Every once in a while, I come across something really interesting on the shelf at the liquor store. I was actually shopping for a dirt-cheap vodka to review, but I ran across Firefly Sweet Tea vodka. I had heard about it long ago from a poster on our forum, but this was my first time actually seeing the stuff locally. I am not at all a tea drinker, but even for $22 for a fifth, I had to give this stuff a try. It was just too different to leave there on the shelf.
Firefly Sweet Tea vodka is created on Wadmalaw Island in a small distillery about thirty miles South of Charleston, SC. It was created by SC locals Jim Irvin and Scott Newitt and uses real sugar and tea. The tea used to make Firefly Sweet Tea vodka is the only tea grown in the United States, which happens to be harvested less than five miles from the distillery. We tried another handmade vodka in Tito’s, and we were pretty impressed, so hopes were very high for this spirit.
Drinking Firefly Sweet Tea vodka on ice isn’t all that spectacular. The spirit tastes a lot like tea up front. It’s very sweet and a little bitter at the same time. The flavor of the vodka rears it’s ugly head in the finish though. There is a little kick there with a slight bit of burn. It doesn’t seem like the vodka they add their tea and sugar to is anything special. I’m sure it would burn a good bit on it’s own. The finish is dry, and you would swear you just took a sip of tea, as that flavor lingers on the tongue. I wouldn’t call Firefly Sweet Tea on teh rocks gross or anything, but it just seems a little raw and unrefined. Some people may find it a little too sweet. The first sip seems to be the best taste. Each subsequent sip seems to tates a little more dirty. There’s just something that isn’t quite right about it.
Creating mixed drinks with Firefly Sweet Tea vodka is really a mixologist’s dream. If you enjoy being a mad scientist about your drink-making, look no further for an awesome ingredient. The creation we used for our taste test was about half Firefly Sweet Tea vodka and half Coke with a little lime juice. It tastes magnificent! It tastes like what I would envision a Long Island iced tea should be. Wade says it tastes a lot like Arizona Tea (which I hear is a rather tasty tea you can purchase at your local supermarket). Since I don’t drink much tea, I can’t vouch for that, but I will say the drink is very yummy! The guy behind the counter at our local liquor store suggested mixing it about half and half with lemonade. We were too lazy to acquire lemonade to try the drink, but I would image it could come out nicely if you enjoy sweet drinks. I think that would definitely qualify as a pinky-out drink. I will also note here, that with a little bit of water added to Firefly Sweet Tea vodka, it tastes damn near exactly like sweet tea. That’s just crazy to me! This spirit is definitely a winner when it comes to mixing.
After throwing back a few drinks with Firefly Sweet Tea, I was surprised by the little buzz I felt. I wasn’t sure the 70-proof would be enough to do much. I felt rather calm, and my vizion was even blurring slightly. That made for some interesting video game playing while sitting alone and half-naked on my couch. I had a very relaxing evening alone with a very minimal amount of tears. I’ll credit Firefly with helping. Unfortunately, the aforementioned buzz didn’t last very long. That exciting little buzz left me as quickly as it came, and I was never able to find it again. Since Firefly Sweet Tea vodka is loaded with sugar, I crashed pretty hard after a few hours. I felt like I could sleep for years. This would not be a great beverage to get you through the night without help. I would definitely recommend mixing in other things that are less sweet if you want to stay out for more than a few hours.
I didn’t feel any hangover at all the next day, which surprised me a bit. I normally expect sugary concoctions to give me a headache the following morning. Firefly Sweet Tea vodka was surprisingly gentle. I suppose if I had fought really hard to get a drunk, pounding maybe ten shots worth, I might have felt something the next morning, but the crash from the sugar high hit me too quickly for that to happen. I’m going to give this stuff a good hangover rating though since I really felt quite awesome the next morning. Maybe the sugar is at fault here, but there was entirely too much stickiness around the house after a night drinking this stuff. Be very careful where you make your pours. All in all, I wouldn’t call Firefly Sweet Tea vodka a great beverage, but drinking it is a very unique experience. If you like sweet tea at all, you owe it to yourself to give this spirit a try. You can make some tasty drinks with it, and the people at Firefly get a big thumbs up for creativity.
Sipability – 5.0
Mixability – 8.0
Drunkability – 5.5
Hangover-ability – 8.0
Bang for the Buck – 6.0
Overall - 6.5 
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Comments
It is not as boring as you made it sound lol Hunter. I liked it! =)
This stuff makes semen taste better
Once again, you are spot-on w/ the review. A little bit of water or some coke, and this stuff goes from decent to fantastic
Thanks for the compliment. I wouldn’t call this stuff great, but it’s definitely good. It’s a great change-up!
Mix with limoncello instead lemonaide!
Try mixing it half firefly, quarter water, quarter already made sweet tea. Just makes it that much better.
Best way to drink it is 1/2 Water, 1/2 Firefly, 1 Splenda over ice!!! Jam up!!
I’m not so sure I would like it with MORE sugar.
I LOVE this stuff. I just mix it up with tea at family gatherings and they don’t even know I’m drinking. I love that you can’t really smell vodka. I’ll be drinking this tonight while recording my video gaming podcast for http://www.sarcasticgamer.com GO PINK! After reading this though I’m afraid it won’t get me sufficiently buzzed enough to be entertaining on the show. But I’m trying anyway.
I wasn’t too impressed with the taste (we mixed it with sprite zero ((the zero may have been the problem)), which is what some friends recommended) but my friends and I drinking that night all crashed hard and woke up with terrible headaches/ hangovers. Too much sugar in the drink. A good drink is not worth a bad following day.
The best way to drink firefly and get messed up is half lemonade half firefly. I promise you it is the greatest thing u ever tasted and you will get messed up.
i’ve mixed this with just about everything and i still think 1/2 water is the best!
Does anyone know if you can buy this stuff in Fredericksburg Virginia?
probably not buddy…. Its from charleston so its more of like sc. . . . and why the hell water down alchohal ppl doesnt make sense at all. . But half lemonade ad half firefly is the best BY FAR
i found this in indiana. so i’m sure you could find it in Virginia!
watering it down doesn’t make sense to me either! Lemonade all the way~
awesome stuff – sweet as hell (like sweet tea in the deep south) but still good. mixing with water? really? i took this with 1/4 sweet tea and it was awesome. great for people who dont really like the typical vodka taste and bite but love sweet tea
Batts- You can get Firefly anywhere in VA, ask your local store to order it if it’s not on the shelf. I think the Jeremiah Weed is a better sweet tea vodka, though.
I bought some of this stuff a couple weeks ago. Enjoyed it occasionally but tried not to get drunk. You guys are right, it’s AMAZING!
Though one night I decided to go all the way and finish the bottle. I made a grapefruit cocktail kind of drink with it, and ended waking up a few hours before school next to a toilet with a toilet paper sash. I don’t know if I can look at rum for a while, but it was for SURE worth the next day.
ah crap…wrong alcohol…my bad (meant for Sailor Jerry’s Navy Rum)
pussy drink right here
Jeremiah Weed is THE BEST! My friends and I cannot stop drinking this stuff. Addicting!!
Firefly is easier to find…but Jeremiah Weed will make you more interesting! Both were on the shelf at my local “Beverage World” and the owner recommended Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea. I trust my experts. Someone posted a half-and-half recipe. I’ve been there and done that. It’s a sweet time!
Try making a stiff arnold – sweet tea, vodka and mike’s hard lemondade
Fine. This vodka concoction is not for some serious evening/late night drinking. That being said, it’s a nice beverage to have around on a warm afternoon or any long drinking day.
The bottle recommends half water (ideally spring water) and half Firefly. I mix with 2/3 Firefly and 1/3 water (I’m lazy so I just use tap). When I’m not drinking, I drink sweet tea, so this beverage combines my love of booze with my sweet tea habit. It’s a nice addition to my bar.
Fine. This vodka concoction is not for some serious evening/late night drinking. That being said, it’s a nice beverage to have around on a warm afternoon or any long drinking day.
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