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CALI-HEIGHTS CITRUS VODKA
Cali-Heights Citrus Vodka was a collaborative effort, not just by the Wille’s Tin Shop team but by the entire California Heights community in Long Beach. It all started with our late distiller, Forrest Cokely, who envisioned an organic vodka made with real flavors and real fruit juice. The challenge? Finding the right fruit.
That season, the Southern California sun was shining bright, and the scent of fresh citrus filled the air in every neighborhood. That’s when inspiration struck—we reached out to our local California Heights community, inviting them to share any surplus citrus from their trees. The response was overwhelming. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, kumquats, clementines, pomelos—every variety imaginable poured in. Our distillery was enveloped in the incredible aroma of fresh citrus. Trust us when we say it smelled like heaven for months.
In honor of our generous neighbors, we dedicated this special addition to our collection to the people of California Heights, whose kindness and support made it possible.
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Click the button below to learn about our Release Party!
Dave Van Patten
Dave Van Patten is a Grammy Award winning album artist, illustrator, muralist, designer, Long Beach local, and our label artist for our first release of the Cali-Heights Citrus Vodka. He is best know for his colorful imagery, playful surrealism and humorous tone. Dave Van Patten started in comic design, then branched out into large scale mural work and prints. Among his many incredible murals around the city, one of his most recognizable is painted on the outside of Alex's Bar, Long Beach. In 2023 Van Patten won a Grammy Award for “Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package” design for the Grateful Dead box set “In and Out of the Garden: Madison Square Garden ‘81 ‘82 ‘83.” He has done album and poster work for other bands such as WAR, Phish, Les Claypool of Primus, Backseat Lovers, The Grateful Dead 2017 Dave’s Picks Series, and various bands on Warner/Rhino, Jagjaguar, ATO, Burger, Lolipop, and Porch Party Records. We are thrilled to have such a talented artist featured on our spirits and merchandise. To learn more about Dave, click here to see his website.