Drunken Cherries and other value-added spirits at Okanagan, Kamloops distilleries

Most distilleries in the Okanagan use locally sourced ingredients in their handcrafted spirits, and some have comp up with creative boozy treats perfect for Christmas gifts this holiday season.

Arguably, the distillery pouring out the most Christmas spirit this year is Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery, which has a list of alcoholic stocking stuffers available.

With locations in Vernon and Kelowna, this distillery is known for its world-class whisky, gin, vodka and liqueurs made from grains grown in the Okanagan Valley. Their products are made without artificial colours or flavourings.

The most popular stocking stuffer and staff favourite at the distillery is the Drunken Cherries.

“They’ve been popular, they’ve been selling out so quickly this year we can hardly keep up,” distillery co-owner Jeremie Dyck said.

Drunken Cherries are sour cherries hand-picked from a farm in East Kelowna that are soaked in the distillery’s artisan fruit alcohol made out of Okanagan apples. The boozy treats are free of artificial additives and have a tart, smooth flavour and can be added to a Manhattan, Old Fashioned or a Whisky Sour.

Drunken Cherries can also go on top of desserts or be eaten on their own.

“We get a lot of comments from customers who don’t just use them for a cocktail garnish or for desserts, but that they like to enjoy them right from the jar while relaxing in the couch,” Dyck said.

It isn’t clear how many of them must be consumed before inebriation occurs.

“I mean they’re boozy, enough to stabilize them to keep from going bad, but it’s not like you’re going to eat a jar for breakfast,” Dyck said.

The tart cherries are also used to make bourbon cherries where they are soaked in bourbon, as well as in a cherry liqueur that has a balance of sweet and sour flavours. Dyck said the sour cherries are a special fruit for the distillery and “very Okanagan.”

Drunken Haskap Berries is another fun item on the stocking stuffer list. The berries come from farms in Salmon Arm and Smithers and are also soaked in fruit alcohol. Unlike the tart cherries, Drunken Haskap Berries have a bold flavour best paired with soft cheeses or put on desserts like cheesecakes. 

A spicier, stocking stuffer is Winter Spice syrup made with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves which can be added to cocktails, hot toddies and hot chocolate. Bartender Calamansi Lime Sour is made with 100% fresh lime juice and has a zing to it, blending with vodka, gin and whisky.

With an ongoing movement toward sourcing local in the middle of Trump’s tariff war, it appears there’s no shortage of value-added spirits and treats to choose from.

Other distilleries in the Okanagan Valley sourcing from local growers include Tumbleweed Spirits Distilling in Osoyoos that uses BC grown grains and Okanagan fruit to make whisky and vodka, and Alchemist Distiller in Summerland that sources Okanagan apples for their spirits.

Over in Kamloops, Route 1 Distillery makes vodka out of locally grown raspberries, while Gin Lane Distilling Co. makes gin with haskap berries sourced from a farm in Salmon Arm.

Go here to see alcoholic stocking stuffers at Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery.