Lansing grandmother's cherry vodka for sale in Michigan

LANSING - For decades, Hedy Steinbart has made cherry-infused vodka out of her Lansing home for family parties and holidays.

Now Steinbart, 92, can go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of her own concoction.

Her grandson, Kyle Miller, of Chicago, contracted a distillery to mass produce Oma's cherry-infused vodka and launched the brand this winter in Illinois. Oma's is now distributed in Michigan and available at six stores in Greater Lansing.

"People started asking for it before we even got it," said Rich McCarius, owner of Tom's Party Store in East Lansing. "Once it was available, we ordered a case right away. It's a unique vodka. It's selling really well."

A 750 mL bottle of the 80-proof vodka sells for $35.99.

"I was so happy to see it (in the store)," said Steinbart, who bought a bottle last week at Vine & Brew in Okemos. "I wanted to be the first customer."

Miller said people love the story behind the vodka and its Midwest roots.

"Once they taste the vodka, it seals the deal," said Miller, an Okemos native who has partnered with Chicago-based Accelerated Brands Corp to market the vodka across the Great Lakes region.

Oma's vodka is infused with Michigan Montmorency cherries. It's not artificially flavored. Because of that, said Dave Perry, president of Accelerated Brands, it is smooth and lacks the burn many vodkas have, making it a versatile drink.

Steinbart learned the recipe from her parents when growing up in Hanover, Germany. She moved to the U.S. in 1952, and her vodka infusion became a staple at family gatherings. 

At home, she soaks cherries in 100 proof vodka for four months. Because the alcohol content reduces over that time period, she then adds sugar and spikes it once more. The final product ends up being around 80 proof, or 40% alcohol.

Steinbart will take a break from making it this year.

"I'll probably just buy some more," she said. "I'm too old."

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Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.

Find it

Oma's cherry-infused vodka is available at the following Lansing-area stores:

• Vine & Brew, 2311 Jolly Road, Okemos
• Tom’s Party Store and Wine Shop,  2778 E Grand River Ave., East Lansing
• Big Ten Okemos: 2950 E. Jolly Road, Okemos
• Big Ten East:1108 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing
• Oades Big Ten: 314 S. Clippert St., Lansing
• Big Ten Holt: 2005 Eifert Road, Holt

For more information, go to omasspirits.com