Here [...]]]> There was an event for Mardi Gras in Eugene last night and Firefly’s Sweet Tea Vokda was promoting it for their drink specials and I was curious to see if their vodka was Gluten Free. A fifth of this vodka is about $20. After some research I found a very good post on Celiac.com.

Here is the set of e-mails that were posted:

Here is the response from our chemist:

To: Namelss

Thank for your interest in Firefly products. My name is Truman Cox and I a chemist for Firefly Distillery. To the best of our knowledge, the distillation does remove or denature the proteins and gluten associated with the starting grains in the vodka. The vodka used for our Firefly Tea products comes from corn. The flavors we use do not contain the allergens listed in the FALCP act which are wheat, milk, tree-nets, peanuts, shellfish, fish, eggs, or soy.

We have had many requests by celiac patients and have never heard of an adverse reaction to our products. As I am sure you know, please check with your doctor before consuming any alcohol products.

Truman Cox

Dan
Dan Williams
Director of Sales – Pennsylvania
THE SAZERAC COMPANY

====================

From: Sc’Eric (aka sc’Que)
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 3:49 AM
To: Scott Newitt
Cc: Dan Williams
Subject: [Fuji & Jade] Firefly: gluten content?

Scott~

Question for you… I have customers who have concerns related to gluten intolerance / Celiac disease. While it is generally understood that most caramel colouring and maltodextrin in the US are produced from corn, the recent trend toward corn-based ethanol fuels has spawned a resurgence in wheat-based sweeteners and colouring agents. I have also posited that since Firefly distills its own wheat, yes?, that it is entirely possible that you may produce your own caramel colouring from that wheat.

Celiac disease is a condition that ultimately results in malnourishment due to an auto-immune response to wheat, barley and rye glutens. Ingestion (even in seemingly negligible quantities) can lead to immediate intestinal damage that takes weeks to repair, and perhaps longer for gluten build-up to be removed. While this is occuring, you are essentially starving while eating hearty meals: you become anemic. If left unchecked, you risk permanent damage to the intestines, liver and limbic systems. The only trusted treatment at this time is to completely remove gluten from the diet.

And while distillation does seem to remove gluten from the final product, the addition of dextrins and colouring agents prior to bottling could mean the difference between a night of enjoyment and several weeks of illness.

Can you please confirm whether Firefly is a gluten-free product? Depending on how your faciliy is laid out, this would also necessarily include the possibility of cross-contamination of the final product with any of the initial wheat ingredients via airbourne dust.

Regardless of your response, rest assured that Firefly will remain in popular repute in our establishment due to it’s quality flavour and smoothness. It may may also behove you to include this information on your website for the 1 in 150 persons estimated to have gluten intolerance / Celiac disease.

Thank you for your time and honesty!

~Sc’Eric, bar manager
Fuji & Jade Garden, inc.
State College, PA

It sounds like they are very confident that their drink does not contain any ingredients that could cause harm.

If you have not tried it, I suggest you do! It is very good. If you are interested in trying it here are some recipes:

Firefly on-the-rocks

* Old-fashioned glass, filled w/ ice.
* 3-oz Firefly original sweet tea vodka
* Splash of water
* Stir well, and garnish w/ Lemon.

Kentucky Iced Tea

* In an Old-fashioned glass, mascerate mint leaves w/ a teaspoon of sugar and a thick slice of fresh lemon. (Alternately, fresh raspberries also work really well with mint.)
* Fill w/ ice.
* 3-oz Firefly orginal sweet tea vodka
* Dash of Zen green tea liqueur (opt.)
* Splash of water
* Shake well, garnish w/ mint sprig.

Carolina Sweet-tini

* In a cocktail shaker add ice and…
* 3-oz Firefly original sweet tea vodka
* Dash of triplesec
* Splash of Clementine juice (You can substitute OJ–extra pulp is always best!)
* Splash of Water (This really is key!)
* Shake vigorously for one minute. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
* Garnish w/ Orange wheel.

This weeks review will be on a Gluten Free beer called Redbridge. I have mentioned this brand before when talking about baseball venues that carry the beer but [...]]]> My last review was on a Betty Crocker Cake Mix. I was very pleased with that product and hope you all were able to try it!

This weeks review will be on a Gluten Free beer called Redbridge. I have mentioned this brand before when talking about baseball venues that carry the beer but I thought I would give you a little more information on it. First off, if you are under 21 years of age you should not test this product after reading this review!

Like most people, the first beer you ever drink will taste a little weird and that’s how I felt with this, Redbridge was the first beer I ever drank since I recently turned 21 and was never able to drink “regular” beer. However, after a few different nights of trying them I started to like it more and more. It has a nice crisp taste and my friends all said it was just as good if not better than the beer they drink. Obviously there are tons of different beers out there so it is nearly impossible to compare Redbridge to an exact beer. Personally I am not a huge beer drinker so I do not have a lot of experience but from talking to those who have had their fair share they would describe Redbridge as heavier than Light beer but not as heavy as some darker brews. Redbridge is not made with wheat or barley, instead it is made with sorghum. Here is a little more information on how it is brewed.

Taste: A

From the Redbridge site…

Redbridge is a rich, full-bodied lager brewed from sorghum for a well-balanced, moderately hopped taste.

Redbridge is more expensive than traditional “college beers” it is not as expensive as your nicer beers. It costs about $8.00 for a 6 pack. I have only found them in singles and 6 packs at stores (I got my 6-pack at Albertson’s). This was the only Gluten Free beer available at Albertson’s but at natural markets I have found a few different kinds. I know at Whole Foods they carry 3 different beer in 6 packs that are Gluten Free.

Looking on the official Redbridge website you can locate stores where you may purchase or order Redbridge; (Dine In or Dine Out) I think this is an excellent feature because if you have no clue where to look and do not want to call around you can do it on the website. Go ahead and follow this link and see where you can find Redbridge in your area!

Being a young kid it is hard to understand why you are not allowed to eat some food that other kids are eating and why you have to [...]]]> In a past post about eating lunches at schools, Scott wanted to give a personal example of what I did during my days in elementary and middle school.

Being a young kid it is hard to understand why you are not allowed to eat some food that other kids are eating and why you have to bring your lunch everyday and be “different’ from everyone else. This is what I felt for a large part of my child hood. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in the 3rd grade so that meant from then on I would have to change my routine to include a home made lunch. I have said many times that today awareness for Celiac Disease is much greater than in the past so the options are much greater. Limited options and a fear of being “different” were the biggest hurdles I would face in elementary school and middle school.

Perhaps the most important part of the day for kids is lunch. It was a time to eat, socialize and try to sit by that girl you have been thinking about for a few days. Not for me. Lunch time was a time to struggle find food that would maintain my energy level for the rest of the day. I used to be exhausted by the end of the day because I would not eat a good lunch. This was mainly my own fault. My parents were very helpful in providing me with the necessary ingredients to prepare a good lunch but it was the fear of being “different” that challenged me. Usually my lunches consisted of fruits, vegetables and a sandwich made with pumpernickel bread which most kids have never seen before. While everyone else would go to the lunch line and pick out what they wanted I was always the one with a brown sack lunch with a weird looking sandwich. I wanted to avoid this so often times that included eating while no one was watching or simply not eating as much. Looking back on this I realized it was a huge mistake. I would love to go back and understand that it is okay to have a different lunch than everyone else and just go about my business, probably would have tacked on a few pounds for me today. Having the confidence to get over that would have been great but I am using it as an experience and I hope to pass that along to readers.

Now a days I have a much better understanding and do not let the difference in diets effect how I live my life or eat my meals. I understand that people have certain needs and I do too. I am so glad that I went through that part of my life because it really made me understand and appreciate the help I have gotten from my family and peers over the years! I no longer worry about what others think, because now my meals look so much better than everyone elses

With the rise in awareness for Celiac Disease I think it will be easier for kids to “fit in” during lunch time because I can imagine more people are sending healthier lunches with their kids and kids should not feel weird for having a lunch that doesn’t look like everyone else. It may take a while to understand but the sooner you can get over it the better. I believe that it is not just kids who have these feeling but anyone who is just getting onto the diet might feel the same way. Something like this is something you have no control over do not let it take control of you.

Thank you for the question Scott, I am glad I had a chance to share.

Using Paper Towels

Separate Peanut Butter

Labeling Items

Using A Dedicated Toaster

These can be very important for a [...]]]> A few weeks ago I wrote a post on how important it is to be safe when cooking in a contaminated kitchen and gave a few tips on how you can lower the risk of cross contamination. They included:

Using Paper Towels

Separate Peanut Butter

Labeling Items

Using A Dedicated Toaster

These can be very important for a Celiac who happens to live with people who are not so concerned about following a specific diet. Another great idea for you to try is getting squeezable or spray on items. Mayonnaise, mustard, jelly, and butter are all examples of items that can be squeezed or sprayed on. Having these lets everyone use it with little risk of cross contamination because there is no direct contact and no contact with a knife or something that may touch gluten first.