Tag: Dripping Springs

Thanks to a flight on Southwest Airlines a few years ago I was introduced to Deep Eddy Vodka. When I was visiting Austin, I was excited to see that they had a huge tasting room for me to check out.

They used to make the vodka at this location, but they got too big, so they moved the distillery operation to a different location. But this offered up a huge space for tastings and a place where folks can just hang out.

They had several bars where you can order unique cocktails all made with the different flavors of Deep Eddy. I started with the Southern Hospitality. This blended their Sweet Tea vodka, peach vodka, and lemon juice. They finished it off with a dried lemon for decoration. This cocktail was sweet from the tea. There was a nice accent of peach flavor.

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After checking out some of the local vendors that were set up around the tasting room, I went for a different drink. This time I went for the Spring Sling. This cocktail used their original vodka, pineapple juice and lemon juice. They topped the rim of the mason jar with a dried pineapple. I really enjoyed this drink. The pineapple juice was full of flavor and was not overpowered by the vodka.

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There was an area in the tasting room that was set up for the crafting of new vodka flavors. It was essentially a kitchen. The day I visited they were working on a coconut vodka. He was explaining to everyone the process of creating the flavors. He was flavoring the vodka by using an actual coconut to ferment the flavor. It was cool that we got to sample this creation right there.

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Deep Eddy’s tasting room was a fun place to visit. The drinks were great. It was a great atmosphere to hang out with friends. Definitely stop by if you are in the area. It is worth a small detour out of Austin.

Visit their website at www.deepeddyvodka.com

Enjoy!

T

Just outside of Austin, I discovered a local distillery making vodkas, gin, and bourbon, called Dripping Springs.

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I had arrived at the perfect time for one of their daily tastings. It was a great setting. The weather was perfect to sit out on their porch with picnic tables all set up for the tastings.

Our guide was fantastic. He explained everything about the process of making the vodka and gin. He was also funny and entertaining.

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I am not a gin fan but the gin that Dripping Springs makes had a subtle taste. I had no idea that besides juniper, it also had hibiscus and cardamom in it as well.

The gin was very tasty in a bloody Mary that I was able to try there. The spiciness of the bloody Mary paired well with the earthy taste of the juniper.

For the vodkas, there was a traditional unflavored, which was smooth. It did not have any after burn feeling. They also sampled their Texas Orange Vodka. They used fresh, hand zested oranges to create the orange flavor. It was very refreshing.

They make all their vodka in 50-gallon batches, so each bottle is really special.

In between all the tastings I munched on fresh popped popcorn. The salty taste helped cleanse my palate.

The last thing I got to try was their 1876 bourbon whiskey. They used Texas corn and Oklahoma rye and blend it in aged barrels. They finish it off with Hill Country spring water. I could taste hints of vanilla and smoke from the barrel. It went down smooth and had a sweet after-taste.

 I was really entertained by the tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable of what we were drinking, what the ingredients are, and the entire process of how it is made. I would recommend anyone stopping by to check them out.

Visit their website at www.drippingspringsdistilling.com

Enjoy!

T