Pesach Meal With a ‘Righteous’ Liqueur

By Elizabeth Kratz  

David Hermelin is owner of Righteous Road Craft Spirits.

Righteous Road Craft Spirits owner David Hermelin created “The Fifth Cup” liqueur around the Maharal of Prague’s teaching that the Psalm 136 be recited over a fifth cup at the Pesach Seder to show gratitude to Hashem for providing our sustenance each day. While the four cups represent the four stated ways Hashem redeemed the Jews from Egypt (“I will take you,” “I will save you,” “I will redeem you” and “I will be your God”), the fifth cup reaches one level higher, as the Talmud expounds, that providing “the sustenance of an individual is even more difficult than redemption.” 

Righteous Road Craft Spirits launched in 2016, with the signature liqueur Righteous Seven hitting the market three years later. The company’s first product, the Original Righteous Seven Liqueur, incorporates the delectable “seven species” listed in the Torah that praise the Land of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, pomegranates, figs, olives and dates. Hermelin worked with a distiller in Kansas City, Missouri to develop the formula, experimenting with various percentages of each fruit and grain, until perfecting the final blend. It was described by The Beverage Institute on Tastings.com as having “fruity aromas of cherry preserves, chocolate bar, toasted coconut, mocha and whipped crème, with a sweet medium body and an appealing, medium-length of dried figs and dates, prunes, black forest cake and a rooibos tea finish.” 

To create a Pesach product, Righteous Road launched a second liqueur brand in 2021 called The Fifth Cup. The Fifth Cup was developed using a sugar-cane alcohol base and has a unique blend of apricots, dates, figs, pistachios and almonds. Although both The Fifth Cup and Righteous Seven are fruit liqueurs, the two spirits have a very different taste profiles. “The Fifth Cup is a little lighter with the addition of the apricots, almonds and pistachios, and has a taste reminiscent of springtime,” Hermelin said.  

The foodie members of The Jewish Link editorial staff found the liqueur very pleasing, with sweet, honeyed fruit as its primary flavor notes. “Specifically I taste fig and stone fruits, and it’s really lovely with the viscosity of honey. A perfect taste for the end of the meal,” said Nina Glick. The barrel-aged variety adds nutty, cooked fruit and vanilla spice notes.    

“It’s cognac-like, but a little sweeter. I felt it had a depth like scotch that people really like. Good stuff,” said Bracha Schwartz.  

A Tastings.com review of the product said that tasters “experience aromas of sunflower seeds and pecan with a supple, crisp, moderately sweet light body and a smooth, medium-length tea with honey, apple compote, and peach jam finish.” The Fifth Cup Liqueur was awarded a gold medal at the 2021 San Francisco Word Spirits Competition. Righteous Road also ages The Fifth Cup Liqueur in new oak barrels for one to two years. This more-limited-edition liqueur is called The Fifth Cup Barrel Reserve, which comes in a 375 ml bottle.  

Righteous Seven was the most highly awarded American fruit liqueur in 2019 and 2020, winning multiple double gold medals at both the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the SIP Awards International Spirits Competition, along with a gold medal at The International Review of Spirits. More recently, the company introduced a special release of Righteous Seven finished in a bourbon whiskey barrel. 

Beyond the fruit liqueurs, the company sells unique single-barrel whiskies (not for Pesach) finished in Righteous Seven and Fifth Cup liqueur barrels, as well as Greyrider bourbon and rye whiskies finished with Righteous Seven-soaked oak staves in the barrels.   

Righteous Road Craft Spirits prides itself on delivering products unique to the market on both a physical and spiritual level. Hermelin believes that select foods from the earth can positively influence the spirit, and certainly Righteous Seven falls into this category. He explained that he spent over 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry working in corporate strategy and brand development, with a particular emphasis on identifying products that had unique attributes and a competitive advantage. Given his creativity and corporate background, Hermelin became interested in the craft spirits market and what the potential might be to develop new brands with unique taste profiles and meaningful backstories. He wanted to combine craft spirits with Jewish or spiritual ideas.    

“The word ‘righteous’ describes an individual whose conduct is morally right and justified—one who has the strength of character and backbone to do the right thing in the face of challenge or adversity,” Hermelin told The Jewish Link Wine Guide. “Many of the backstories developed with each brand relate back to this ideal.” 

The company’s products are sold in select stores in New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, Maryland, Illinois and Missouri. Additionally, Righteous Road has an online store that ships to most places in the United States, with free shipping on orders over $99. Several collections and sets are exclusively available for purchase at the online store at discounted rates. All of its products are kosher certified by the OU. The Righteous Road Craft Spirits motto is, “Life is a series of choices that lead us down our own unique road. Take the road that brings light and goodness into the world. Make it a Righteous Road.” Visit them at www.righteous-road.com.