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Pouring vodka shots

Without vodka, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the Dirty Shirley, the stylish espresso Martini or the iconic massive cosmopolitan cocktail that Ina Garten shared on her Instagram in April 2020. The clear spirit with the neutral taste is a well-liked beverage for cocktails because it pairs well with a wide range of mixers. Nevertheless, not all vodkas are created equal, and so you will find a multitude of vodka brands at your local pub. There isn’t a singular type of vodka; they vary based on geographical location and ingredients. Your preferred type will depend on your personal taste and how you plan to use the spirit.

“It’s all about creating a match made in *your* cocktail heaven,” says Ashley Eldefri, a brand ambassador for The Community Spirit Vodka. “Price is only sometimes indicative of quality: pricier doesn’t always equate to better when it comes to vodka. It’s certainly worth experimenting with different brands and price ranges to find one that suits your palate.”

To assist you in refining your choices and simplifying your next visit to the liquor shop, we have spoken with drink experts to detail the 9 of the most popular types of vodka based on their ingredients, country of origin, flavor notes, among other factors.

Related: 5 Different Types of Tequila, Explained

Making vodka has plenty of nuance, but for the purposes of this discussion, we’ll try to distill (pun intended) it down for you. Vodka starts with your base ingredient (often a grain, though it could be potatoes or molasses), water and yeast. That mixture is fermented for a couple of weeks, then strained. The liquid from the fermentation process is distilled, filtered, diluted with water and bottled.

Related: 9 Popular Costco Liquors, Ranked From the Bottom(s) Up

Eldefri states that vodkas made from grains like rye have a spicier character with strong, earthy undertones. This type of vodka is typically leaner and drier compared with other vodka types.

Rye vodka goes exceptionally well in certain cocktails. For instance, a dirty vodka martini will highlight the spirit itself, with a rye vodka’s subtlety and dryness nicely balancing the tangy hint of olive juice, as suggested by Alissa Marinello, a bartender at Vivamee Hospitality properties, Renault Winery & Resort and LBI National in New Jersey.

Contrarily, fruit-focused vodkas obtain their flavor not from the source but through infusion after distillation. Eldefri mentions that many modern brands provide flavored options by infusing fruits or herbs post distillation. Some favored fruit vodka flavors include melon, strawberry, blueberry, lemon, raspberry, lime, and orange.

Marinello advises against using synthetic substances and colorings in favor of creating your own flavored vodka. She advises doing this by adding the unflavored vodka of your choice to a container with your chosen fruit. Marinello suggests allowing the vodka to infuse for a minimum of three days and up to a week. When the infusion period is finished, you can decant it into a bottle for cocktail mixing.

Many people enjoy corn as part of their nightly meal, but it’s also a popular ingredient in vodka. According to Eldefri, “Vodka made from corn is well-known for its gentle and slightly sweet flavor, which is accompanied by a smooth mouthfeel and hints of vanilla or butteriness.”

Eldefri recommends using a vodka made from corn to make a classic cocktail such as a martini, as this allows the essence of the vodka to shine through.

And in case you were wondering, vodka made from potatoes does not taste like french fries or mashed potato. As Eldefri clarifies, “The value of vodka produced from potatoes lies in its rich, creamy texture and its subtly earthy and nutty flavor.”

Potato vodka pairs exceptionally well with savory foods, including certain cheeses and meats, so you might want to keep that in mind the next time you’re eating out or hosting a dinner party.

For a smooth vodka experience, try a spirit made from molasses. “Molasses-based vodkas, often linked to rum production, offer a slightly sweeter and more intricate taste, featuring hints of molasses and caramel,” says Eldefri. The caramely notes in molasses vodka make it nice in a creamy cocktail, like a white Russian.

According to Marinello, flavored vodka is fun to work with because you can create more complex cocktails with minimal ingredients. That said, she says to steer clear of this type of vodka if you have a gluten allergy because sometimes artificial flavorings are added in post-distillation that can contain this common allergen.

In terms of the types of flavors, there is a wide variety, but many fall into the citrusy (lemonade, grapefruit) or fruity (strawberry, blueberry) categories.

Vodkas can exhibit varying characteristics depending on their original location due to local styles and preferences. For instance, Russian vodkas, which normally utilize wheat or rye and are distilled multiple times, are appreciated for their clean and smooth profile, shares Eldefri. Famous Russian vodka brands such as Beluga Noble, Husky, Marmot Siberian, and Smirnoff exemplify this.

In contrast, American vodkas range from smooth neutrality to peculiar flavors resulting from the use of various base components. Typical American vodka is crafted with rye, wheat, potato or corn, which result in a unique taste, a soft consistency, and an earthy, warm zing. Although the impression may change depending on the specific brand, one can generally consider it as the optimal mix derived from an assortment of ingredients.

As per Marinello, both Poland and Russia claim to be the pioneers of this spirit. However, Polish vodkas, ordinarily made using potatoes or grains, exhibit a marginally stronger taste with subtle notes of earthiness and sweetness.

Next in line: Celebrity Chef Pati Jinich’s Simple Formula for Making the Perfect Cocktail

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Arnel Hecimovic

Thu 28 Dec 2023 08.23 EST

Last modified on Fri 29 Dec 2023 04.11 EST

Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Photograph: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters

Photograph: snapshot/Future Image/U Stamm/Rex/Shutterstock

Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Adrian Kraus/AP

Photograph: Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA

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Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images

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Some of the most memorable sights you’ll see on a distillery tour are the rickhouses stacked from floor to ceiling with huge oak barrels. Within each cask is whiskey in the making, slowly taking up the essences of the wood and the charcoal within to eventually emerge as the intricate, amber-hued liquor that it’s famously known as. Surely, though, as you look at those barrels, a question must’ve crossed your mind: “Just how many bottles can you make from just one of these gigantic barrels?”

You’ll be happy to know you’re not alone in wondering about this! Interestingly, while there are no regulations in the U.S. specifying the size of oak barrels distilleries must use, most distillers choose to use just a standardized barrel form factor called the American Standard Barrel (ASB.) ASB barrels can typically hold around 53 gallons of freshly-distilled whiskey.

If you were to bottle the contents of one of these barrels immediately, you’d end up with approximately 267 bottles of unaged whiskey, often referred to as “white dog,” “moonshine,” or “white whiskey.” When it comes to properly aged whiskey, however, the answer’s a bit more complicated.

Read more: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked

As whiskey ages in an oak barrel, several things happen — some of which will ultimately impact the barrel’s yield once it’s fully matured. One important element is the “angels’ share,” a charming term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging. The longer whiskey ages, the more it loses to the angels (aka evaporation.) The extent of this loss depends on factors such as geographical location, climate, and conditions like temperature and humidity within the warehouses where the barrels are stored.

Another thing to consider is how whiskey is prepared for bottling. Unless it’s labeled as “cask strength” (meaning it’s not diluted), some bottles have whiskey mixed with water to lower the alcohol content (from 52-66% ABV in cask strength down to 40-46% ABV.) In such bottles, even if the label says it holds the standard 750 milliliters (about 25.3 fluid ounces), not all of it comes directly from the barrel. Barrels used for making cask-strength will yield fewer bottles than those that go toward making diluted whiskeys.

Because of these factors, it’s tough to predict the exact number of bottles a barrel will produce. Estimates vary, with some distillers suggesting an average of 200 to 300 standard 750-milliliter bottles per barrel. Depending on the actual yield, distillers will adjust their pricing accordingly. Older barrels that lose more liquid to evaporation are usually more expensive to recoup the loss.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Arnel Hecimovic

Thu 28 Dec 2023 08.23 EST

Last modified on Fri 29 Dec 2023 04.11 EST

Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Photograph: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters

Photograph: snapshot/Future Image/U Stamm/Rex/Shutterstock

Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Adrian Kraus/AP

Photograph: Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA

Photograph: Jade Gao/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Photograph: Davide Bonaldo/Rex/Shutterstock

Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Marco Trovati/AP

Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Photograph: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

Kástra Elión vodka is made from a blend of olives and wheat.

Vodka is often seen as flavorless and neutral, maintaining popularity despite this reputation. Many companies market the drink more for its lifestyle appeal than its taste or aroma. However, not all vodkas fall into this stereotype. Many brands now strive for rich flavors and textures in their products, with some venturing beyond the typical base ingredients of grains and potatoes.

Kástra Elión is one of these innovative vodkas. Originating from Greece, it is made from a combination of Greek olives and wheat. It has taken its name from an ancient castle that overlooks the hills and olive groves of Nafpaktos – the birthplace of the vodka and home to the family that developed it.

The vodka was created by master blender and certified flavor chemist, Frank Mihalopoulos. Frank has spent almost forty years working in product development for companies like Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts, and Kahlua, and has provided consultancy for spirits brands including Absolut and Stoli. He is joined by his son-in-law, Mike Camello, who is the president of the company.

“We were vodka enthusiasts and fascinated by some of the European vodkas manufactured from malted barley and rye, and those that were achieving excellent texture in their vodkas,” mentions Camello. The thought struck: Why not experiment with making a vodka from olives?

Mihalopoulos spent roughly a year to make it successful. He established a laboratory, purchased distillation apparatus, and initiated testing of olive varieties worldwide. “I intended not to be emotionally connected to the narrative, but we ended up choosing a blend of three varieties that coincidentally originate from the same region in Greece that’s my homeland.”

Kástra Martini |

The procedure is an artisan process, and the wastage is much higher compared with most vodka distillers witness, but Mihalopoulos clarifies that precise distillation cuts are required to eradicate all the heads and volatile compounds produced by the olives.

Olives contain minimal quantities of sugar, hence the source of ethanol is the grains. Mihalopoulos highlights that their role in the creation process of the vodka is essential, not from a flavor point of view, but in contributing to the distinctive smoothness and mouthfeel of the vodka. The final product is a harmonious blend of the distilled spirit and the spring water from the mineral-abundant Mount Taygetus in Greece.

The scent of Kástra Elión vodka is fresh and devoid of any unpleasant, harsh chemical or alcohol notes. The aromas are a delightful mix of sweet and savory, with dominant notes of vanilla and butterscotch. Upon tasting, subtle impressions of fruit, citrus and a touch of pepper unfold on the tongue, luring the salivary glands into action as the flavors slowly intensify, adding layers of butterscotch, vanilla and a hint of toasted bread.

Camello prefers savoring Kástra Elión with added olives, on the rocks. However, he understands that sipping vodka may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The good news is that it is also an excellent choice for Martinis. The brand recommends that bartenders keep their concoctions focused on the spirit, without overdoing the sugar. The idea is to allow the vodka with its unique mouthfeel to be the shining star, observes Camello.

Kástra Elión has recently introduced their olive brine and cocktail olives, available individually or in a kit along with a bottle of their premium vodka. These are designed for crafting the ultimate Dirty Martini. The brine and olives are native to the Nafpaktos region, the same place where their vodka is created. This enables one to enjoy a truly authentic and olive-centric Greek take on the traditional cocktail with the all-encompassing trio.

The main ingredient in a whiskey sour is a pretty involved assembly but the high-brow drink has cemented its place in the timeless cocktail oeuvre for a reason. It combines frothy egg white, freshly squeezed lemon juice, bourbon or rye whiskey, sugar, water, plus orange wheels and maraschino cherries to garnish — delicious, but at this point, maybe a little predictable. If you’re ready to elevate your whiskey sour, look no further than bourbon, a little apricot, and the east coast.

The Baltimore Bang cocktail combines bourbon, apricot brandy, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. To assemble, the ingredients all get a wet shake and strained into an ice-filled old fashioned glass (bonus points if you make your own simple syrup). Garnish with a skewered Luxardo cherry and orange wheel. You could also serve this sophisticated bad boy in a chilled martini glass.

The Baltimore Bang is a mid to high-strength cocktail, clocking in at 21.95% ABV (talk about a bang!). For reference, an old fashioned totes a 32.9% ABV and a straight-up margarita rocks a comparable 22.92% ABV. Depending on your preference, you can swap the apricot brandy with cognac for a less sweet, even punchier profile. If you go this route, opt for a fruitier variety like Rémy Martin or Camus Intensely Aromatic VS.

Read more: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked

Despite what its name might suggest, apricot brandies are sometimes made with apricots macerated in vodka or another neutral spirit. It’s perhaps an unfamiliar ingredient, but provides a great opportunity to customize the profile of your drink. For example, Hiram Walker apricot brandy is bright and fruity while Leroux apricot brandy leans floral and heavy on the baking spices.

For an unforgettable after-dinner digestif, Luxardo Apricot albicocca liqueur is more complex and dessert-like with cinnamon and almond notes. Or, if you like it less sweet, Marie Brizard Apry offers a rich, slightly bitter, robust take on the liqueur while still packing deep apricot flavor. Keep in mind that you might need to adjust the amount of simple syrup you use in your Baltimore Bang based on the sweetness of your chosen apricot brandy.

The Baltimore Bang is all about smooth, fruity flavor — an apricot whiskey sour perhaps more approachable despite its boldness. With this in mind, opt for a bourbon that goes down wince-free. Woodford Reserve’s flagship Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey with honey, vanilla, and still some measurable heat can add a little more “bang” to your Baltimore Bang.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Arnel Hecimovic

Thu 28 Dec 2023 08.23 EST

Last modified on Fri 29 Dec 2023 04.11 EST

Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Photograph: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters

Photograph: snapshot/Future Image/U Stamm/Rex/Shutterstock

Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Adrian Kraus/AP

Photograph: Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA

Photograph: Jade Gao/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Photograph: Davide Bonaldo/Rex/Shutterstock

Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Marco Trovati/AP

Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Photograph: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

Kástra Elión vodka is made from a blend of olives and wheat.

Vodka has a reputation for being flavorless and neutral, and yet its popularity persists. Much of the marketing that drives the category is focused on lifestyle cachet, rather than aroma and taste. But this reputation is mostly outdated. Because while some brands, even a few of the best regarded, are distilled to the point of flavorlessness and lean into their neutrality, others are packing flavor and texture into each bottle. Some are even experimenting with base ingredients that go beyond the usual grains and potatoes.

Kástra Elión falls into this new crop of vodkas. It hails from Greece, where it’s made from a blend of Greek olives and wheat. It’s named for the ancient castle that stands guard over the hills and olive groves of Nafpaktos, the ancestral home to the vodka and the family that created it.

The brand was founded by master blender and certified flavor chemist Frank Mihalopoulos, who’s spent nearly four decades in product development for companies like Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts and Kahlua, and has also consulted for spirits brands including Absolut and Stoli. He’s joined by co-founder and son-in-law, Mike Camello, who serves as the company’s president.

“We were vodka drinkers and interested in some of the European vodkas concocted using malted barley and rye. Those who managed to attain an excellent texture in their vodkas intrigued us,” Camello narrates. The idea then struck them: why not attempt creating a vodka from olives?

The venture lasted about a year for Mihalopoulos to become adept. He initiated a lab, acquired distillation apparatus, and began exploring several olive varieties originating from across the globe. “Although I refrained from getting sentimentally connected to the narrative, we eventualized on a three-variety fusion that happens to be found in the same area of Greece that I hail from.”

Kástra Martini |

The process is artisanal, with the yield loss significantly higher than that experienced by most vodka distillers. However, Mihalopoulos emphasizes that meticulous distillation interventions are pivotal to the elimination of all the heads and mutable compounds introduced by the olives.

There’s not much sugar in olives, thus the ethanol comes from the grains. Mihalopoulos points out that the olives merely enhance what has already existed in the grain. The olives don’t contribute any flavor, and the company didn’t set out to make olive-flavored vodka. Instead, the olives give the vodka’s signature mouthfeel and smoothness. Prior to bottling, the distilled liquor is combined with spring water from Greece’s mineral-rich Mount Taygetus.

The aroma of Kástra Elión vodka is very pure, devoid of any off-putting chemical scents or over-emphasized alcohol burn. Aromas are a mix of sweet and savory, with vanilla and butterscotch taking the lead. The palate introduces subtle fruit notes, citrus, and a trace of pepper. It lingers on the tongue and stays with you, triggering the salivary glands as flavors build to more butterscotch and vanilla, rounded off by a hint of toasted bread.

Camello enjoys drinking Kástra Elión on the rocks with olives, but admits not everyone prefers sipping vodka. Luckily, it pairs perfectly with Martinis. When presenting the vodka to bartenders, the brand intends for them to maintain spirit-driven drinks, and not go overboard with sugar. “We want the vodka’s quality to be the highlight and maintain its mouthfeel,” Camello says.

Kástra Elión recently introduced its own olive brine and cocktail olives, available individually or in a kit along with a bottle of vodka, designed for the perfect Dirty Martini. The brine and olives are sourced from the same Nafpaktos region where the vodka is produced, allowing for a uniquely Greek, olive-centered take on the classic cocktail.

On a distillery tour, some of the most unforgettable views come from observing rickhouses filled from top to bottom with massive oak barrels. Each barrel houses whiskey in progress, gradually absorbing the attributes of the wood and interior charcoal to eventually deliver the famed complex, amber-colored spirit. However, a question inevitably arises: “How many bottles can be made from a single one of these enormous barrels?”

You’re not the only one curious about this! Intriguingly, even though the U.S. doesn’t have explicit regulations about the size of oak barrels distilleries need to utilize, most distillers opt for a standardized barrel size known as the American Standard Barrel (ASB.) These ASB barrels typically accommodate around 53 gallons of newly-distilled whiskey.

If you chose to bottle the contents of one of these barrels on the spot, you would yield approximately 267 bottles of unaged whiskey, also known as “white dog,” “moonshine,” or “white whiskey.” However, the calculation for quantity of properly aged whiskey derived from a barrel is a tad more intricate.

Read more: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked

As whiskey ages in an oak barrel, several things happen — some of which will ultimately impact the barrel’s yield once it’s fully matured. One important element is the “angels’ share,” a charming term for the whiskey that evaporates during aging. The longer whiskey ages, the more it loses to the angels (aka evaporation.) The extent of this loss depends on factors such as geographical location, climate, and conditions like temperature and humidity within the warehouses where the barrels are stored.

Another thing to consider is how whiskey is prepared for bottling. Unless it’s labeled as “cask strength” (meaning it’s not diluted), some bottles have whiskey mixed with water to lower the alcohol content (from 52-66% ABV in cask strength down to 40-46% ABV.) In such bottles, even if the label says it holds the standard 750 milliliters (about 25.3 fluid ounces), not all of it comes directly from the barrel. Barrels used for making cask-strength will yield fewer bottles than those that go toward making diluted whiskeys.

Because of these factors, it’s tough to predict the exact number of bottles a barrel will produce. Estimates vary, with some distillers suggesting an average of 200 to 300 standard 750-milliliter bottles per barrel. Depending on the actual yield, distillers will adjust their pricing accordingly. Older barrels that lose more liquid to evaporation are usually more expensive to recoup the loss.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Arnel Hecimovic

Thu 28 Dec 2023 08.23 EST

Last modified on Thu 28 Dec 2023 14.44 EST

Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Photograph: Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters

Photograph: snapshot/Future Image/U Stamm/Rex/Shutterstock

Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Adrian Kraus/AP

Photograph: Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA

Photograph: Jade Gao/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Photograph: Davide Bonaldo/Rex/Shutterstock

Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Marco Trovati/AP

Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Photograph: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images

Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock