Pic-Nic Watermelon Vodka
OUR PIC-NIC WATERMELON VODKA PROCESS
Our Pic-Nic Watermelon Vodka is a tribute to our neighbors to the west in Hermiston, Oregon where the world-famous Hermiston Watermelons are grown. Working in collaboration with Walchli Farms, we use tons, yes literally, of watermelons in each batch of Pic-Nic.
We organize our amazing team of friends, family, and staff to help us chop 2,000 pounds of watermelons, removing the rinds, into chunks small enough to fit into our 500 Gallon pot still. We then add roughly 500 Gallons of 80 proof alcohol and let let the alcohol extract watermelon flavor for about 24 hours.
After this extraction process, we redistill the entire wash to produce a delicious watermelon flavored spirit at around 160 Proof. We then let the spirit sit for roughly 4 to 6 weeks to let the watermelon flavor develop as we gradually proof down the spirit to bottling strength.
DISTILLER’S NOTES
This is another research and development specialty. We tried many different processes and flavor sources to reproduce the world-class Hermiston Watermelon character. In the end, there was no substitute for a lot of elbow grease and a ton of watermelons.
But, the flavor is worth all of the hard work and big messes created in crafting this delicious cocktail perfect for a blanket lined patch of grass with family and friends.