How Do You Infuse Vodka
Infusions are actually extremely simple to do, says Park. All it takes is picking out your ingredient to create the flavor profile you wish and sealing them in an airtight vessel with the vodka to infuse together. It can be done in as early as 24 hours, but some do take quite a bit longer. Generally, the higher the water and sugar content, the quicker it will infuse.
Chopin Family Reserve Extra Rare Young Potato
This family-owned Polish pioneer in single-ingredient vodkas was introduced to the US in 1997 by Tad Dorda, who founded Belvedere before selling it off to LVMH. Chopin makes wheat, potato and rye vodkas, as well as a limited-edition line of single vintage, terroir-focused potato, wheat and rye spirits. All are earthy, creamy and full-bodied. However, we especially love Chopins limited-edition annual release of Family Reserve, made from an heirloom variety of young potato that was planted during the 2016 growing season in the rich, dark soil of the fields surrounding the Polish distillery. The spuds were harvested while still young, producing sweet and delicate earthy flavors. And while most vodkas are notable for not being aged, Family Reserve, after quadruple distillation, is rested for two years in Polish barrels, adding notes of gentle spice, licorice and musk. This is that rare vodka that can be sipped neat.
Best Vodka For A Bloody Mary
VinePair lists Reyka vodka as its top vodka for a Bloody Mary. The Icelandic vodka brand is crisp and clean with a hint of spice that goes well with traditional Bloody Mary ingredients. It’s distilled from wheat using geothermal energy and glacial water, so it’s also an environmentally-friendly product. Almost 80 consumers on Masters of Malt rate the vodka 5 out of 5 stars. Best of all, you’ll pay under $25 per 750 mL bottle.
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The Best Vodka In The World
| September 19 2013
With cocktail culture spreading rapidly across the globe, vodka Slavic for little water is experiencing a renewed wave of popularity.
Clear, colorless and with a neutral taste according to the strict US definition the spirit provides the ultimate mixer and a blank canvas for unlimited possibilities in terms of production and branding. All part of its contemporary allure, according to the industry experts. Here, Elite Traveler counts down 10 of the very best premium vodkas on the market.
As much has happened in the past twenty years for vodka as in all of the centuries before that, renowned UK spirits writer Ian Wisniewski, author of Classic Vodka, tells Elite Traveler during a recent chat. There are so many brands now that have a very interesting production story, but it all has to come together to create a great tasting product. Its an incredibly competitive market, but particularly for vodka, he notes.
The birthplace of vodka has been debated, with both Russia and Poland laying claim to its invention. Produced in Eastern Europe as early as the 8th century, the aqua vitae is made through the fermenting and distilling of sugars predominantly from grain, but also from potatoes, fruits and molasses. With vodkas base ingredients, it seems, anything goes a fortuitous fact that the drinks industry has taken advantage of in recent times.
There’s A Reason Why This Versatile Spirit Is The Most Popular In The World
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Liquor / Chloe Jeong
An unaged spirit distilled and filtered repeatedly to achieve smoothness and clarity, vodka has had a reputation for blandness. It was even long defined as “without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color” by The Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau . In April 2020, though, the bureau dropped the definition that held vodka back, acknowledging something that experts know: vodkas are wildly diverse, distilled using everything from grains to grapes, milk to maple sap.
With that said, how should you decide among them? Charles Joly, spirits tasting judge and founder of Crafthouse Cocktails, says Most people want something relatively neutral, but that doesn’t mean it has to lack character. When he judges a vodka, he considers the quality of the distillate: It shouldnt have an aggressive burn.” He wants an aroma that hints at the raw material used to make the vodka, be it grapes, potatoes, or grain. And he looks for a creamy mouthfeel without a cloying glycerin texture, as well as a clean, mouthwatering finish.
From big, bold, and spicy to smooth and sweet, or anything in between, theres a vodka out there for every palate. With the help of our experts, below you’ll find a curated list of the best vodkas to get right now.
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Kavka: Best Polish Vodka
Price: £30 | Buy now from Master of Malt
When a small distillery has been producing vodka for over 200 years, you know they mean business. This is definitely the case for Kavka, which prides itself on producing vodka how it used to taste.
The first thing you notice is that there is very little on the nose but once you taste it, theres plenty of sweetness, with hints of fruit. We also found it to be a little flowery, though it was spicy and almost earthy on the finish. This is a wonderfully complex vodka that is best enjoyed on its own but would still do well with a mixer that isnt too overpowering.
Key details Alcohol content: 40% Bottle size: 700ml Country of origin: Poland
Price: £32 |
Regularly rated by vodka lovers as the best sipping vodka around, Koniks Tail is named after the wild ponies of Poland’s primeval forest. It was originally created by entrepreneur Pleurat Shabani in his kitchen, using three very different grains spelt, rye and early winter wheat. Its exceptionally smooth, slightly spicy and beautifully rich, with some bartenders calling it martini in a bottle.
For best results, freeze your martini glasses , then stir it over cubed ice in a mixing glass for half a minute, before pouring into your martini glasses and garnishing with a lemon twist. Perfection.
Key details Alcohol content: 40% Bottle size: 700ml Country of origin: Poland
Frequently Asked Questions About Vodkas
What are the top 10 vodkas?
The top 10 vodkas, renowned for their flavour profiles, smoothness and use of high-quality distillation methods, are: Belvedere, Beluga, Grey Goose, Crystal Head, Hangar 1, Ciroc, Absolut, Ketel One, Pinnacle,and Svedka.
Which is the smoothest vodka?
The smoothest vodka is Belvedere vodka, which is almost velvety on the tongue and has a premium flavour to match.
Is Titos vodka good?
Titos is a multi-billion-dollar small batch brand and is a bestselling vodka in the United States. Its a smooth vodka filled with character that comes at a good price. Its known for its sweet, black pepper and corn notes and is a popular choice across the world.
What mixes best with vodka?
As a spirit famed for its lack of strong flavours, vodkas versatility means it goes well with most mixers. To bring out the notes of the spirit, go for soda and a squeeze of lime or pair it with tonic water. For a more flavourful drink, orange juice or grapefruit juice both mix well with vodka.
What is the best tasting vodka?
The best tasting vodka is Hangar 1 Fog Point, a small-batch vodka with notes of pear, citrus and honeysuckle. Drink it neat for best results.
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What Can You Mix With Vodka
I feel that Vodka is the most forgiving of all spirits when one thinks about what types of flavors will go well with it, says Park. In the simplest forms, citrus-flavored sodas, other sodas, and fruit juices orange, pineapple, lime, cranberry, etc. Here’s our recipe guide to essential and popular vodka cocktails.
Kors Vodka 24k George V Limited Edition $24500
Kors combines delicious vodka and history in its bottles. Each bottle is handmade out of crystal and its recipe is an ancient one ordered by Russias Czar Nicholas II. Its thought that the Czar created it as the perfect-tasting vodka using a complex method involving solid gold pipes and infusing it with diamonds. Its limited edition label comes from the fact that only 250 bottles of this vodka were ever released.
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Kstra Elin Greek Vodka
Kastra Elion
This is not just the only Greek vodka in our roundup, it is the only vodka that has been column distilled six times with handpicked Greek olives. After being fermented with grain and mixed with mineral water from Mt. Taygetos on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece, this carefully nurtured spirit is rested in stainless steel vats for sixty days. It is then bottledwithout filtrationin handsome porcelain-like glass decanters worthy of a family produced, artisanal spirit. The medium weight flavor is slightly spicy and possesses a faint brininess, no doubt due to the high quality of the olives that are used, which come from Nafpaktos, the hometown of one of the vodkas co-founders.
Best Vodka For Cocktails
Because vodka is a neutral spirit, it’s used in an array of cocktails ranging from dry, to citrusy, to sweet and creamy. Grey Goose is a French vodka distilled from winter wheat. It’s a clean, smooth, silky vodka that is great in a number of cocktails, and it has an affordable, middle-shelf price of about $30 for a 750 mL bottle.
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The 10 Smoothest Vodka Brands To Try In 2021
- Next Luxury / Food And Drink by Jono Elderton
Smooth vodka means different things to different types of vodka drinkers. For some, the smoothest flavor is determined by neutrality the lack of overt taste and ethanol afterburn when you drink it neat or in a mixed drink.
There are others who like drinking cheap vodka, who dont mind some fire and heat but want something enjoyable that wont keep them out of action the next day. And then, there are others that want to taste a quality vodka, rich in delicate perfume, made from premium ingredients that have a complex taste that can enliven even the most boring ginger ale, soda drink, or jazz up a refreshing tropical taste.
The following list of smoothest vodka has options for everyone at every budget, featuring original unsullied vodkas and flavored variations. Chances are your favorite style and brand is on this list, if not, work through it and by the end one of these bottles will be.
Best Buy
Purity Vodka is handcrafted in small batches from organic winter wheat and barley, then distilled 34 times through a custom 600-liter copper pot still. Purity vodka uses the method of gently warming the ingredients until the vapor is collected and then refining the spirit meticulously until only the heart of the distillate is left to make it clear, clean, and with little aftertaste.
This Vodka From Bakon Is Going To Be A Hard Pass
Now for all you Bloody Mary fans out there, this might not sound too terrible, but the second-worst vodka on our list that you should probably avoid at all costs is the bacon-flavored spirit from Bakon Vodka. Yes, bacon-flavored vodka. We love a good piece of bacon, don’t get us wrong, but in vodka form? Absolutely not.
As noted by the Bakon Vodka website, the spirit is ideally used in drinks like a Bloody Mary or a Caesar but if you can just use your classic vodka for those specific drinks, why get a special flavored vodka that you can’t use for all your cocktails? It’s not like you’re going to want to sip on bacon-flavored vodka, let alone use it in a classic mixed drink like a Cosmopolitan .
If you think that we’re being dramatic, we can guarantee you that we aren’t. LA Weekly put Bakon Vodka on their list of the five worst vodkas out there, so we’re pretty confident that you should save your money and skip out on this bottle.
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Hanson Of Sonoma Organic Original Vodka
Hanson of Sonoma
This family-owned distillery is located in the heart of Sonomas Carneros wine region, and is surrounded by 40 acres of vineyards. Consequently, the Hansons make their vodka from Sonoma Countys bountiful grapes, partnering with a third-generation winemaking family, who provide and press much of the estate-grown fruit the Hansons use for their organically certified vodka, which is double pot distilled and then column distilled. With its clean, sweet and somewhat fruity aromaand a lingering moist earth and mandarin flavorthere is a delicate and tantalizing thickness to this spirit. Sip it neat and chilled, or add a splash of Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco Liqueur to instantly create a simple yet sophisticated cocktail.
Chopin Potato Vodka Isn’t As Bad As It Sounds
It’s safe to say that the potato is one of the most versatile vegetables out there. From French fries to vodka, the simple potato has proved itself time and time again. But still, it does sound a little weird to have the label “potato vodka” on your spirit of choice, but that’s how the Chopin Potato Vodka is marketed. Named after the famous composer, the Chopin Potato Vodka is hitting just below the middle of the pack, and it’s a fairly decent option.
According to GearMoose, Chopin Potato Vodka is one of the better “under $30” vodkas out there, as it is four times distilled and “has a creamy finish,” and it’s great when making a dirty martini . So what do the reviews say for the brand? “Smells like vodka, tastes like vodka. Very neutral,” a reviewer wrote on Flaviar. “A little of lemon and pepper with an oily texture. Overall, not bad. Different. Creamier than what I’m used to. Give it a try.” Another echoed that sentiment, saying that it was “surprisingly inoffensive for vodka.” So maybe give it a whirl you might like it.
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Staritsky Levitsky Private Cellar Vodka
Staristsky Levitsky Private is a premium, limited edition vodka targeted towards aficionados. It is produced on a small scale, with each bottle manually hand-labeled and sealed with black wax. The spirit is rested for 60 days before bottling to reach a sweet, harmonious balance. The result is crisp and smooth vodka with medium intensity on the palate.
The Best Vodkas To Shake Stir And Sip
Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the bestproducts youcan learn more about ourreview process here.We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
There are many misconceptions about vodka. Some consider the spirit tasteless, while others believe it has the flavor of rubbing alcoholbut that’s not always true. Made with anything from potatoes to grains to leftover whey, vodka can be light and bright or hearty and earthy. Better yet, it can be smooth with no kickback from that too-fiery alcohol sting.
We took a look at taste, flavorings, and different distillation processes to bring you the best in show, ranging from old-school Russian sips to American vodkas made from interesting ingredients.
Here are the best vodkas.
Region: Netherlands | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Honey, lemon zest, cream
Ketel One is the drink of choice for the celebrity crowd and for good reason: the Dutch brands signature vodka is free of sugar and artificial flavors and made with 100 percent GMO-free grains.
I have been drinking Ketel One Vodka since I was legal to drink, says Fanny Chu, head bartender at Donnas in Brooklyn, New York. Its been my go-to vodka for agesthe combination of modern and traditional distilling techniques that make for an incredible product.
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Belvedere Is One Of Our Top Three Picks
If you’re a “I’m going to buy this vodka because I like the label” kind of person, then we’ll be surprised if you’ve never picked up a bottle of Belvedere before. The name itself just sounds fancy, and, as noted by Drizly, the vodka itself is excellent. Belvedere markets itself as the “true expression of luxury vodka,” and is the result of a 600-year vodka-making tradition originally from Poland. It is made with Polish Dankowski Rye and is distilled four times in order to “create the perfect balance of character and purity.” It also doesn’t have any added glycerin, sugar, or additives, so you know you’re getting the good stuff.
Belvedere is a fantastic choice as well, because it is not only great for sipping, but it makes the perfect martini . The only slight downside to Belvedere, as you may have guessed, is the cost. For a 1L bottle, you’re looking at dropping about $40, which isn’t exactly the most budget-friendly idea. But if you have a bit to spare, Belvedere is absolutely the right choice.
Best Middle Shelf Vodka
Purity Vodka is Flaviar’s top rated vodka in the $20 to $50 price range consumers rate it at 8.6 out of 10 stars. It’s an estate-grown and distilled Swedish vodka made from winter wheat and barley that is distilled 34 times for a smooth, clean finish. Expect top notes of citrus with flavors of black pepper and vanilla. You’ll pay about $35 per 750 mL bottle.
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