VODKA DISTILLED FROM WHEY: the bounty of a collaboration of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery and 45th Parallel Distillery.
A byproduct of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery's world-famous cheese curds, whey, becomes the base for this subtly sweet, delicious vodka. Enjoy it in a gimlet, martini, bloody mary, over the rocks, or shaken and garnished with a cheese curd!
45th Parallel spirits are available in the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery gift shop and we have been a part of their events in the past, so when they asked us if we would be interested in crafting a whey vodka, we were very intrigued! Whey is a natural byproduct of the cheese production and it contains sugar in the form of lactose. This is not fermentable by distiller’s yeast - it generally requires a special yeast.
We were very grateful to our friends at Copper Crow Distillery, located in Bayfield Wisconsin, for their generous support. Copper Crow produces a variety of whey-based spirits, and shared some of their knowledge of this process with us. They recommended using the enzyme lactase, which creates an easily-fermentable sugar glucose from the lactose. This was a much simpler solution for our project, and we could not have created this Whey Vodka without their contribution.
Once we began the production process, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery concentrated their whey to give us a higher percentage of lactose. The resulting fermentations were triple distilled and carbon-filtered. The result? A subtly sweet, delicious vodka that can be enjoyed in a gimlet, martini, bloody mary, over the rocks, or shaken and garnished with a cheese curd!
Sustainability is something we care deeply about at 45th Parallel, so turning a byproduct (that would otherwise be waste!) into vodka is a natural fit. What's more, anything we discard after the distillation process is converted into energy that helps power homes in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin.
WHEY VODKA COCKTAIL RECIPES
Whenever 45th Parallel Distillery releases a new spirit, the team gets to put on their mixology hats and play around. Our bartender, Carlie, whipped up some excellent cocktails made with our Whey Vodka, which is now available!
No Bloody Whey
"No Bloody Whey" is a lighter, more summery take on a Bloody Mary.
No Bloody Whey - Cocktail Recipe
- 2 oz 45th Parallel Whey Vodka
- ⅔ oz fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ oz Worcestershire
- 1 dash Chalula
- Top with Nan’s Mild Bloody Mary Mix
- In a chilled pint glass, add all ingredients except the bloody mary mix and stir to combine.
- Add ice and Nan's Naughty & Nice Bloody Mary Mix, stirring gently to combine.
- Garnish with an olive, pickle, cheese curd, and whatever else your heart desires!
Flora Spritz
"Flora Spritz" is a lightly sweet and very refreshing spritz that is perfect for a heatwave day!
Flora Spritz - Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:- 1 ½ oz 45th Parallel Whey Vodka
- ½ oz elderflower liqueur
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp lavender simple syrup
- Club soda
- In a chilled collins or highball glass, add all ingredients except the club soda and stir to combine.
- Add ice and top with club soda.
- Garnish with an edible flower or a lime wheel, and enjoy!
This Is The Whey
"This Is The Whey" is a pretty classic martini that is easy to customize - we loved it with a lemon curl, but maybe an Ellsworth Creamery cheese curd would be a fitting garnish!
This Is The Whey - Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:- 3 ⅔ oz 45th Whey Vodka
- ⅓ oz vermouth
- 3 dashes orange bitters
- Garnish: lemon curl
- Stir all ingredients with ice until chilled, about 15-20 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Express the lemon zest over the glass, swipe along the glass rim, and curl to garnish.
Save these recipes to make at home and find more cocktail recipes here! The 45th Parallel Whey Vodka is crafted in collaboration with Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery and is available at 45th Parallel Distillery and both Ellsworth Creamery locations.
