Sidetrack Distillery Opening Soon on Lazy River Farm
A couple of Kent-based berry farmers get into the booze biz.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 25, 2011 at 02:48PM
2 Comments
Larry and Linda Person grow berries in Kent at Lazy River Farm, formerly a u-pick attraction. And now—along with nephew David O’Neal—they’re getting into the booze game, making raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and blackberry liqueurs as well as strawberry and blueberry brandies from fruit grown on the property.
The liqueur recipe, says Linda, was developed by trial and error. “We start with a certain amount of berries and a certain amount of alcohol and then we add more as needed,” she said. The Persons add very little sugar to their concoctions, aiming to bring out the flavor of the fruit first.
The Persons hope to open Sidetrack’s tasting room in the next couple of weeks (I’ll let you know). Linda said she’s planning to start with weekend hours and see what sort of response Sidetrack gets. The products will also be available by special order through liquor stores.
Lazy River Farm is located at 27010 78th Avenue South in Kent.
I know Linda from picking berries at Lazy River Farm and she is incredible. The farm is adorable and a sneak peak at the tasting room last summer made me very excited for this day. I highly recommend going and checking this place out!
Each summer, I try to pick berries at the height of the season (intensely bright flavors) & soaking it in some good ol’ everclear.
I love that this is offered locally – it’ll be great to see how the pros do it, & might teach me about making my own ‘Bootleg Berry Brandy’!
Please keep us updated on the booze starts flowing!