Cocktail Friday: Prairie Organic Vodka & Lingonberry Cosmopolitan

by Tokyo Terrace on February 20, 2010

As many of you know, I am originally from Minnesota. I have a lot of pride in my home-state and I often miss walking down the streets of St. Paul or White Bear Lake rather than the loud, populous streets of Tokyo. The Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) possess the best of both worlds. St. Paul is quaint and has an old-world charm with it’s gorgeous historic buildings, beautiful Farmer’s Market, and a wide variety of restaurants. Minneapolis has a bit more of a classic metropolis feeling. The big, tall buildings, streets busy day and night with people going to work in suits, attending concerts, or going out for a night on the town for some drinks and dancing. To be honest, I typically stay away from Minneapolis and stick with St. Paul.

View of Minneapolis from the St. Paul side of the Mississippi River.

After my trip to Minnesota in December, I brought a little piece of the Midwest home with me in the form of Prairie Organic Vodka. This organic, gluten free, kosher vodka is made in Minnesota by Phillips Distilling Company. Phillips is also responsible for making Peppermint Schnapps, a favorite in the Terrace household when added to hot chocolate. Since hearing about Prairie Organic Vodka, I’ve been wondering how well Minnesota would produce such a popular spirit. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the taste was clean and smooth, making it a perfect addition to vodka-based cocktails.

To showcase the great flavor of Prairie Organic Vodka, I put together a very simple recipe for a Lingonberry Cosmopolitan. Lingonberries are a popular Scandinavian food and variations like lingonberry jam, syrup, etc, can be found all over the Midwest and are served with Swedish meatballs, drizzled over pancakes, or simply spread on a piece of toast. We found lingonberry syrup at IKEA in Tokyo and it makes the perfect addition to this Scandinavian cocktail. If you can’t find lingonberry syrup, you can stick with the traditional cranberry juice. This cocktail is really easy to make and will be a refreshing end to a busy week.

Cheers to Phillips Distilling for creating Prairie Organic Vodka!

Lingonberry Cosmopolitan

Makes 1 drink

2 oz. Prairie Organic Vodka

1 1/2 teaspoons lingonberry syrup (or about 1 oz. Cranberry juice)

1 tablespoon lime juice

lime wedge for garnish

ice

Combine the vodka, syrup (or juice) and lime juice in a shaker with the ice. Shake it up, pour into a chilled martini glass, garnish with the lime and serve.

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  • http://phillipsdistilling.com Dean Phillips

    Thanks for the Minnesota shout-out, Rachael! Try equal parts sake and Prairie with muddled cucumber on the rocks with a splash of soda. A little east meets west; a Tokyo-tini. Do you think we should sell Prairie in Japan? Nothing would make us happier!

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  • http://www.sense-serendipity.com Divina

    I’ve never been to Minnesota but I would love to visit one day. Just don’t know when. This is a very creative cocktail. If you ask me to do one, I wouldn’t know what to do. :)

  • http://onefoodguy.blogspot.com Scott

    Mmmmm…I love Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam; and I love vodka. Nice job bringing a piece of the west into Tokyo, with a quick stop in Scandanavia!

  • Rachel F.

    Yes! Lingonberry! Brings me right to the streets of Nordic Fest.
    I’m not a city person, but I’ve been told (and believe) that I’m a St. Paul girl vs. Mpls too! :)

  • http://www.carolegbert.com Carol Egbert

    What a lovely color.

  • http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com wasabi prime

    Love it — I’m excited to hear about more small, craft distilleries in the United States. There’s a small one in Woodinville, a city not far from where we live, that makes both gin and absinthe — really beautiful spirits, and it’s so nice that it’s locally made. Ha — I’ve bought the same syrup from Ikea! I used it for cocktails and mixed in mulled wine for the holidays. My Finnish friend loved it!

  • Erin S.

    Rachaelllllllllll!!!! Thanks for the St. Paul shout-out! I will have to try this one, it sounds de-LICIOUS!

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