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🐝 Next Wave Awards Distiller of the Year

🐝 Next Wave Awards Distiller of the Year

Modern Milk Maid, Distiller of the Year, Greenport Roundabout

Thomas Loncar
October 22, 2025

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Good Morning, North Fork! We brought the fun, you just bring your scrolling thumb.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

Modern Milk Maid
Distiller of the Year
Greenport Roundabout

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

Got Milk 🥛

Southold’s own Emily Russell is bringing back an old school idea, but plant-based.

Modern Milk Maid, her small-batch milk delivery service that’s making waves (and lattes) across the North Fork. Emily handcrafts almond, oat, and hemp seed milks, then drops them off in reusable mason jars. No preservatives, no gums, no weird oils. Just clean, creamy goodness.

It all started when Emily realized her store bought “healthy” milks were full of ingredients she couldn’t pronounce. So she did what any health conscious person would do, grabbed a blender, hit the research, and started experimenting.

Each jar is made fresh the day of delivery and lasts about a week. Emily’s blending health, nostalgia, and sustainability into every pour.

Get the full story 👉 Northforker

Cannabis, Housing & Hotels 🗣

The Southold American Legion was packed Monday night, veterans, small business owners, and locals all squeezed in for the North Fork Chamber of Commerce’s “Meet the Candidates” forum. Six hopefuls took the stage to tackle the issues shaping life on the Fork: housing, cannabis, tourism, and the Mattituck business corridor.

The format? Fast. Fun (for politics). And a little spicy. Each party picked one candidate to answer each question while their running mates watched from the sidelines, think tag-team town hall.

Turns out candidates are miles apart on cannabis and how fast Town Hall should move, but surprisingly on the same page about housing, redevelopment, and keeping tourism sustainable without turning the North Fork into a full-time theme park.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Distiller of the Year 🥃

While most distilleries pick a lane: vodka, gin, maybe bourbon, Matchbook Distilling decided to invent a few new ones. Founded by Leslie Merinoff Kwasnieski, and just named Next Wave Awards Distiller of the Year this Greenport gem is turning the spirits world on its head and giving it a good shake.

Instead of churning out copycat bottles, Leslie’s crafting liquid art: a smoked pineapple spirit, a strawberry amaro with nettles and rose, even a whiskey kissed by North Fork seaweed. Each batch is made by hand, no automation, no shortcuts, using ingredients from local farms at peak flavor.

That creativity has caught the attention of top bars like Eleven Madison Park and Thai Diner, who now collaborate with her on custom blends.

Congrats Leslie!

Get the full story 👉 Vine Pair

The Great Greenport Roundabout 🚗

If you’ve driven through Greenport lately, you’ve probably noticed the new almost-but-not-quite-finished traffic circle, and maybe wondered if you accidentally entered a demolition derby.

Since construction began on Sept. 22, the mini-roundabout has already caused two fender benders and countless double takes. Locals say it’s confusing.

The $10.9 million state project is meant to make the intersection safer. Once it’s done, stats show roundabouts can cut injury crashes by up to 75%.

The bad news? It’s still a work in progress, with full completion not expected until spring 2026. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

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Dog of The Week

Meet Sundance 🐾

Meet Sundance he’s a handsome 4-year-old shepherd with a heart as big as his paws. Originally adopted in 2021, he’s found himself back at the shelter through no fault of his own, just a little too much enthusiasm on the leash.

Don’t let that fool you, Sundance is pure gold. He’s housebroken, knows his basic commands, and loves nothing more than a good game of tug or showing off his favorite Wubba toy. He’ll proudly carry it around like a trophy and drop it at your feet when it’s time to play.

This sweet boy is ready to give all his love to a forever family who sees the gem he truly is. He’s tested well with other dogs and would just need a meet-and-greet with any potential furry sibling.

Sundance is neutered, microchipped, up to date on vaccines.

Every good boy deserves a second chance. Come meet him at North Fork Animal Welfare League’s 324 Church Lane location.

Trivia Time 🧠

Your brain deserves more than scrolling and skimming. Each week we’ll hit you with one question designed to make you pause, scratch your head, and maybe argue with whoever’s sitting next to you. Think of it as a quick mental pit stop: a chance to flex your random knowledge, test your memory, or finally use that obscure fact you learned in 7th grade.

In honor of Back to the Future Day yesterday: What speed did Doc Brown’s DeLorean need to hit to travel through time?

Last Week’s Results

Last week we asked: What number state was New York when it joined the United States?

Answer: 11th

Only 25% got it right, proving history class was not everyone’s strong suit.

Local Spotlight

Sweet News 🍫

Big congrats to Disset Chocolate and mastermind chocolatier Ursula XVII, they just snagged a 2025 Slow Food Snail of Approval Award!

Ursula’s farm to table philosophy is at the heart of every chocolate she makes. Each bite celebrates the East End’s bounty: locally grown nuts, fruits, and honey, transformed into stunning, seasonal creations that taste as good as they look.

A classically trained chocolatier who’s worked alongside world-renowned pastry chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe and the U.S., Ursula brings world-class craftsmanship to her cozy Cutchogue atelier.

Stop by Atelier Disset to browse her latest collections, or take one of her year-round chocolate-making classes and learn from the best.

^{_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored}}

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships