PONCHATOULA, La. (WGNO) — Every year, the over 400 acres of Louisiana strawberries in Tangipahoa Parish give way to all sorts of strawberry creations. The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival celebrates everything strawberry! However, few creations have the firepower of 86-proof strawberry whiskey.
John Eason is the owner of the Sidewalk Side Spirits liquor company behind Hardhide Ponchatoula Strawberry Whiskey and says, “It’s been a crazy career and I’ve moved around a couple cities. I worked at a bar when the drinking age was 18. My first job out of college from South Eastern, was going to work as a liquor salesman. I worked for Jack Daniels. Then I went to work for a company that owned Maker’s Mark, Kalua, Courvoisier and other brands.”
After working on different companies, Eason and his family moved from Texas, back to his home state of Louisiana. Eason’s wife, high school and college friends, along with a cousin, founded Sidewalk Side Spirits. The company prides itself on using Louisiana flavors.
Hardhide Ponchatoula Strawberry Whiskey can be found several places, including Rouses, Dorignac’s, Walmart, local bars across south Louisiana and the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival.
“We use a blend of light American Whiskey, two-year wheat whiskey, cocktail and son’s strawberry lemon syrup and unbelievably beautiful strawberries from the John Dale farm. It’s a beautiful strawberry taste. It’s really nice, and the strawberry comes through in the whiskey,” says Eason.
The label of Hardhide Ponchatoula Strawberry Whiskey is based on Hardhide the alligator, a real alligator that has long been associated with Ponchatoula. A portion of the sales of Hardhide Whiskey is donated to rehouse Hardhide in a new state-of-the-art enclosure.
To find out more about Hardhide Ponchatoula Strawberry Whiskey, visit the company’s website.
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