Cocktail Corner: The Vodka Wars
Dale DeGroff

Vodka is a phenomenal success story unprecedented in the spirits industry in the U.S. It has become the leading clear spirit in America. There are over 100 domestic vodkas, if we include all the flavors, and over a 150 imported vodkas with more continuing to hit the market everyday.

How do you navigate this sea of product to discern the real and the best ones to serve at the bar? Well let’s begin by thinning the field and set aside the flavored vodkas. Flavored vodka is a big subject that has to be divided into the original eastern European and Russian traditional flavors like Siwucha and Zubrowka and the new marketing device to grab more of the spirits market that drives the modern flavored vodka market.

I want to talk about the spirit that originated in Eastern Europe and Russia. Those first vodkas were pot distilled, and therefore, were purified by filtering to achieve the clean, pure flavor profile or they were flavored to overcome the primitive level of the distilling equipment. Then the development of the Coffey or continuous still changed the whole of the spirits world in the mid nineteenth century and the vodka category would prove to be the greatest beneficiary of that advance. High proof spirit could be produced quickly and cheaply from grain and lowered to drinking proof with water. What an amazing break through…or was it? It depends on what you expect from vodka as a drinker.

So what is the deal here? How can spirits with such stringent requirements by legal definition, with only tiny amounts of citric acid and sugar allowed as additives and distilled at above 190 proof, create such a controversy about flavor? What we are more accurately talking about is mouth feel. Words like smooth and silky are good descriptors and words like hot and biting denote a lesser product.

What I look for in vodka is the level of care that we see in any other well distilled product. The quality of the raw material and how it is stored, mostly grains in this case plays a large role in the finished pruduct, along with the professionalism on the distillery level to produce a product minus off flavors or a hot unpleasant finish. The quality of the water that is used to reduce the proof is the final factor.

Just because a product is pot distilled in small batches will not be reason enough to assume quality. And the fact that a vodka is produced in a large distillery should not condemn it as an inferior brand. I spoke with Jorg Rupt, the owner of small batch vodka called Hangar One produced in Oakland, California, about his odyssey as a vodka maker. Despite all Jorg’s years as a distiller of premium eau de vie, he struggled to produce the high quality vodka that Hanger One has become.

As an operator with an eye on the bottom line, use different vodkas to supply different customer needs. Screwdrivers and juicy mixed drinks are perfectly fine with good but moderately priced vodkas in the value range like Smirnoff and you can give the customer value for the dollar. Up-sell the guy who wants a straight up vodka martini to the premium and super-premium level.

Don’t just follow the hype. Set up regular blind tastings pitting the new guys product against some brands already on your shelf and taste everything twice. True, the differences are often subtle and the decision is often made by available shelf space and customer demand. However, if you find a product you really like, be aggressive and hand-sell it to your customers. They will appreciate a guide through this confusing landscape where the vodka wars rage.

IMPORTED COLUMN DISTILLED
Absolut, Sweden, wheat
Belvedere, Poland, rye
Finlandia, Finland, Barley
Grey Goose, France, mixed grain, satred in pot still and finished in a column distilled
Luksusowa, Poland, potatos
Stolichnaya Cristall, Russia, mixed grain
Stolichnaya Red, Russia, mixed grain
Turi, Estonia, rye

AMERICAN LARGE PRODUCERS
Smirnoff Red, Mixed grain
Skyy, Mixed grain

IMPORTED SMALL BATCH OR POT DISTILLED
Pearl, Canada, small batch from wheat
Potocki, Poland from rye
Ketel One, Holland, Pot distilled in small batches, wheat
Smirnoff Black, Russia, small batch pot distilled
Ciroc, French, grapes, pot distilled

AMERICAN SMALL BATCH OR ARTISAN DISTILLED
Hangar One, Oakland, Ca., Pot still wheat and viognier grapes
Charbay, Napa, Ca., mixed American grain, column distilled
Teton Glacier, Idaho, potatoes, column still
Shaker, Minnesota, wheat, Column still

As a leading authority and popular personality in the beverage world, Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff appears regularly in the press and on television. He is the author of “The Craft of the Cocktail” (Clarkson Potter). He offers "bartender boot camps" at bars in Manhattan and lectures throughout the U.S. and Europe. DeGroff is also the spokesperson for the Distilled Spirits Council in the United States. (more info at: www.Kingcocktail.com)

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