I've actually been craving a drink since the weekend arrived. That rarely happens. Over the holiday season, I began experimenting with some of the "legal" "moonshines" available locally. To my surprise I really enjoyed them. So for the NFL playoffs this weekend I decided on a bottle of Moonshine Cherries.
It all started with a small bottle of this Midnight Moon Apple Pie Moonshine I picked up as stocking stuffers for Xmas. It was an impulse buy, I got home and tried one and found it rather enjoyable. After that, I bought a large bottle for myself and weathered the Xmas Blizzard of 2022 with it. Between that and the bag of Megatron I had, the Xmas Blizzard of 2022 was a very tolerable experience.
On New Year I tried the Ole Smoky White Lightning 100 Proof Moonshine. I'm a vodka guy, and I have to say, I enjoyed the White Lightning A LOT. Smooth, not too sweet, and very enjoyable IMHO. Very similar to vodka. Made with corn so a little sweeter.
The only ones left to try were these moonshine cherries. I'll be honest with you though, these were exactly what I thought they were and exactly why they were my last choice.
I'll start by saying that's not really a bad thing. First of all, I'm not a huge fan of sweet, flavored liquors. I want my vodka and moonshine to taste like alcohol and my whiskey to taste like whiskey. I'm not a huge fan of all these flavored liquors on the market. I mean Peanut Butter flavored Whiskey... Just no.. Stop it! If that's your thing, go for it, it's just not for me.
So the cherries were what I thought they were. I paid $23 for a bottle of alcohol-infused maraschino cherries. Does it taste good? Absolutely. These are absolutely delicious and they're basically Cherries soaked in 100-proof grain alcohol. Wouldn't be a bad addition as a cheery garnish either for other drinks.
The alcohol tastes like really potent maraschino cherry juice. It's a little on the sweet side but has a tolerable level of sweetness.
I think that's what I enjoy about these shine flavors. They use natural juices for the flavorings and the sweetness is also a bit more natural and much less syrupy than other products IMHO. You still know you're drinking grain alcohol with these, just infused with the flavor of the fruit.
I'd do this a little differently next time. I'm going to start to save my empties. It's time to really experiment with this stuff. Next time, I'll probably buy the bottle of 100 Proof White Lightning then go to the grocery store and get some canned peaches in natural juices and a couple of bottles of maraschino cherries. When I get home I can pour the fruits into different shine bottles and then fill them with the 100 Proof White Lightning. Let them marinate in the fridge for a couple of days. I'd probably get about 3 or 4 bottles of a very similar-tasting product.
I probably wouldn't have tried this product if it wasn't for a special occasion. Considering it's playoff time, I just couldn't resist. This was really good though and I'm glad I gave it a try. Still, for the money, I'd rather buy the 100 Proof White Lightning and add the fruit myself. I feel like I paid $23 for a bottle of cherries. 🤣 I ate about a dozen of them already along with a couple of shots though, and I have to say I'm feeling pretty good! LOL.
Maybe for the Super Bowl, I'll try this experiment and get a bottle of white lightning with some different fruits and bottle it up myself, let it marinate for a few days, and bust them out for the super bowl. They have other flavors too, but I'm not interested in trying Dill Pickle moonshine, or anything named Banana Pudding 🤣
I'll keep ya all posted! Let's Go Bills Mafia and Chiefs Nation!