About Us
True to our namesake–Janus, god of transitions, the past and future, the open door–our creations inspire a duality in those who savor it–eliciting memory and creating new ones. Like anything worth drinking, January Spirits is a slow burn.
These spirits and liqueurs come from a long tradition that can’t be rushed. Our bottles are both a nod to the storied past and a celebration of how people enjoy cocktails in the States.
Drinking herbal liqueurs can be a profound experience. You can feel as though these liqueurs are making you meet them on their own terms. But drinking also ought to be fun. It makes you feel good, after all.
Jon Langley and Lucky Preksto, longtime New York City bartenders, met in 2009 and have been collaborators ever since.
In 2020 they began developing recipes for botanical spirits in Jon’s kitchen. Ever optimistic, they formed January Spirits that same year.
They decided to launch with three products. Amaro and genepy, legendary digestifs, are both fantastic stand-alone liqueurs. They can also add an ineffable quality to a drink–a secret ingredient. The five-flower gin, particular to January Spirits, accents the earthy quality of flowers. It’s not an obvious gin, only delicious.
Taken on their own, these styles are aromatic and nuanced; in cocktails, near indefinable.
Joining forces with Lucky’s wife, Diana Lang, on branding, and Jon’s partner, Amanda Eli, on operations they came to market in New York in the spring of 2023.
