Tag Archives: ole smoky moonshine

Moonshine Cherries

ole smoky moonshine cherries and white lightnin

Ole Smoky distillery, on top of their line of moonshines and moonshine liqueurs, sells a mason jar of pitted cherries that are properly drowned in high-proof moonshine. The cherries make a nice cocktail garnish and the liquid they’re in a tasty, strong, non-sweetened “cherry moonshine.”

There are two types of Ole Smoky moonshine: White Lightnin’ and Moonshine, the first is more of a neutral-flavored drink (like vodka) and the second is a traditional corn liquor. Here’s a simple cocktail recipe with White Lightnin’ and Cherry Moonshine:

Oh Cherry

  • 1 1/2 oz White Lightnin’ moonshine
  • 1/2 oz Cherry Moonshine (the juice from the jar)
  • 2 tsp simple syrup
  • stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  • cherry garnish (duh)

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine

Though I’ve grown up in the southwest U.S., I was born in east Tennessee. Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine is distilled in Gatlinburg just down the road from where I was born, and it’s bottled in a true southern relic: a sealed mason jar. Their products include jarred Moonshine Cherries, White Lightnin’, and other moonshine flavors, some of which are only available from their distillery store in Tennessee.

I got the chance to try some of Ole Smoky’s newest flavored moonshines: Blackberry and Peach. These are technically liqueurs because they’re a low 20% ABV and are sweet. They taste very natural and sweet sipped after dinner as cordials, and they’re pretty great in these simple cocktails:

ole smoky cocktails

Back Porch (by Greg Mays)

  • 1 1/2 oz bourbon (a sweeter one, like Maker’s Mark)
  • 1 1/2 oz Ole Smoky Blackberry
  • 3 dashes of Black Walnut bitters (Amazon link)
  • Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass with a lemon twist

Gourd Bird (by Greg Mays)
My great grandma and great grandpa used to sit out on the porch in Tennessee watching birds build nests in hollowed out gourds they’d make for them. I named this cocktail after that.

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka
  • 1 1/2 oz Ole Smoky Peach
  • 2 dashes of Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters (Amazon link)
  • Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass with an orange twist