Fourth Of July Alaska Style

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June 21, 2013-A recipe for Alaska Smoked Salmon turned up in our email from our friend Toby at Alaska Distillery in Wasilla. We thought it would be a delicious treat for a Fourth of July get together, especially as fresh Alaskan salmon is readily available right now.

The recipe is below but we also went to the Distillery’s Facebook page and discovered a wealth of entertaining ideas, many of them quite literally, entertaining. https://www.facebook.com/AlaskaDistillery.

The Alaska Distillery Jungle Juice fascinated us. At first we thought they meant clean the fish. Then we realized this was Alaskan whimsy assuming everyone has fresh-caught fish in their cooler. Some of their fans wondered how to get Uncle Frank or 20 friends and 3 designated drivers into the cooler. Since it works out to about 9 oz of spirits per person you definitely need those designated drivers! It might be heresy, but we also think it would taste great as a boozy fruit salad topping over ice cream.

Alaska Distillery Jungle Juice

1- medium sized cooler (fish removed and Cleaned)
1- bag of cubed ice
4- bottle Frostbite Alaska Vodka
2- bottle Alaska Distillery Rhubarb Vodka
1- Bottle Alaska Distillery Raspberry Vodka
3- Liter bottles of Sprite
4- Cubed Cantaloupes
1- Cubed Watermelon
2- Honeydew Melons
6- Cans Pineapple
8- Sliced Kiwi Fruits
2- pounds Strawberries
1- Pound Raspberries
20- Friends or 1 Uncle Frank
3 – Designated Drivers

Add all the ingredients into cooler and stir.

Alaska Distillery Jungle Juice

Even more appropriate for July Four is the Fireweed Vodka Infused Watermelon. We suspect this technique might have made its way to Alaska via the Deep South. Facebook fans had some good suggestions for wrestling with the watermelon.

Alaska Distillery Fireweed Vodka
Infused Watermelon

Alaska Distillery Fireweed Vodka Infused Watermelon

1 – watermelon
1 – Bottle of Alaska Distillery Fireweed Vodka
1 -small, sharp knife
1 – small spoon
1 – refrigerator

To infuse a watermelon with vodka, remove the cap from your vodka bottle. Place the watermelon on a counter so that it sits without rolling away. Use the cap from your vodka bottle to trace a circle on the top of the watermelon.

With a sharp knife, cut out the hole and remove the watermelon rind. Since you’ll be placing the top of the bottle into this hole to infuse your watermelon with vodka, make sure it’s slightly bigger than the bottle top. Use a small spoon to “dig” into the hole, going as deep as possible and removing as much watermelon as you can without destroying the hole.

Hold the watermelon securely in your arm, and very quickly insert the top of your bottle of vodka into the hole you’ve created. Flip the bottle upside down and, keeping it upright, apply gently pressure until it’s firmly lodged into the top of the fruit.

Carefully place the watermelon into the refrigerator, propping the vodka bottle against the refrigerator wall so it stays firmly in the hole. Allow it to sit for 24 hours. When the bottle is nearly empty, your watermelon has been infused with vodka. Remove the bottle.

Enjoy your watermelon infused with fireweed vodka by cutting the melon into slices and serving it cold.

Alaska Smoked Salmon Recipe

1 salmon fillet

Brine Solution:
2/3 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup non-iodized salt
1 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
3/4 cup Alaska Distillery Honey Vodka
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix brine solution together. Soak boned and skinless salmon fillet overnight in fridge.

Remove salmon filet and rinse under cold water. Pat dry

Load up smoker and smoke lightly with alder chips for 4 to 6 hours.

The Alaska Smoked Salmon Recipe calls for Honey Vodka. If you can’t find Alaska Distillery’s Honey Vodka, you can make your own. There are several videos on YouTube, all by hirsute Brits for some strange reason. We think this one is the easiest to follow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEpiGvCHEGA