There are two kinds of food and drink establishments during the holiday season. There are the ones who release holiday-themed items that you’ve been waiting for since the leaves started to change colors, and then there’s Arby’s, provided of French fry-inspired vodka.
I suppose alcohol may be required for a particular kind of holiday get-together.
Available for a limited time. Quantities extremely limited. Proudly distilled by @tattersallco and distributed by @surdyksliquor. Must be 21+. Drink responsibly.
— Arby’s (@Arbys) November 9, 2021
Arby’s vodka will be distilled by Tattersall, which is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with Surdyk’s (also based in Minneapolis) providing distribution. So hey, at least Arby’s has commissioned actual liquor providers for this job (yes, I did imagine someone in the Arby’s kitchen coming up with this concoction on accident instead of the obvious answer of “company hires someone to do it for them.”)
How does one acquire a bottle of Arby’s Vodka?
Before you ask, no, you can’t get the vodka through the drive-thru. Or maybe that was my imagination running wild again because the image of ordering a $60 bottle of vodka with a side of curly fries sounds like something you’d see in Night Vale.
The roast beef and former potato cake provider (seriously why are the potato cakes gone?!) will be offering the drink beginning on November 18th on their vodka-specific website. Quantities are said to be extremely limited, but if you miss out on the first launch, there will be a second one on November 22nd.
Patrick Schwing, chief marketing officer of Arby’s, had this to say in a press release about the, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, vodka.
“Though we’ve mastered the art of drive-thru fries, we wanted to take it one step further by making them 80-proof. Being a potato-based liquor, this limited edition vodka is infused with Crinkle and Curly Fry flavor so Arby’s fans who are of legal drinking age can responsibly enjoy our menu from bag to bottle.”
Can this actually work?
Now I don’t know anything about vodka (mostly because I’m one of those drinkers who need it to taste like a smoothie/slushie/milkshake where I barely taste the alcohol part), but I did do some quick Googling to see that there are potato-based vodkas out there. I suppose since potatoes can be used to make the drink it makes sense(?) to do a French fry take on it?
Except… do we want alcohol to taste like you should dip it in ketchup? Is it really going to taste like a French fry? What will that flavor do to whatever cocktail you’d used potato vodka in?
What if I pour a shot in their Jamocha shake? Will it have a taste that’s equivalent to dipping French fries in a Frosty from Wendy’s?
I’ve covered some bizarre food stories in my days here, but this one is one where I’m actually kinda curious about how it’ll turn out. I think? Since potatoes can be used to make vodka, all that’s left is to see if the infused ingredients blend well together.
Even so, Arby’s isn’t exactly high on my list of places to get alcohol from, but I’m sure they’re counting on the absurdity of vodka being available from the place that “has the meats” as a selling point for the drink.
(Image: Arby’s)
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