TASTE

taste | PICKLE VODKA

The pickle infused spirit is perfect for Bloody Marys and other savory cocktails.

MAIN PHOTO: Dustin Tanski, tasting room manager at The Heart Distillery, pours a pickle on pickle shot at the Pickle Shotz vodka release party Feb. 8.

Heart Distillery introduces pickle vodka

BY TAMARA MARKARD

There’s pickled peppers, pickled eggs, pickled carrots, even pickled pigs feet. But pickleflavored vodka? Yep, and if you are a looking to add to your pickle palate, The Heart Distillery has released its own version of the savory spirit.

In February, dozens of pickle-loving people attended the distillery’s pickle party to celebrate the release of its Pickle Shotz vodka.

The concoction is a combination of the distillery’s house-made vodka infused with dill pickle and three-pepper brine from the Fort Collins Pickle Company.

The idea to create a pickle-infused spirit sprouted from the distillery’s connection with the Windsor Garden Center, Dustin Tanski, tasting room manager, said.

“We have so many ingredients in our garden center that tie into something savory,” Tanski explained. “I then started using brine from Mykel, owner of the Fort Collins Pickle Company, to make pickle-infused vodka.

“The demand for it was so great that we decided to continue our relationship with Mykel to solidify a commercial recipe to create this.”

After a few failures, the distillery finally nailed its secret blend of pickle-vodka perfection.

“We went through a fair number of tries,” Tanski explained. “What I didn’t want was for ours to taste like everybody else’s or to be too vinegary.”

From Bloody Marys to a Pickle Rick, or even just a straight shot served in a hollowed out pickle, the vodka makes a sassy, yet savory cocktail.

IF YOU GO Bottles of the Pickle Shotz blend sell for $30.

THE HEART DISTILLERY 6461 Colo. 392, Windsor TheHeartDistillery.com

The Heart Distillery introduced its Pickle Shotz vodka at a pickle party Feb. 8. “It’s very good, I’ve had it before and I really like it,” Troy Wagner from Windsor said. “I mix it with the Real Dill Bloody Mary mix and it’s just amazing.”

If you are looking for something a little more bubbly, yet still pucker your kisser, the distillery’s drink of the week is a pickled seltzer.

“Even people who don’t necessarily like pickles, they love this vodka,” Tanski quipped. “We plan to keep the Pickle Shotz around for a long time.”

Add a little kick to your Bloody Mary with The Heart Distillery’s Pickle Shotz vodka.