Chester Brandes and Timo Sutinen are behind the launch of a Florida-made orange vodka called 4 Orange. (Richard Graulich / The Post)

LAKE ALFRED — Standing in the heart of citrus country, where the trees are just beginning to yield the baseball-sized fruit that is Florida’s signature crop, it’s natural to thirst for a cold glass of orange juice.

But when Palm Beach Gardens-based entrepreneurs Chester Brandes and Timo Sutinen came to this Central Florida town, they had another beverage in mind. Namely, vodka.

A Florida-made, orange-flavored vodka, to be exact.

So, they set out to create just that spirit, hoping to capitalize on the sun-kissed fascination for all things Florida. Within about a year, 4 Orange Premium Vodka was born.

“Florida is a brand,” said Brandes, speaking recently to a small gathering of journalists and state officials at the Lake Alfred distillery where the vodka is made.

But that begs the big question: Will that brand — or, more specifically, that $24.99 bottle of vodka that symbolizes Florida — find its place on bar and liquor-store shelves? And if it does, could it mark the start of something much, much larger, as in a whole new Florida spirits industry?

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Day 19′s contest is over and Paul is the winner. Grilled shrimp is a Florida delicacy we can all enjoy. Here’s his recipe: Marinated Skewered Shrimp on the
Grill!

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs of uncooked peeled shrimp
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 T. oregano
4 T. lemon juice
1 T. fresh chopped garlic clove
1/8 tsp. liquid hot pepper sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Combine shrimp, parsley, olive oil, oregeno, lemon juice, chopped garlic, hot pepper sauce, salt, tomato paste & pepper in a glass bowl. Marinate for 2 hours at room temperature.

Arrange marinated shrimp on skewers and grill 3 to 4 inches above the heat for 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp turn bright pink.
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Every weekday for a month, someone reading these posts and sharing their knowledge will win a generous bag of cool groceries. Why not you?

To enter today, share your favorite recipe that features any of South Florida’s bounty: fruit, seafood, citrus, avocados, etc.

(Each weekday’s contest will be different.)

Post your tip in the comments section at the end of this entry.

Please use your real email address when you register, so we can reach you when you win. (We won’t use it for any other purpose, I promise.) We’ll pick the best idea or recipe and award that person yummy foods to try!

When you win, we’ll contact you about how to collect your bag ‘o yummies in a reusable, eco-friendly shopping bag (Thanks, Whole Foods, for the bags!).

Watch this space for new questions and prizes every weekday for a month!

The bags contain lots of new foods you might not have tried. A few prizes are coupons for free items which will be sent to you, at no cost. Each bag also has extra packets of grocery coupons.

Every bag is different, but some of the items included are: Hungry-Man meals, Lance whole-grain snack crackers, Crisco olive oils, Skinny Cow ice cream treats, Wickles pickles, Penzey’s cinnamon, Orbit gums, Pepperidge Farm 100-calorie packs and granola cookies, Tyson products, Truvia sweetener, Eagle Mills Ultragrain flour, Zen Crunch, Dunkin Donuts, and lots of grocery coupons, too.

I have a surprise for you. Between now and noon Monday (Dec. 15), you have a chance to win a basket of Florida citrus, delivered to your loved one in time for Christmas.
To enter, post your best budget-friendly holiday tip here, in the comments section. It could be a simple recipe, decorating tip, or gift idea. Help all readers have a festive, frugal holiday.
Fine print: One basket will be awarded. I must be able to contact you via email to get the gift recipient’s address Monday, Dec. 15. You MUST use your real email address when you start your post (no one will see it but me, and I’ll only use it to contact you if you win). No one from The Post is eligible to enter. The lovely citrus basket is courtesy of the Florida Department of Citrus. A small panel here at The Post will choose the winner. Read on for some starter ideas from the Dept. of Citrus.

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