Vodka-infused turkey served up in NY

More than 100 New York pubs and restaurants are serving patrons a vodka-infused turkey dinner this Thanksgiving, complete with vodka gravy and a straw.

The boozed-up bird, unveiled yesterday at O’Casey’s Restaurant and Irish Pub in Midtown, is made by infusing four different flavoured vodkas – cherry, peach, lemon and apple – infused every six hours over the course of three days, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Its gravy meanwhile is also made with vodka, making for a heady Thanksgiving feast.

Pubs are so confident that their customers will approve that many have taken to serving it with a straw, presumably for slurping up any excess gravy.

The idea for a vodka-infused turkey first came from the Irish mother of O’Casey’s owner Paul Hurley, who enquired one Christmas why the Christmas turkey didn’t have any vodka in it.

Mr Hurley and his mother set about developing a recipe for such a bird using George 100 proof vodka which was first unveiled at O’Casey’s in 2009 – a recipe now followed by more than 100 pubs and restaurants in New York.

One blogger who sampled the turkey said it was “not as alcoholic as I expected it to be” adding: “it tasted more like you ate some turkey after taking a shot of vodka. Though after two bites I think I’m feeling buzzed. I’m not sure if that’s a placebo effect.”

Customers indulging in the boozy bird are encouraged to use O’Casey’s free ride service, however the actual alcohol content of the bird depends on how long the bird has been cooked.