NORTH DAKOTA SWEET CRUDE Proves Things Get Better With Time
WRITTEN BY: KATIE JENISON PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
How this 100-year-old recipe is taking North Dakota by storm With an abundance of existing and new bars opening in the FargoMoorhead region, it’s hard to believe North Dakota was a dry state less than a century ago. Yet, it’s true. Prohibition began in North Dakota in 1889, the same year the state was admitted to the United States. Though a ban on alcohol was enacted, it didn’t stop North Dakota residents from getting their hands on the alcohol of their choice. Those close to the border simply crossed the Red River into Minnesota to imbibe. Others in central parts of the state took matters into their own hands by distilling their own moonshine. That’s how North Dakota Sweet Crude first came to be. It goes by many names—red-eye, burnt sugar whiskey, apple pie—but Art Weidner and his family prefer to call it wedding whiskey. The 100-year-old recipe was created by Art’s great grandfather, Martin Weidner, in Zap, North Dakota. Since its inception, the recipe has been handed down for generations with Martin passing it on to his son, Albert, and so on. Each generation of Weidners made their own tweaks to the recipe, but for the most part, it’s stayed true to the original.
8 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
