Steven DeAngelo followed a typical path: He went to a good school, became a capital markets broker, and returned to his hometown of New York. But when the recession hit in 2008, Steven decided to reevaluate his career. He wrote out two business plans, and years later, even he is surprised at where he ended up: as a gin distiller in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Steven still dresses like he’s preparing for a day on Wall Street, almost always donning a button down and slacks. And he approaches his business as a salesman, calling and visiting vendors around the city daily. But the product he’s making isn’t a simple, regimented recipe. Steven has re-thought the aromatic process of distilling gin, fusing methods created by French perfumeries in the 1700s with his stills in Brooklyn today to create a vacuum distilled spirit.

While the process sounds complicated, vacuum distillation is important in this context for one simple reason: It protects the delicate ingredients. If you know anything about gin, you know it’s all about the juniper and other botanicals — which are susceptible to damage. Through vacuum distillation, Steven is able to reduce the air pressure in the chamber so the alcohol distills at a lower temperature, which protects the flowers and spices that are being infused into the raw spirit.