Good Old Southern Vodka
“Only in the South” now has a positive connotation with an interesting vodka called Firefly made from muscadine. Scott Newitt originally attempted to make vodka from Carolina Gold rice but decided that the process was too labor-intensive, but he eventually met muscadine winemaker Jim Irvin and finally developed a vodka that shipped three months ago. The grapes are grown in South Carolina and then distilled in Florida due to a costly $50,000 licensing fee in SC versus a measly $800 fee in Florida.
The vodka falls in the premium category with a rating of 89 out of 100 from the Beverage Tasting Institute, outscoring such famed vodkas as Finlandia, Ketel One, Absolut, and Fris. It’s also the world’s only muscadine wine-flavored vodka.
To launch the brand, there’s now an official drink: The Bloody Bug, which is essentially a Bloody Mary with a shrimp hanging off the side. For now though, it’s available only in the South.
