Tutti Frutti Vodkas
By Wayne Kalyn
Flavored vodkas might be the new normal, but they aren’t exactly new.
Russians and Poles have been gulping okhotnichya (laced with clove and ginger) or zubrowka (with bison grass) for hundreds of years. Closer to home, Phillips Distilling Company of Minneapolis started a taste sensation in 1957 with the introduction of its lime vodka, followed by a cherry version. And Absolut unveiled its popular pepper vodka in the 1980s around the same time that Stolichnaya weighed in with its Limonnaya.
If there is a headline about flavored vodka, it’s that there are now innumerable options available to the adventurous palate. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, 115 new flavors—from cactus and rose to coconut and caffeinated versions—have hit the shelves between 2000 and 2005. What’s next, cappuccino- lingonberry ?
All these flavors have translated into big business. Flavored vodkas are the fastest growing subcategory of the fastest growing—and largest—category of spirits. At Stolichnaya, flavored vodkas represent 50 percent of total sales and are growing 70 percent faster than the plain stuff.
Along with the wide range of flavored vodkas has come an explosion of cocktails that contain them. Drinksmixer.com lists 1,060 on its website, including the Ice Bomb, made from blue raspberry, orange, and plain vodka mixed with Sprite, and the aptly named Pimp Juice.
Read article at WetFeet.com