Category — Vodka

Vodka’s an interesting spirit.  It’s consumed in higher quantities than any other liquor, yet it’s maligned by a large segment of the mixology community.  There was even a panel at last month’s Tales of the Cocktail dedicated to the love/hate relationship between drinkers and vodka.

One important note to come out of the panel discussion was that most vodka haters actually despise the marketing more than the spirit itself.  The Ultra-Mega-Super-Premium, Octuple Distilled labels and corresponding price tags relegate many vodkas to mere lifestyle products, rather than spirits of true substance.

So it’s refreshing that Wódka vodka, a quality, Polish-made rye vodka, is now available for about $9 per 750ml bottle.  It’s priced like most vodkas should be priced, but aren’t.  Years ago, Grey Goose and Belvedere changed the industry by charging upwards of $25 for a bottle of vodka. Since then, it seems anything cheaper than $20 and absent of fancy packaging is regarded as swill.

When asked how Wódka can produce a properly-made vodka for a mere $9, James Dale, President of Panache Imports Worldwide said, “It is simple. Essentially, we have a great source for the premium vodka and leverage our entire portfolio whilst not being greedy.”

Vodka is made from abundant, inexpensive ingredients, so there’s no reason to price it like it’s not.  Wódka seems to understand that. I’m no vodka drinker, but even I appreciate the value of a $9 bottle.

Related Posts:

- Introducing Salmon-Flavored Vodka
- Devotion Spirits Introduces Protein-Infused Vodka

If you’re bored with fruit-flavored vodkas, don’t despair. Now you’ve got options in the meat-flavored category.  First it was Bakon Vodka, which enjoyed a successful launch last year, and now an Alaska distiller has produced a smoked salmon vodka. I assume their target market is the carnivorous drinker looking to shave precious minutes off his day by combining his food with his liquor.

The Alaska Distillery in Wasilla is behind the new spirit.  "I was trying to think of something Alaskan. What’s more Alaskan than smoked salmon? It was one of those epiphanies, I suppose," said Toby Foster, an Alaska Distillery partner.  Once the idea was there, they still had to make the stuff, which wasn’t easy. The distillery gagged their way through 47 formulas before finding one that stuck.

Vodka’s the highest selling spirit in the United States, and despite the raging love/hate relationship with the stuff, companies continue to churn out new flavors. Flavors started out pretty benign, with citrus dominating the category. More adventurous varieties were not far behind, like root beer and espresso.  Hell, there’s even a protein-infused vodka. 

At some point it seems the flavored-vodka bubble will burst, but until then, we should expect even wilder flavors to emerge, especially now that the meat-flavored category has proved viable.

Vodka enjoys the rare distinction of being the most consumed liquor in the world, while simultaneously being the liquor most detested by cocktail bloggers and booze snobs.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with the stuff.  It’s like chicken – unexciting but unintimidating.

Vodka’s lack of flavor makes it the perfect addition to a cocktail, say some, while this lack of flavor imparts nothing to a drink, rendering it a worthless additive, say others. Then, of course, there are the myriad flavored and infused vodkas, ranging from espresso to mango to protein. Brilliant marketing ploy that makes vodka fun and accessible for all? Or a prime example of spirit abuse?

On July 23rd, representatives from both camps will fuel the fire and go toe to toe to discuss the matter further. The “I Hate Vodka, I Love Vodka” seminar at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans will feature panelists debating this most contentious spirit under the watchful eye of a moderator.

Whichever side of the line you stand on, it should prove interesting. Come check it out:

I Hate Vodka, I Love Vodka
Friday, July 23, 2010 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Grand Ballroom South, The Royal Sonesta Hotel
300 Bourbon St., New Orleans
$40 (advance), $45 (door) – Tickets

Recently 30 booze experts tasted 1,024 premium spirits for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.  Entries represented 58 countries and six continents.  Some winners are noted below.

Premium Awards

Distillery of the Year – Glenmorangie Distillery
Importer of the Year – Moët Hennessy USA
Best in Show, White – Trago Silver Tequila ($40)
Best in Show, Whisky – Isle of Jura Prophecy ($70)
Best in Show, Brandy – Père Magloire 20 Year Old Calvados ($100)
Best in Show, Liqueur – Grand Marnier 100th Anniversary ($135)

“Best of” Awards

Vodka – Chase ($40)
Flavored Vodka – Rain Organics Cucumber Lime ($21)
Gin – Beefeater 24 ($30)
Rum – Vizcaya VXOP Solera  ($38)
Extra-Aged Rum – Pusser’s 15 Year Old ($55)
Cachaça – Leblon ($30)
Reposado Tequila – Trago Reposado ($45)
Añejo Tequila – El Jimador Añejo ($30) and Mujer Bonita Añejo ($25) – TIE
Mescal – El Zacatecano Añejo Mescal ($42)
Bourbon – Elijah Craig Single Barrel ($40)
Canadian Whiskey – Seagrams VO ($23)
Irish Whiskey – Bushmills 1608 ($100)
Blended Scotch – The Grand Bark Equinoxe ($55)
Single Malt Scotch – Ardbed Single Malt ($85)
Armagnac – Comte de Lauvia 21 Year Old ($35)
Pisco – Pisco O Torontel ($35)
Cream Liqueur – Godiva White Chocolate ($30)

More info here – www.sfspiritscomp.com

With Thanksgiving nearly upon us and a slew of other holidays on the horizon, it’s time to pull out cocktails that you don’t make any other time of the year.  Drinks with ingredients like pumpkin puree and vanilla liqueur are acceptable and downright tasty during the judgment-free holidays, when festiveness trumps sensibility.

The below cocktail recipes utilize some seasonal flavors as families everywhere gear up for the holidays with a drink in hand.

Pumpkin Egg Nog

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
1/2 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur
1 ounce egg nog
1 ounce pumpkin purée
4 dashes Angostura bitters
1 bar spoon real maple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Optionally, add a topper of whipped cream.

Apple Pie Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 ounce white rum
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1 teaspoon Applejack brandy
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grenadine

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Maple Leaf

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce real maple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Apple Pie Martini

Ingredients:

2 ounces apple cider
1.5 ounces Navan vanilla liqueur
1 ounce vodka
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 pinch cinnamon

Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

I’m no fan of flavored vodkas, but I’ve long been a firm believer in combining vices.  Enter Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka, which allows the drinker to take the bite out of winter with some caffeinated booze.  From Three Olives –

With three shots of the finest Italian Espresso, Three-O brings coffee lovers the ultimate in espresso flavored vodka. Infused with a premium selection of imported roasted beans, the caffeinated cocktail also offers a hint of chocolate and caramel flavors. Three-O Triple Shot Espresso captures the essence of the ideal after dinner drink, perfect for a chilly night on the town or for cuddling up by the fireplace.

Though it’s been around for a couple years, I’ve yet to try Triple Shot Espresso Vodka.  And while I can’t imagine drinking this vodka—or any vodka—straight, it might have its place mixed into a coffee cocktail.  In fact, this could be the perfect workplace pick-me-up, as vodka doesn’t have the telling smell of other spirits.

For this purpose alone Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso might be worth a taste.  And after all, vodka has certainly been infused with things far weirder than espresso.

Here’s a Triple Shot Espresso cocktail from Three Olives to get you started –

Spiked Mocha

Ingredients:

2 ounces hot cocoa
1 ½ ounces Three Olives Triple Shot Espresso Vodka
½ ounces Amaretto liqueur

Top with whipped cream, and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

Here’s some good news for protein deficient vodka drinkers.  Devotion Spirits has just launched a vodka that’s infused with protein.  From Devotion –

Whether enjoyed on the rocks, mixed, stirred or shaken, Devotion Vodka provides for the smooth, delicious ultra-premium vodka taste discerning mixologists (professional or novice) are seeking.

Those are pretty ambitious words about a spirit that’s defined as colorless, tasteless  and odorless.  More from Devotion –

Created and developed by company President Drew Adelman … Devotion Vodka was inspired by his search to combine his two favorite passions: fitness and nightlife.  “With Devotion Vodka I can stay devoted to my regimen, while stepping out for a good time.  I used to actually take my own protein out with me when I went for a night on the town.”

Is that a steak in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?  Oh, a steak.  More from Devotion –

“I have been in the nightlife industry for many years and I have seen some of the best ideas come through our clubs and restaurants,” notes Bob Jones, co-founder/vice president.  “From Red Bull and Rockstar to Voss Water and Alize… all of those brands have a common thread—unique selling points that made them hugely successful.  Devotion Vodka is a top-tier vodka product spirit enthusiasts will embrace.”

An admission that Devotion Vodka is, above all else, selling a lifestyle, not catering to the spirit enthusiasts they’re confident will “embrace” the product.

Currently only available in San Francisco, New York and New Jersey, it will be interesting to see if Devotion sells.  I can’t see club-goers lining up for protein-infused vodka, but then again, I don’t understand the craze behind ultra low calorie beers either, and they seem to be doing well.

The Harvey Wallbanger cocktail was invented in 1952 by highly-regarded mixologist Duke Antone.  Supposedly, he named the drink after a Manhattan Beach surfer who was a regular of Duke’s Blackwatch Bar in Hollywood.

I’m generally not a big fan of Galliano, or cocktails with orange juice, but when Duke creates a cocktail, it’s wise to pay attention, as other notable drinks to his credit include the Rusty Nail and the White Russian.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce Galliano
4 ounces orange juice

Directions:

Add vodka and orange juice to an ice-filled glass.  Float Galliano on top, and garnish with an orange slice.

The Vesper Martini was first popularized in the James Bond book by Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, and gained further, more recent notoriety in the 2006 film of the same name.  The drink was named for Bond’s love interest Vesper Lynd, and showing much fondness for the drink, Fleming’s Bond recited the full recipe for a bartender.

Unlike the traditional martini’s dry vermouth, the Vesper calls for Lillet, a quinine aperitif that is smoother and sweeter than most dry vermouths. Plus, the addition of vodka to the cocktail complements the gin by smoothing out some of its sharpness. The result is a mellow, tasty martini that’s a bit more interesting and flavorful than the traditional fare.

Ingredients:

3 ounces London dry gin
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce Lillet Blanc

Directions:

Stir, don’t shake, all ingredients with cracked ice until cold and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over the drink to spray its oils onto the surface of the martini, then drop it in.

Don’t worry, you won’t find any tea in this hard-hitting collection of booze.

Ingredients:

1 part each of vodka, tequila, gin, rum and triple sec
1 part lemon juice
Cola
Lemon slice

Directions:

Shake vodka, tequila, gin, rum, triple sec and lemon juice with ice. Pour into a highball glass. Top with cola, and garnish with a lemon slice.