The story behind the rooster standing on top of the letter “S” in our name goes back to one of my grandmother’s childhood memories:

Back in this time, it was normal for families in the city to own what we may think are unusual pets: chickens, ducks, and roosters. My grandmother and her brothers had a pet rooster that they named Red who made his home above the doorway to the kitchen and would wake everyone in the household early each morning. He would come down once he saw everyone moving around the house, and would fly back up to his perch when there was company or to turn in for the evening. Apparently Red was also very intelligent because although he didn’t bother my great grandmother or her children as they moved around the house, if a visitor tried to enter the kitchen, he would swoop down and attack them with pecks and loud screeches. This went on a for at least a few years, until one morning Red didn’t crow and wake everyone up- he had died on his perch, still faithfully guarding the kitchen.

The first time my grandmother told me this story, it was during one of her speeches about how rough the Great Depression was and how it wasn’t always guaranteed they’d have meat each week to eat. I asked why her mom didn’t just cook Red if times were truly as tough as they seemed and you’d have thought I asked her to eat one of her brothers: “Why would we eat Red? He played with us, and protected our kitchen. He wasn’t just a bird, he was our family!”

With that in mind, I wanted to evoke the spirit of Red with this company that was inspired by the family he loved so much. I hope that his little spirit watches over Sugar Top Spirits the same way he protected my grandmother, great uncles, and great grandmother nearly a century ago.