Design Me A Vodka
Above: U’Luvka
If you’re prepared to spend a healthy chunk of your income on booze, and inevitably £30+ on a decent bottle of Vodka, then be sure to do it justice when you drink it. Honestly, why would you choose to shake Grey Goose or Belvedere with your morning Bloody Mary? A Designer Vodka, such as Kauffman, Roberto Cavalli, or William Chase starting at £40 a bottle, can be an absolutely fantastic addition to your home bar, but would you be able to set apart these wonderfully smooth, elegant vodkas, from a £10 bottle of vodka from your local supermarket, when mixed up with ounces of juice and lemonade? Methinks not.
The key to gaining the best from your vodkas is to mix up short, perfectly balanced classic drinks and to serve them ice cold for a few friends in a care free environment. A truly good vodka cocktail recipe should be designed to enhance and capture the beauty of the base spirit itself, not take away is major assets. An obvious combination is that of 3 parts vodka, 1 part dry vermouth, a dash of orange bitters and an olive. Call it a Martini if you will. If anything, use this concept as a stencil; the point of a good vodka Martini is to draw the floral and bitter elements from these fine ingredients, and fuse them into a highly pungent beverage. For example, a Cognac cherry, softly muddled in rose water and then shaken with a healthy dose of premium vodka makes for a pleasant summer appetizer. As does vodka married with honey and citrus juices, which will draw all the pleasantries from our neutral grain spirit and transfer them to your grateful palate. Essentially, I would personally recommend drinking vodka straight over ice, but ultimately, by choosing to drink your premium vodka with few and simple ingredients, fusing bitter, sour and sweet compounds, you will appreciate that extra investment.
