Vodka
Vodka goes in and out of fashion, but not its popularity with drinkers. It remains the biggest-selling spirit in the U.S, and even the Scots drink more vodka than whisky. In the U.S., according to the Code of Federal Regulations, vodka is defined as “neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.” Nevertheless, there are subtle differences between vodka made from potatoes and from grain, for example, two of the most common base products for distilling into vodka. (In recent years, a wide variety of other bases have been used to make vodka.) Infused vodka has usually been infused with natural products (e.g. real lemons), while flavored vodka can mean it contains either natural or artificial flavorings. Rules regarding the acceptable strength of vodka differ slightly around the world. Within the European Union, vodkas can be bottled at as low as 75 proof, while in most countries outside the European Union, and in the U.S., vodka must be at least 80 proof.
Top Vodka Posts:
Grey Goose VX Vodka
Ketel One Vodka
Russian Standard Vodka
This new flavored vodka brand hails from Poland, is thrice distilled from 100% rye grain, and is small-batch infused (by macerating raw ingredients instead of using flavor extracts), which leaves natural color in the spirit instead of being filtered to the usual clear. The vodkas are then finished in oak barrels, giving a little twist…
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Boyd and Blair are a couple of dudes in Pennsylvania who named this vodka after their fathers. Made from local potatoes, it is, as most potato vodkas tend to be, a spirit with character and heart. The nose offers earth and vegetation, much like I’d expect a potato farm to smell like — not exactly…
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Here’s proof that you can make vodka out of anything: Comb Vodka, in Port Chester, New York, makes it out of honey (orange blossom honey, to be specific). As Comb’s producer says, honey is expensive and hard to work with, so why would someone try to turn it into vodka? Because the like the way…
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A somewhat strange new spirit hailing from Seattle, Glass Vodka is distilled from Washington wine grapes (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc) in a German copper pot still. That’s two unusual approaches to vodka in a single product, and the result is also… unusual. Lately we’ve received a rush of semi-sweet, largely flavorless vodkas, and Glass fits…
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This vodka hails from Norway where it is distilled from potatoes and made with “pure glacial water” from up there in Scandinavia. Mild nose, much less powerful than you’d expect from a potato spirit, which is typically more of a bruiser in the aroma department. That follows through to the body, which offers quite a…
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Our friends at Campari sent us this cocktail recipe in honor of today’s Mars landing. Enjoy with your beanie on! Red Planet Curiosity 0.75 oz Campari 0.75 oz Skyy Infusions Citrus 0.5 oz Cointreau 0.5 oz Fresh Blood Orange Puree 1 oz Fresh Lemon Sour (2 parts Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice and 1 part Simple…
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Our review of New Amsterdam Gin remains one of the most controversial on the site. Now the company is back with its own vodka, of the same brand. Made in Modesto from grain neutral spirits and distilled five times, I doubt this vodka will be as fiercely debated as the gin. Silky smooth and lightly…
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Boston’s first craft distiller, Bully Boy Distillers, was founded in 2010 by two brothers, Will and Dave Willis. Massachusetts natives, this deadly duo got into distilling thanks to the inspiration of their grandfather, who built an informal speakeasy on his farm, serving locally-produced hooch to friends and family. “Bully,” incidentally, is not meant to evoke…
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Few words are pre-loaded with luxury the way beluga is. Trump is another, but there was already a vodka with that name on the market (now defunct). Beluga hails from Russia, but beyond this there’s plenty about its production that remains rather mysterious. It is distilled from grain in Western Siberian distillery founded in 1900,…
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Grey Goose‘s newest expression turns to a classic flavoring agent: the cherry. This flavored vodka , known as Cherry Noir, is a bit boozy, at a stout 80 proof, which keeps many of those cherry notes on the back burner. Flavored vodka makers normally bottle at 70 proof or less, because that 5% lower alcohol…
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