Covalle

Covalle [coh•vahl•leh] is a captivating, garden-forward contemporary American gin produced in Brooklyn, New York, inspired by a deep love and appreciation for fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes. Launched in 2026, this captivating gin features a classic London Dry gin base distilled by New York Distilling Company and is blended and bottled at King’s County Distillery where Covalle’s founder, Will Schragis, worked as a distiller early in his career.

Will Schragis—a sommelier, distiller, and blender with over two decades of experience working in restaurants, distribution management, and spirits and brand development—is a lifelong tomato fanatic. Before he developed his love for spirits, he was obsessed with tomatoes. Growing up, the cherished summer fruit was a staple in his household where his family grew them on the balcony and fire escape of their Manhattan apartment. Every year, he throws a tomato-themed potluck called “Tomato-Fest” on his birthday.

It was after one of these parties that Will first conceived the idea of Covalle while utilizing what he described as the “small puddles of fresh, bright, delicious tomato water” that remained in otherwise empty salad bowls. The flavors sparked his imagination, evoking images of a fictional coastal town, named Covalle, known for its boardwalk and tomatoes, where the people use tomato leaves to flavor their gin.

To turn this romantic daydream into a reality, Will and the collaborative team at his beverage consortium Project Optimist sought the advice of vermouth and amaro producers as well as the world’s leading gin experts. After a year of consultation, experimentation, and plenty of trial and error, Covalle was fully realized with a novel approach.

To begin, Covalle demanded a classic London Dry gin for its base—bold, savory, and citrusy, with the structure to hold up to and complement the tomato component. It was important that the botanicals provide enough backbone to ensure Covalle could pass the litmus test for any good gin: that is, does it make a good Martini (Guess, what? It does!)? For this gin, Will turned to Allen Katz of Brooklyn’s New York Distilling Company to create an earthy London Dry gin rich with citrus oils but restrained in pine and baking spice.

The tomato component was a bit more difficult to develop. Capturing the fresh flavors and aromas of ripe tomatoes posed a unique challenge. Inherently, alcoholic infusions and distillations “cook” the fruit, resulting in a profile more akin to a stewed tomato sauce rather than a garden-fresh tomato. After a series of attempts, an epiphany was had: the flavors they were seeking were not just in the fruit but the entire tomato plant, namely the fresh leaves and stems. To best preserve and bind the delicate aromatic oils, Covalle combines the leaves and stems with cucumber and apple pulp using an industrial blender. This mixture is then clarified using a centrifuge and blended into the base London Dry gin. Finally, the gin is proofed down with low pH water to best preserve the botanical components.

Adventurous and experimental, Covalle delivers the comforting flavors of a late summer garden harvest anchored by a bounty of fresh tomatoes. Use it to add a fun, whimsical twist to classic gin cocktails, such as Martinis and Gimlets, or in contemporary cocktails, especially those with savory ingredients.