Best things
MILAN MARTIN • The Free Spirits Company
WORK • Wednesday Routine
MILAN MARTIN • founder & CEO • The Free Spirits Company
Neighborhood you live in: Mill Valley
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
We are The Free Spirits Company, and we make non-alcoholic spirits and cocktails. So, normally, if I told you that our team gets together on Wednesday mornings for some cocktails, you might call for an intervention. In our case, a Wednesday morning round of Negronis is both par for the course and a communal, uplifting, healthy ritual.
What’s on the agenda for today?
In all of our spirits and cocktails we use a bespoke blend of spices and extracts to replicate the warming “burn” of alcohol. It’s the element of a cocktail that makes it a slow sipper, and signals ‘adult beverage.’ We’re in the throes of innovating that system of natural ingredients to even more convincingly convey an alcoholic beverage, without the headache of the alcohol.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
There are too many to love, but one of our favorite experiences is cocktails and snacks at Malibu Farm in Tiburon.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Oh man, have you seen the lineup at Stern Grove this summer? The Violent Femmes, Public Enemy, Al Green…? Or even just catching a random weekday show at The Sweetwater Music Hall? We love live music and there’s plenty of it in the Bay!
Any weekend getaways?
We just spent the weekend on Coronado Island in San Diego. It’s pretty magical. The Hotel Del Coronado — amazing cocktail program — and the local restaurant scene was rad. We ate at an amazing Italian place called Rosemary Trattoria. Amazing pasta dishes (and NA cocktails).
What was your last great vacation?
We spent ski week down in Cabo San Lucas and had the opportunity to eat at Flora Farms in San Jose del Cabo, a farm to table restaurant owned by the Green family who moved to Cabo from SF back in the ‘90s. A beautiful spot, extraordinary food and a wonderful overall vibe.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I’m a recovering guitar player who’s picked up the drums in the past several years. I can’t say I’m “good” but I enjoy the heck out of playing and I just picked up a pretty rad electric drum kit from the good folks at Bananas at Large in San Rafael.
Where are you donating your time or money?
We shelter dogs and work with both the Marin Humane Society and with a senior dog rescue in the Mission called Muttville. We’re dog people and want to save ALL of them so the least we can do is give them a cozy place to sleep, some yummy food and some love while they find their forever homes.