Tito Beveridge ambled over to our group from Covey Rise with a loose, easy gait and a generous cheshire grin. The broad smile seemed to be an invitation to fun. The test tubes in his hand, used to sample vodka, confirmed it.

Produced in Austin, Tito’s Handmade Vodka comes from Texas’ first legal distillery. And on our tour of his distillery, the affable owner himself served as our host, talking not only about his business but his connections to the countryside.

“I’m from San Antonio,” he said, “so I grew up quail hunting south Texas.”

His family once owned the property of Joshua Creek Ranch, one of the finest places for upland hunting in the nation.

The connection between hunting and fine liquor is clear. What hunter doesn’t toast a successful day in the field?

But Tito’s path to producing vodka is more circuitous…