Paczki Day Vodka: How to get limited-edition spirit from Detroit City Distillery
Mark your calendar and set an alarm. The once-a-year offering of Paczki Day Vodka from a local distillery is set.
Detroit City Distillery will begin offering its Paczki Day Vodka, a popular spirit infused with beloved and locally made paczki pastries, as they have for the past several years.
On Tuesday, the distillery announced the online sales for the limited edition Paczki Day Vodka ($35 per 750-milliliter bottle) will begin at 8 a.m. via detroitcityditillery.com/shop on Jan. 26. Orders placed that day will be available for pick up at 4 p.m. the same day. (You can also buy at some local stores, including grocery stores.)
This year, the distillery announced they've also increased the supply of vodka that can be shipped nationwide to select states. Detroit City Distillery said they can ship outstate via new partner Seelbach's, an online distributor.
Created as an experiment, the paczki-infused vodka, which has no preservatives, got its start more than a half-dozen years ago when the distillery got the idea to pair the two ingredients.
“It’s been amazing to see what started as an experiment to make 20 bottles for just friends and family six years ago became a tradition within Michigan’s Polish community and expanded to families and communities across the nation,” J.P. Jerome, master distiller and co-owner of Detroit City Distillery, said in a news release. “We’ve had people travel from all over the country, visiting us here in Detroit, just to get their hands on this once-a-year spirit so they can celebrate with family back home on Pączki Day, also known as Fat Tuesday.”
What makes the vodka unique is that it’s distilled with actual raspberry-filled and glazed paczki sourced from the long-standing and popular New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck. The unique combination is made with 100% potato vodka from Poland and Michigan in a 500-gallon copper still. Another unique aspect of the vodka is that it is bottled in containers sourced from Poland.
“We like to think of it as a Pączki Day Party in a bottle,” added Jerome. “At 88 proof, it’s ultra-smooth, and you can really taste the raspberry and buttery pastry of the pączki.”
You can serve the vodka chilled over ice, mixed in a cocktail, or as a pączki chaser.
Paczki, which is the plural form of the pastry, are ultra-rich doughnuts with a variety of fruit and cream fillings coated with powdered sugar or a glaze. Some of the traditional flavors are raspberry, lemon, and custard-filled.
Each year, PDV is also celebrated with a public party. This year's event is set for Feb. 10 at the distillery's Eastern Market Tasting Room, 2462 Riopelle, Detroit. The event runs from 10 a.m.-11 p.m. and takes place indoors and on the outdoor patio area, which takes up an entire block. There will be food for sale, including Polish favorites along with PDV cocktails and the distillery's regular cocktail menu.
The distillery is known for its award-winning, small-batch artisanal bourbon, whiskey, rye, gin, and vodka using local ingredients. In 2023, DCD earned global honors at the 2023 World Spirits Competition in San Francisco, where its Butcher's Cut Bourbon and Homegrown Rye whiskies each won a Double-Gold Medal.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Paczki Day Vodka: How to get Detroit City Distillery spirit
