find out,” said Jim Lindner, president and CEO of Restoration Spirits, Inc, which created Rave Review! Original Culinary Spirits.

A panel of award-winning executive chefs, private chefs, food scientists and culinary instructors selected for their expert palates and diverse culinary styles provided invaluable feedback in crafting the ultimate flavor of each product. The chefs determined that 30% alcohol by volume was ideal for cooking with enough alcohol to get the volatility to carry the aroma and flavors but not so much to overpower with the alcoholic bite. Similarly, the line has 25% fewer calories per serving than many beverage spirits.

“We worked to make sure our flavors don’t shift or change as heat is applied to them. This has become one of the crucial differences between our culinary spirits and beverage spirits, though ours are still delicious unheated and you can certainly drink them,” says Lindner. “We began with rum, bourbon and brandy because those spirits are the most commonly used in cooking. The hops signifies where we want to go in the future and we are looking to introduce another four within a year with the focus more on spices and unique culinary blends."

Internationally acclaimed designer Karim Rashid designed the bottle and branding for the introduction of Rave Review! Original Culinary Spirits. He was inspired by the originality of the product and the innovation of spirits crafted for cooking.

Rave Review! Original Culinary Spirits are available in 200ml bottles and a 1 liter size is available to the trade.