Doing fundraisers for causes we support is an important part of who we are. Whether it’s the San Diego Zoo, The Jimmy Miller Foundation, or the L.A. Arts District, we're eager to have Batch 22 and Downtime Cocktails play a part in the ongoing success of great organizations that do great work.

On Saturday, October 7, Downtime Cocktails was the official spirit sponsor for the annual gala hosted by Spike's K9 Fund in New York City. High above Manhattan—on the top floor of the Freedom Tower (built on the previous site of the World Trade Towers)—specialty Batch cocktails—custom created for the event—were served to more than 250 guests.

Spike’s K9 Fund’s mission is to provide quality training, care, and protection to both active and retired working dogs under the service of the military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and other public safety organizations.

The organization was founded in 2014 by retired Naval Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) James Hatch, who is also a K9 Handler, Purple Heart recipient, Yale University student, and author of the book Touching the Dragon. During his military service as a K9 handler, Hatch's life was saved numerous times by his canine partners. On Hatch's final deployment, a night on which he was critically wounded, a K9 named Remco spared Hatch's life while losing his own. From that moment forward, Hatch dedicated his life to the training, care, and preservation of working dogs.

To date, Hatch's fund has helped nearly 2,200 dogs in all 50 states, in part by supplying them with leading-edge custom-fit ballistic vests, heat alarms, critical medical cost assistance, and training support. Most recently, one of Hatch's K9s, a service dog named Yoda, helped to recapture fugitive Danilo Cavalcante in a weeklong manhunt in Pennsylvania.

The gala at the top of the Freedom Tower offered the perfect opportunity to honor James Hatch, the work he does, and the incredible canines he trains. The four signature cocktails we created spanned the spectrum from boozy riffs on the classics to light and refreshing sippers. One cocktail was designed specifically to honor James Hatch—we call it Down the Hatch (recipe follows). You can find the other three recipes from the gala (Hair of the Dog, Puptail, and K9) at drinkbatch22.com.

Down the Hatch

Instructions

• In a shaker with ice combine:

• 1.5 oz. Batch 22
• .5 oz. London Dry Gin
• 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
• .25 oz. Benedictine
• Angostura bitters
• Orange Bitters

• Shake vigorously to chill and strain into a rocks glass with one large cube. Garnish with an orange peel. ​