Lobster Vodka Is Real: Bold Coast Spirits’ $30 Savory Vodka
CrushBrew Editorial · Spirits · New Releases · 4 min read
Yes, lobster vodka is a real thing. And no, it is not a gimmick. Bold Coast Spirits, a Portland, Maine company founded by Stuart Littlefield and Jay Lombard, has just released a limited-edition savory vodka distilled with shells from Luke’s Lobster, one of Maine’s most respected seafood operations. Six hundred bottles. Twenty-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents. Shipping the week of October 26. If you have ever wanted your Bloody Mary to taste like the Maine coast at low tide in the best possible way, this is your moment.
Meet the People Behind It
Jay Lombard, co-founder of Bold Coast Spirits, put the premise simply: “There is so much flavor left in a lobster after the meat has been picked.” He is right. Only about 20 to 25 percent of a lobster’s weight is the meat most people eat. The shells, the bodies, the knuckles: all of that goes to waste in most commercial operations, and in Maine, that is an enormous amount of flavor heading to the landfill.
Littlefield and Lombard’s solution was to partner with Luke’s Lobster, source the discarded shells, and work with Artisan Distillery in Oxford, Maine to infuse them into an 80-proof vodka. The result is described as savory and buttery with a genuine lobster character, not a flavoring, not an extract, but the actual aromatic essence of Maine lobster captured in a shelf-stable spirit. It is a genuinely clever piece of sustainability thinking dressed up as a very fun bottle of vodka.
The Sustainability Angle
Only 20 to 25% of a lobster’s weight is edible meat. Bold Coast captures the flavor in the discarded shells before they reach the landfill, partnering with Luke’s Lobster to turn a commercial byproduct into something worth drinking. Zero shells wasted. One very interesting bottle of vodka.
What Does Savory Vodka Actually Taste Like?
Savory vodka sits in a different category than the flavored vodkas you may already know. This is not the sweetness of a citrus or vanilla vodka. Think of it as the umami end of the flavor spectrum: rich, slightly briny, with a buttery lobster note that lingers. At 80 proof it has enough backbone to hold its own in a cocktail without disappearing, and enough character to add something genuinely interesting to whatever it touches.
On its own over ice it is a conversation piece. In the right application, it is something more than that.
Three Ways to Use It
The Bold Coast Cocktail Playbook
The Coastal Bloody Mary
Bold Coast’s own suggestion, printed right on the label
Build over ice in a tall glass: 1.5 oz Bold Coast Lobster Vodka, 4 oz good tomato juice, a squeeze of fresh lemon, a few dashes of Worcestershire, a dash of hot sauce, a pinch of celery salt, fresh cracked pepper. Stir gently. Garnish with a celery stalk and a lemon wedge. Optional and highly encouraged: a cold poached shrimp on the rim. The lobster note in the vodka amplifies every savory element in the glass and adds a coastal depth that standard vodka simply cannot match.
The Dirty Coastal Martini
Chill a martini glass. In a shaker with ice: 2.5 oz Bold Coast Lobster Vodka, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, 0.5 oz good olive brine. Shake until very cold. Strain into the chilled glass. Garnish with two or three Castelvetrano olives. The combination of savory vodka and olive brine creates a drink that is genuinely more interesting than a standard dirty martini: brinier, more complex, with a umami depth that makes the whole thing taste like it was made with more intention than it actually required.
The Seafood Pan Sauce Finish
This one is not a cocktail. Sear scallops or shrimp in a hot pan with butter and garlic. Remove the seafood. Deglaze the pan with a splash of Bold Coast Lobster Vodka, let the alcohol cook off for 30 seconds, then add a squeeze of lemon and a tablespoon of cold butter, swirling to emulsify. Spoon over the seafood. The lobster note in the vodka deepens the pan sauce in a way that regular vodka or white wine does not. Serve immediately and do not explain what is in it until after the first bite.
How to Get a Bottle
The first batch is limited to 600 bottles at $29.99 plus $19 flat shipping, available by preorder through the Bold Coast Spirits website. Shipping begins the week of October 26. At 600 bottles this will not last long, and given the coverage it has already received, the window to order at release price may be short. If the concept appeals to you, this is the moment to act.
The CrushBrew Take
Lobster vodka should not work. And yet here we are, genuinely intrigued by a $30 bottle of savory spirit from two people in Maine who looked at a pile of discarded shells and saw something worth drinking. The Bloody Mary alone justifies the purchase. The pan sauce is a bonus. Buy two: one to mix with, one to talk about. 🦞
