Shaun Siems, the president of Spirit of Texas Independent Distillery, doesn’t pretend that the creation of his company’s Pecan Street Rum resulted from a lightning-bolt eureka moment—it was more of a “what if?” experiment. “One day, we were trying different yeast strains and I said, ‘What if we put some Texas pecans in there?’” Siems recalls, “and it turned this beautiful golden color, and the smell that was coming out was wonderful.”

Spirit of Texas was created in Pflugerville in 2009, when Siems and two friends, who also worked in high-tech, all took interest in establishing a distillery. At the time, the beer market was saturated, and other liquors took too long to produce, so they decided upon rum as their first creation (they intend to sell whiskey and gin products in the future). In addition to Pecan Street Rum, Siems also manufactures Spirit of Texas Rum, a smooth, white rum better suited to fruity drinks than the pecan-steeped variant.

As its name suggests, the Spirit of Texas Independent Distillery has yoked Texas’ rebel character to its own identity—“Everyone is entitled to our opinion” is the company’s new slogan. “We do things the way we do them,” Siems says. “That’s what we feel is the way to go.” After building their own stills and creating a rum starring a nut no one else had thought to emphasize, their confidence seems well-earned. The market must agree: Spirit of Texas rums are already available in more than 200 stores across the state.

Pecan Street Daiquiri

This play on a traditional daiquiri uses Falernum to highlight the unique depth of Pecan Street Rum. It's easy to make and easy to drink.

2 oz Pecan Street Rum
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Velvet Falernum
2 dashes orange bitters

Combine with ice and shake vigorously to froth. Strain into a coupe glass with a sugar rim.