James Bay Distillers' Berlin Station Covert Cold War Martini Cocktail: Gold Medal

Everett, WA. James Bay Distillers announced today that their Berlin Station Covert Cold War martini cocktail, a proprietary blend of the company's citrus-forward Summer Gin No. 5, their Inner Harbour Scotch Whisky with a fresh note of lemon zest, has earned a Gold Medal at the Barleycorn Awards competition in Dallas, TX.

"The Berlin Station martini name dates to the Cold War days, when this was the favorite drink of the former CIA Station Chief in Berlin," noted Ernest Troth, president of James Bay Distillers. "The cocktail is documented in Norman Mailer's spy book, 'Harlot's Ghost,' and features the station chief drinking this while plotting against the Soviet and East German governments," added Troth.

Judges at the Barleycorn competition describe the martini as, "A bold spirit with a lovely bouquet on the nose and a kick of peppery spice and lemon on the palate. Unique and tasty!"

Serving suggestions: serve chilled over ice with a lemon twist, or make a tall, lower alcohol-content drink by adding lemonade. "We favor mixing Berlin Station with Fevertree's Sparkling Sicilian Lemonade," said Troth, "a combination which we refer to on our menu as a 'Berlin High Wall,' to recall the Cold War status in Berlin."

Berlin Station ships from the distillery near Seattle, directly to consumers in Washington State and the District of Columbia from their sales site. The company expects to add Berlin Station to their nationwide sales site in 2026.

About James Bay Distillers: The company is a craft-distillery producing gold- and double-gold-medal award-winning whiskies, gins and vodkas. Described as an "emerging brand" at the 2025 Seattle Cocktail Week, and noted for entrepreneurial success in the Snohomish County area "Welcome Magazine," the company prides itself on production of sipping spirits. Among their other spirits, their Strait Up Killer Vodka has been rated one of the top nine in the U.S. by Wine Enthusiast and in 2022 was named one of the top 100 spirits in the U.S. The company produces and ships from their site at Paine Field International Airport in Snohomish County just north of Seattle, with customers across the U.S. and in Hong Kong and Japan. Wholesale and export orders are invited.