Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff
APPEARED IN BEVERAGE MEDIA - FEB 08 ISSUE
THE VODKA GAMES;
Having Fun with the Grains, Grapes, and Geeks
I know….I know, all my geeky cocktail pals who quaff 12 year old rye whiskeys and look down their noses at vodka are sure to write off these vodka meanderings as shameless shilling for brands…and ...uh…well honestly they are partly right! Vodka companies have big budgets and are hiring pros to come up with new and exciting recipes and why wouldn't we want to get paid for playing in the lab and coming up with good tasting concoctions? What my pals are wrong about is writing off vodkas as not worthy somehow. First there are some really fine distillates out there sporting the word vodka on the label and secondly everybody seems to be drinking the stuff and we really can't ignore that fact.
In Europe they are still arguing about what spirits constitute vodka and frankly I suspect that Ciroc ruffled some feathers not because of the grape base as much as the quality of what is in the bottle; it is a really well made distillate. Here in the United States Hangar One Vodka, although a small player in the scheme of things is also producing a spirit from a mix of grape and grain that is a formidable player in quality and an innovator in the flavor market. I suggest the premium vodkas brands from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe that are making all the fuss in the European Union about the definition of vodka are also producing fine spirits of their own and should focus their PR attentions on that fact and not redefining the criteria of what legally constitutes vodka.
At a certain level of quality there are a lot of players worthy of our attention, Finlandia one of the first imports to break into the American market has suffered not from lack of quality but as a result of their price bracket. They have enjoyed the benefits of occupying the lower end of the price range for premium imports but since the dawn of the super-premium hype they are now considered down market. Finlandia still wins blind tastings consistently a fact they should be shouting out to all those consumers who rush to plunk down that $35.00 bucks for Grey Goose and even more for Ultimat.
Sean Combs has decided the music business, his restaurants, the movie company and a clothing line although goods work are no where with out a good drink and so he has tossed his hat into the vodka games with a partnership deal with Ciroc Vodka. I love the vodka business it really is sexy and fun…now come on…as much as I like Laphroaig Single Malt Scotch when is the last time they attracted the A list to a party in the Hamptons…and believe me I am not saying that with the right PR person on board that couldn't happen…but it is a lot easier with Sean Combs and Ciroc Vodka.
Vodka was first spirit to embrace modern advertising and hiring celebrities is nothing new. Smirnoff under the deft hand of John Martin the legendary President of Heublein Inc. from 1937 until 1961 was one of the standout business success stories of the 20 th century. John Ryan in his 1995 article about Martin noted: “Mr. Martin was the man who converted Heublein Inc., a small family-owned Hartford business, into an international giant by making Smirnoff vodka an international drink.” When Smirnoff was first shipped to an out of state buyer in Columbia, South Carolina the local sales person advertised it as “ Smirnoff white whiskey ; no smell no taste” and orders jumped from 10 cases to 500 over night. Martin paid attention and made "Smirnoff Leaves You Breathless," the cornerstone of his advertising campaign. Martin hired actors, comedians, and musicians like Woody Allen and Benny Goodman to shill for his white whiskey. He even cut the deal with the production company making the popular James Bond films to place the Smirnoff bottle in a couple key shots in the films.
Vodka is the beverage of the postmodern cultural movement, it mixes with anything and on the surface seems to be characterless but actually it is the fuel…the super charger. The production of vodka is seemingly straight forward and simple but take a look at one of the multi-column distilling apparatus with its hundreds of copper plates each one a stop on the way to the simple purity that is vodka and each one designed specifically to remove one of the unwanted elements of the base compound.
So what about drinks with this stuff? I was exaggerating to make a point when I characterized my geeky cocktail pals as looking down their noses because in point of fact some of them have mustered their considerable talents behind exceptional vodka cocktails and here they are:
PINEAPPLE SMASH
Original drink from Tony Abou Ganim
1 1/2 ounces Finlandia Vodka
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup*
4 chunks fresh pineapple
12 spearmint leaves
Preparation
Muddle the pineapple and the simple syrup and mint leaves in an old fashioned glass. Add lime juice Finlandia Vodka and crushed ice ands stir, Garnish with a sprig of mint and a pineapple stick.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR
This drink is from In the Land of Cocktails by Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan (William Morrow 2007) and was created by Lu Brow.
1 1/2ounces Absolut Citron
1 ounce cranberry juice
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce Blue Curaco
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
VEILED LADY
This drink Created by Erin Williams of Pegu Club was the national winner of the Finlandia cup and will now take Erin to Finland to compete in the International Cup this winter.
1 1/2 ounces Finlandia Lime vodka
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/4 ounce agave syrup
Dash Angostura Bitters
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnished with a lime wheel.
AMELIA
“Since we rarely make vodka cocktails, this one is a testament to the ingredients going into it. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur is a truly boutique cordial made in the classic spirit and has a wonderful bouquet balanced with the proper amount of sweetness. Paired with blackberries it creates “wild” flavor which moves around the pallet and ends with a lingering finish. The cocktail is named after an Older Greek woman who took Jason (one of the owners) into her home when he was broke traveling through Greece. Sadly, she passed away two months ago.” Jason Kosmos and Dushan Zaric of Employee's Only Bar NYC.
1 1/2 ounces Russian Standard Vodka
3/4 ounce St. German Elderflower Liqueur
1 ounce blackberry puree
1/2ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add Ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini-cocktail glass. Garnish with a mint leaf.
GARNET
Original from Dale DeGroff
1 1/2 ounces Smirnoff Orange
1 ounce watermelon juice
1 ounce cranberry juice one lemon wedge and one lemon peel
1/2 ounce Cointreau
Preparation
Pour the juices and the vodka into a cocktail shaker and squeeze the lemon wedge to extract the juice and drop it into the shaker. Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the lemon peel.
GEISHA ROSE
Original from Dale DeGroff
1 1/2 ounces Ciroc Vodka
3/4 ounce dry sake
1 teaspoon Canton Ginger liqueur
3/4 ounce unsweetened cranberry juice
Flamed lemon peel garnish
Preparation
Assemble all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake well to chill. Strainn into a chilled coupe style cocktail glass and garnish with flame a lemon peel over the top of the finished drink and drop iyt in the drink.
