Skip to main content

Spodee: Wine With a Dose Moonshine

spodee wine mixed moonshine muel farms
What happens when you mix good old-fashioned moonshine with red or white wine? Spodee! It’s basically wine fortified with moonshine mixed with a bunch of several ingredients. It can be turned into sangria, used as a cocktail mixer, or drank all on its own. We quizzed its creator, Steven Grasse, about the evolution of the concoction, and the best occasions to enjoy it, but we have to admit, we’re not sure how serious he is about his last answer.

How did you come up with the recipes for Spodee White and Spodee Red?

Related Videos

Historical research is what I do for fun — drinkin’ and thinkin’. I specifically wanted to do something with wine, just to see what could be done, so I started researching. Spodee is wine fortified with moonshine and mixed with various spices and flavors. So, with that loose definition, we created the recipes for the white and the red.

How would you describe the taste?

Wine with a kick. We also call it Hillbilly vermouth, and like vermouth, Spodee mixes well in cocktails. But it’s also great on it’s own.

Why did you decide to put it on the market?

We made up a batch and it tasted great, so we decided to bottle some up in some old timey milk bottles and see what happens. That first batch sold like crazy, so we put out more, and it grew and grew in and around Philly. Then all around our home state of Pennsylvania, and now we are starting to expand it to new states. I think the timing is great because people seem to be really into these flavored moonshine, so I think they can easily “get” what Spodee is. People seem to be digging it.

What are the best occasions to drink it?  

Put some in your coffee for breakfast. Chill it, wrap it in a paper bag and put a straw in it…perfect for the train ride home!

For more information, visit spodeewine.com.

Editors' Recommendations

A guide to Jamaican food beyond just jerk chicken
Jamaican food is way more than just jerk chicken. Here are some staple dishes from the Caribbean nation
Ackee and saltfish, the national dish of Jamaica.

Jamaican food is often unfairly labeled as being jerk chicken and not much else, but that's hyper-generalizing a rich culinary tradition born in the heart of the Caribbean. Like Cajun food, Jamaican cuisine is a mashup of numerous great cultures, traditions, and cooking styles.

There's a tremendous mix of influences on the Jamaican table, from African cuisine to the culinary ways of places like Portugal, India, Spain, and England. Over the generations, Jamaicans have taken on a lot of these influences and turned them into something entirely distinctive with local ingredients and cooking methods. Come with us on this journey through the colorful variety of Jamaican dishes.

Read more
The 10 best cheap beers money can buy in 2023
These are the best beers for your buck
best cheap beer beers 2021

A popular, well-crafted wine is fine and liquor may be quicker, but sometimes only a beer will do. But the beer aisle can be a scary place. With hundreds of microbreweries and dozens of styles vying for space, the beer run has become a daunting errand full of acronymic complexities like ABVs and IBUs. And while we can all agree that great beer is delicious, it can also be expensive, and certain sacred occasions (such as game day) demand quantity and dependability over discovering the best new brew on the market.

This is why economically minded beer isn't going anywhere. In a world of hop-snobbery, macro brews offer a sudsy solution you don't have to think too hard about. Brewed by big, old companies with enormous marketing budgets, these well-known beer selections are thrifty and ubiquitous -- with reliably low cost, alcohol, and flavor. Refreshing for both your palate and your wallet, they're not pretending to be anything other than what they are: good, cheap beer.

Read more
Your guide to reducing inflammation: 7 essential tips
Learn about the causes of, and solutions to, inflammation
man talking to doctor diagnosis

Chemical reactions constantly take place in the human body. This is referred to as the biochemical reaction process that is needed to sustain life. It's also known as metabolism, but this is more to do with chemical reactions in the cells that help convert food into energy that the body can utilize to carry out various bodily functions.

Inflammation is an essential biochemical process that has positive and negative effects on the human body. It can be part of the healing process following infection or injury, or it can cause conditions such as arthritis and other autoimmune conditions. But what is inflammation, what causes inflammation, and how can it be reduced in the body?  
What is inflammation?

Read more