Detroit City Distillery adds new, limited edition orange cream Paczki Day Vodka flavor

The master distillers and creators of Paczki Day Vodka at Detroit City Distillery are at it again.

In time for the Eastern Market distillery's annual release of its traditional Paczki Day Vodka (PDV) set for Friday, they've created a new flavor. Last week, the distillery began creating a limited batch of Orange Cream Paczki Day Vodka. The new flavor will have a limited run of about 1,800 bottles (750 milliliters) available for sale later this week.

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More than six years ago, Detroit City Distillery (DCD) created its PDV infused with raspberry-glazed paczki from Hamtramck's iconic New Palace Bakery.

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“Each year, we push ourselves to invent new versions of PDV that make our fans say, ‘I gotta have that,’” J.P. Jerome, master distiller and co-owner of Detroit City Distillery, said in a news release. “This year’s big surprise is Orange Cream Pączki Day Vodka. Just like PDV, it’s ultra-smooth, with a hit of orange cream and buttery pastry.”

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Along with the new PDV flavor, the distillery announced the return of its "Hometown Horseradish" vodka. The vodka, $30 per bottle, infused with fresh horseradish, made its debut last year and DCD announced will be a permanent addition to its spirits lineup and be available year-round.

Detroit City Distillery's (DCD) new orange cream flavor stems from a specialty paczki from New Palace Bakery, according to Jerome.

"They do a specialty paczki every year and this was one they have done in the recent past," Jerome said. "So, they made us a batch (of the paczki). We thought it sounded good, orange cream paczki vodka."

The orange cream paczki looks more like a slider. Slit in half horizontally, New Palace Bakery paczki centers have an orange cream filling. There’s also a dollop of the cream on top, a garnish of orange chewy-style sugared candy, and a final dusting of powdered sugar.

Like DCD's traditional PDV, the new, 88-proof flavor is made the same way.

The paczki, 18 dozen per batch, with filling, powdered sugar and candy piece gets an overnight soak with 250 gallons of Michigan and Polish potato vodka in a 500-gallon copper.

Steve Orzechowski, DCD distiller, explained and compared the process of soaking paczki in the vodka overnight to make PDV is similar to making gin with juniper berries.

"It's more of an extraction ... we are hoping for an orange-vanilla flavor," Orzechowski said.

After distilling, the expected result is a clear spirit. (Note: we have not tasted or seen the final version of the orange cream PDV, though we did witness the tossing in of the paczki to the still – including this reporter tossing in a few.)

How Paczki Day Vodka came about

The vodka distilled with traditional paczki was born out of a tribute to the sweet Polish treat. What began as an experiment with just 20 bottles made for friends and family has turned into a craze for the once-a-year spirit.

"Everybody thought it was cool," Jerome said. "And then it sort of became a thing each year."

Over the years production has increased and DCD expects to produce 20,000 bottles of raspberry-flavor PDV, according to Jerome.

"Each year it pretty much consumes the entire factory," Jerome said. "It's an intense release over a very short window."

How to buy Paczki Day Vodka

Now a half dozen Fat Tuesdays later, the annual Paczki Day Vodka (PDV) release and sales are set for 8 a.m. Friday. (Some retail stores already have PDV.) While both flavors will be available for online purchase, keep in mind the new flavor has a limited run.

Online sales for Paczki Day Vodka ($35 per 750-milliliter bottle) are via detroitcitydistillery.com/shop on Friday. DCD's Hometown Horseradish vodka is $30 per bottle. Orders placed that day will be available for pick up at 4 p.m. the same day.

This year, the distillery announced they've also increased the supply of vodka to be available for shipping nationwide to select states. Detroit City Distillery said they can ship outstate via new partner Seelbach's, an online distributor.

Each year, the distillery celebrates PDV with a public party ahead of Fat Tuesday. This year's event is set for Feb. 10 at the distillery's Eastern Market Tasting Room, 2462 Riopelle, Detroit. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and takes place indoors and on the outdoor patio area, which takes up an entire block. There will be food for sale, including Polish favorites along with PDV cocktails and the distillery's regular cocktail menu.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Distillery adds new paczki-flavored vodka for release