The Bohemian Cup

This fall, Castle in the Air began what we hope will become an annual tradition -- the awarding of The Bohemian Cup. This prize recognizes a person or organization for, as the gilded certificate states, "extraordinary Imagination, Decency, Wit, Artistry, and Love," traits that we can all agree are exemplary but aren't often ceremonially reinforced. That's all changed now!

Many of you have heard of St. George Spirits, the Bay Area distiller largely responsible for bringing absinthe back to America after a century-long ban. We stood in line for hours last December to buy two bottles of their Absinthe Verte on its debut day, and we fell in love with the elixir immediately.

Through a series of happy coincidences, St. George co-owner Lance Winters contacted us earlier this year to ask if we might help him with a bookbinding project. He described what he was working on, a special, one-of-a-kind book he intended to give as a gift. We were intrigued and excited by the offer, and agreed to do whatever we could to help him make it happen.

When the project was complete a few weeks later, we were all so happy with the results, and with the grace and generosity Lance had brought to the project, that we felt like showing our gratitude in an official sort of way.

As such, we're very happy to announce Lance Winters and St. George Spirits as winners of the 2008 Bohemian Cup. Congratulations! We are already on the lookout for next year's winner!