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Food + Drink: New Local Vodka Even Your Granny Can Love
Right now, you can purchase Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka at either Specs or Twin Liquors; a bottle will set you back about 20 bucks. Most tea-flavored vodkas achieve their taste and consistency with tea extract, caramel flavoring and high fructose corn syrup. That didn't suit Chad and Clayton. They searched for a whole leaf tea that wouldn't cloud when added -- freshly brewed -- to vodka. In Indonesia, the two finally found just the right blend.
Indonesian black tea is different from the teas used in Sweet Leaf's original brews, which are rich and a even a little licorice-y. By contrast, Clayton explained, the tea used in Deep Eddy vodka is, "brighter, with a lot of top notes...like an orange pekoe." In other words, more like what you'd find in a traditional iced tea. "With this first product," Clayton added, "we didn't want to stray too far from the tastes of a typical American palate."
Deep Eddy's other ingredients are Texas born-and-bred. The vodka it features, while not Savvy's own, is made with water from a Hill Country aquifer, and is 10 times distilled. Cane sugar from Sugarland, Texas and locally produced Goodflow honey sweeten the tea/vodka blend. Clayton told Austinist that all this sweetening au naturel makes for a drinking experience with less hangover risk. (You'll have to spend Friday night with Deep Eddy and call us first thing Saturday morning to let us know whether this is true.)
It's worth noting that the Deep Eddy team takes some pride not only in selling their vodka, but in giving the stuff away. You can check their twitter, a representative told us, for the latest info on complimentary events. Five hundred people showed up to the last one, she said, which was held in South Austin.
Also, in case you were wondering, Chad and Clayton -- both restless when it comes to concocting liquids you can pleasurably drink -- are working on adding new flavors to the Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka line. Fending off our bribery attempts, Clayton declined to speculate on what these new flavors might be. He did, however, tell us that he and his partner are, "looking to create something that no one else [in the industry] has done, or is doing." Vodka with mate? Acai? Eye of newt? It's anybody's guess.
In the meantime, Clayton suggested, "With the flavor that's out right now, pour it with some fizzy water." Then he squinted thoughtfully and made a satisfied face. "And squeeze a little fresh lemon on top. It's so good."
Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka can be found at Twin Liquors, Specs, and restaurants such as Paggi House, Hula Hut, Guero's, Taco Bar, Cedar Door, and Red's Porch. BTW, if Goodflow juice is still on your mind, you might check out Squeezed out of Business, a documentary short from Austin's own Chithra Jeyaram.
