Fifth State Distillery Co-founders Rob and Bridget Schulten at the Taste of Fairfield on Oct. 2 at Delamar Southport. Photo by Jessica Ryan.

The annual Taste of Fairfield brought out more than 40 restaurants, wineries, craft brewers and spirits makers for hundreds of guests on Oct. 2 at Delamar Southport. Each year, the event donates 100% of the money raised from its raffles to Operation Hope, a nonprofit that addresses basic needs for food and shelter and long-term solutions to hunger and homelessness, including affordable housing, life skills training and personalized clinical support. Bridgeport’s Fifth State Distillery joined the crowd, serving its award-winning Connecticut-made gins and spirits, including Seville Gin and Passion Gin. Awarded Connecticut Gin Distillery of the Year in the 2022 New York International Spirits Competition (NYISC), for a second year in a row, products include Fifth State Gin, Fifth State Seville Gin (93 points/NYISC), Fifth State Vodka, Fifth State Ginger Zap Vodka (90 points/NYISC), Fifth State Simply Celery Vodka, Fifth State Wonderful Water Nutmeg Liqueur, Fifth State Limoncello and Fifth State CT Maple Whiskey, among them. The brand is self-distributed across Connecticut.