In Tastemakers 2012 we toast the visionaries who are making our lives so delicious
Eric Seed doesn't make cocktails. He makes the cocktails you drink taste better. Starting with his favorite pine-flavored Austrian liqueur in 2005, each bottle he's imported for Haus Alpenz, his Minnesota-based company, has been embraced by cocktail geeks with the same enthusiasm as Justin Bieber crashing a Sweet Sixteen party. Think Batavia Arrack (rum's precursor), Creme de Violette (the key to an Aviation), or Kronan Swedish Punsch (a prized Scandinavian liqueur). Next up is 114-proof Royal Dock Gin and Byrrh Grand Quinquina, niche brands that he'll revitalize stateside. --Andrew Knowlton
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Illustration by John Burgoyne