Crystal Wise
The Grazing Board
A funny thing happened when Evan and Sally Batt opened Lockwood Distilling Co., their new spirits distillery on the Near Southside: A bunch of people thought it was a locksmith.
“You know, Lockwood, locksmith,” laughs Evan. “Doesn’t help that the space really was once a locksmith.”
What’s even funnier: Now it is, again.
“So many people were coming in asking if we still made keys, we decided to buy one of those make-your-own-key machines,” he says. “It’s not a bad way to get people who’ve never heard of us in here for a drink.”
In time, no doubt, the couple will be better known for making spirits and food, not keys. Opened mid-November of last year, Lockwood is the latest distillery to open in a city seemingly enamored with them. Part bar and part restaurant, it’s a spinoff of the original Lockwood Distillery Co., which the couple opened in 2019 in Richardson.
Months after opening the original location, however, the pandemic hit, forcing the couple to rethink their business, from front to back.
“We panicked, but we didn’t shut down,” Evan says. “We just went into full transition mode and started making hand sanitizer for frontline and health care workers. We didn’t have to let a single person go. We trained our wait staff to become warehouse workers and bottlers.”
Crystal Wise
Lockwood Distilling offers a wide variety of cocktails featuring their signature spirits.
In the meantime, the distillery’s reputation for its small batch, housemade spirits continued to grow. In a brief time, Lockwood has garnered a strong following for its Straight Bourbon and Straight Rye, its Texas Style Gin, flavored rums, and a pair of vodkas — one regular, the other flavored with hibiscus.
Lockwood’s most popular bottle is, without question, the Bourbon Cream Liqueur, a mix of almond, vanilla, Texas pecans, and real Wisconsin cream.
“You can put it in coffee or your milkshake,” says Evan, who has worked in the spirits and wine industry since he graduated from college. “Or you can drink it straight, on the rocks, or out of the bottle — however you drink something straight.” (Currently, the spirits are made at the Richardson location and sent to Fort Worth; Evan says they’ll begin production at the Fort Worth store sometime this year).
Crystal Wise
Lockwood Muffaletta
The distillery’s popularity sparked the couple’s expansion to Fort Worth’s Near Southside, an area the two immediately fell in love with.
“We became obsessed with it,” Evan says. “We knew immediately, this was the spot; this is the vibe we’re looking for. New Orleans has always been a big inspiration for us, and the Near Southside has that same feel — cool, indie businesses next to a neighborhood full of cool, old homes. It didn’t make sense for us to go anywhere else.”
Developed by Julio Ortiz, currently the executive chef at the Richardson location and whose resume includes stints at the Ritz-Carlton and Knife Steakhouse, the food menu is made up of chef-inspired sandwiches, salads, and other light bites.
Particularly good is the pastrami sandwich. “The pastrami brines for nine days in gin,” Evan says. “We cut off the ends and make chili with it”; fans also rave about Lockwood’s bologna sandwich, the meat for which is smoked for hours.
Crystal Wise
Dirty South Pie
Elsewhere on the menu, there’s a poblano and pimento cheese sandwich, various dips, and other small plates meant to be paired with Lockwood’s cocktails.
“We make our own pimento cheese, our own white bean dip, the chutney that goes on the turkey sandwich,” Evan says. “It’s our twist on hearty, Southern-style food.”
Lockwood also offers a handful of vegetarian and vegan dishes, including a vegan hot dog.
While Evan handles the spirits and production side of the business, Sally handles community outreach and social media.
“Community outreach is a huge part of what we do,” Evan says. “We love working with local businesses and finding organizations that could use some support. I think one thing that makes us different from other distilleries is that we’re very active in the community. You’re going to see us out and about in Fort Worth a lot.”
Lockwood Distilling Co. 1411 West Magnolia Ave. lockwooddistilling.com
