Dont Kick the Vodka
Ref: article8
With the ever-burgeoning market of alcopops we should pay tribute to the real hero of the hour… Vodka. In one sense, vodka is the closest thing to perfection ever conceived in the long history of spirits. Nobody, other than a confirmed teetotaller, could possibly dislike it, for the simple reason that it tastes of nothing whatsoever. It is pure, unadulterated, uncomplicated alcohol. At least most of it is.
The word “vodka” is a Russian endearment meaning “little water” from their word for water, “voda”. Because it is such a simple drink it is almost impossible to pinpoint the origins. A potent spirit distilled from various grains, and indeed potatoes – still wrongly believed in the imagination to be its main ingredient – has been made in Poland, Russia and the Baltic States since the very early days of distillation. Today the principal grain is Rye. The fermenting brew is then continuously distilled in a column still apparatus to higher and higher degrees of alcoholic strength. This drives off all the higher alcohol’s or fusel oil. The finished spirit is then filtered through a layer of charcoal, which strips out any remaining flavour characters.
Vodka is still very much the drink of gastronomic choice in its native lands, drunk as aperitif, digestif and even with food. During the cold war patriotic Bourbon drinkers in the US would become furious at the sight of young folk enjoying the spirit of Communism with evident glee. Nowadays commercialism has done its very best to neuter the true potential of vodka. As with good whisky or cognac few have yet to sample the delights of unrectified, cask-matured vodka as generally produced by the small, domestic based distillers.
Vodka should be served almost painfully cold. The bottle should be kept in the freezer and the glasses too should be iced. If there isn’t a heavy mist of condensation the glass, it isn’t cold enough. Some shots are thrown back like Schnapps, owing to the folk belief that if you inhale the fumes for more than a split second you will get too drunk too quickly. The aged and speciality vodkas are more often sipped appreciatively. A little shot-glass is traditional, but in some Russian homes, a rather larger, narrow tumbler, or even something like a wine glass is used.
Respect the vodka and make your own flavoured drinks. This ensures plenty of experimentation until you find the perfect cocktail, allows you to drink the vodka neat and you do not have to suffer the hype of pre-mixed alcopops geared more towards the image of the drinker than the drink itself.
Classic vodka cocktails include:
Balalaika
Shake a measure each of vodka and Cointreau with half measure of lemon juice and plenty of ice.
Barbara
Shake a measure of vodka wth half measures of crème de cacao and single cream with ice
Czarina
Stir a measure of vodka with half measures of apricot brandy and dry vermouth with a dash of Angostura with ice.
Black Cossack
Add a good slug of vodka to half-pint of Guinness.
Bloody Martin
The regions answer to the time honoured hangover cure the Bloody Mary. Put a slice of lemon and two or three ice-cubes in a tall glass. Add a teaspoon of Hendersons Relish, a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, pinch of celery salt, a generous dash of Tabasco and about 6 twists of the black-pepper mill. Stir to oat the ice. Fill the glass to about 1.5 inches from the top with tomato juice and pour on a generous measure of vodka. Stir well to combine the alcohol.
With quality vodka as your foundation, a unique cocktail is but a dash of imagination away
