(WXYZ) — Detroit City Distillery's limited edition Pączki Day Vodka is returning once again for the third straight year.
The vodka will go on sale online at www.detroitcitydistillery.com on Friday, Feb. 11 with sales at 8 a.m. Bottles are $35 each, and pickup will begin Feb. 18 through Feb. 27 ahead of Fat Tuesday on March 1.
Distilled with freshly-baked raspberry pączki from legendary Hamtramck store New Palace Bakery, the vodka sold out more than 4,000 bottles in just 22 minutes last year. DCD debuted the Pączki Day Vodka in 2020 and lines wrapped throughout Eastern Market.
“The level of excitement and demand for this product never ceases to amaze me. It’s always a huge challenge to work around the clock to try to make enough, but we have so much fun doing it,” Detroit City Distillery Co-Owner Michael Forsyth said in a statement. “Due to requests already pouring in, we anticipate yet another fast sellout in 2022.”
This year, Detroit City Distillery used more than 3,000 raspberry pączki to distill in 100% potato vodka from Poland and Michigan. Each batch as 18-dozen pączki that were baked fresh that morning, that are then soaked for 24 hours in vodka inside a 500-gallon copper pot still.
“When I first made Pączki Day Vodka, my goal was to capture the essence of the Hamtramck’s Pączki Day party in a bottle. Now, PDV has become part of people’s Pączki Day tradition,” DCD Distiller Steve Orzechowski added in a statement. “It’s an honor to make something we can all be proud of that celebrates our Polish community.”
The vodka is crystal clear and smooth, with a buttery, bread-like taste and a raspberry finish. The distillery said it's best enjoyed chilled over ice, mixed in a cocktail or as a pączki chaser.
“There are only two ingredients: vodka and pączki. There are no artificial ingredients, flavors or sweeteners that you find in mainstream flavored vodka. The goal is to make a true craft spirit that highlights the taste of these perfectly handmade, glazed raspberry pączki from Hamtramck.” Forsyth added. “This year, we blended potato vodka straight from Poland with Michigan potato vodka to create a perfect blend that embodies what this spirit is all about. At 88 proof, it’s ultra-smooth, and you can really taste the raspberry and buttery pastry of the pączki.”
Detroit City Distillery will also have a Paczki Day Party on Saturday, Feb. 26 at the tasting room in Eastern Market. There will be local Polish music and Pączki Day Vodka drinks.
