Grub Street this morning has a bunch of local bartenders telling us why vodka is bunk (it’s flavorless and boring, doye).
Brooke from Range bemoans that the vodka-based Vin de Pamplemousse cocktail remains her bestseller even with a bevy of tastier and more inventive offerings on the menu. And then Neyah from Nopa goes off, explaining what a sham the entire vodka industry is. It’s a good read.
The thing is, I love a big complex cocktail like Beretta’s Improved Whiskey more than anything. But sometimes I crave a simple swallow of vodka too. Like how you love a big multi-course feast out at a Michelin-starred destination kitchen, but sometimes just crave box mac and cheese?
Also, last week in Austin I highly enjoyed a few Tito’s and sodas, all while highly enjoying a showcase performance by *Gin* Wigmore no less. (Tito’s is some kind of artisanal Vodka handmade in Austin, and Gin Wigmore is some kind of Amy Winehouse sound-alike handmade by some guys that used to play guitar for Bryan Adams apparently.)
So, what of it? Can we still love vodka even if we acknowledge that it’s mostly boring?
Photo by brickfrenzy.
UPDATE: Oh! PLUS, Absolut seems to have sponsored this new Spike Jonze movie, which looks like it might be good (or at least, better than that last thing he did), so, cut them some slack or something maybe? Maybe.
. Brooke from Range bemoans that the vodka-based Vin de Pamplemousse cocktail remains her bestseller even with a bevy of tastier and more inventive offerings on the menu. And then Neyah from Nopa goes off, […]</p>
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I normally say vodka is for people who don’t like beer and don’t actually like liquor or wine, but still wanna get drunk. I mean, the decline of our culture can be marked by the fact that cocktails that used to contain gin, are now made more often than not, with vodka.
However, some really high end vodka, actually tastes pretty good, which I never knew because you know, who the fuck spends $100 on a bottle VODKA.
I grow quickly tired of “cocktailians” whoattach snobbery and machismo to their choice of adult beverage. Yes, ultra high test whiskey from super small batches of obscure provenance will surely impress your barstool mate, and maybe evenget the bartender to give you that all-important knowing wink.
But vodka has its place and time; here me out. A well crafted vodka (mine happens to be Stolichnaya Cristall) mixed with ice- cold freshly sqeezed ruby red grapefruit juice with cracked ice in a Baccarat crystal tumbler is one of my favorite of God’s ow elixers.
you reaaly should write your blog when you have not had any vodka, its just that when its written it APPEARS to be factual…. just a thought.
I saw the new Spike Jonze at Sundance. It’s quality. Robots falling in love and repairing each other. Quite cute.
I like the fark spelling vodak. Vodka fits in with the entire panoply of alcohol choices. I couldn’t shun it any more than I would red wine, single malt, or my friend’s homemade corn liquor. But it is one of those drinks that doesn’t significantly improve with price. It’s not like cognac, fine tequila, or aged whiskey. There is a lot of marketing and hype around it. I wouldn’t waste my money on Kettle One, or any of those high-end vodaks. That is a waste. But here is a pro tip, go to the corner market on Valencia and 24th, get a small fresh squeezed OJ. Now go home pour 2 jiggers of vodak in a glass with ice and top off with the OJ. Tell me that isn’t a refreshing drink! It’s as good as a sazerac or an improved whiskey cocktail given that there is a time and place for all kinds of drinks.
i’ve never been able to drink gin because the smell reminds me of my mother trying to relax in the evening while surrounded by hyperactive children and a bipolar husband. vodka has some previously unspoken qualities – it doesn’t smell. and a vodka gimlet can help you relax like nobodies business.
Right, right, no one can tell the difference between low and high end vodkas. Vodka’s defined as an odorless, tasteless alcohol made from animal feed. Uh huh, uh huh.
Look, I can’t explain this any better than the people over at St. George’s Spirits in Alameda. Go take the Hangar One tour. It’s fine. We can wait.
Tito’s, yeah, great.
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