I had my first positive experience with vodka in Denver. I was 21 years old, living in the Rocky Mountains, snowboarding every morning and drinking Breckenridge Brewery beers at night. I had little concern for liquor, in general. So when I heard my friends were going to The Vodka Bar, I thought, “There had better be beer there.”
Standing in front of the bar, however, I was stunned. Bottles lined the walls: rows upon rows of shapes and labels in different languages, none of which I recognized. Bartenders were opening freezer doors and pulling out frosted carafes of different colors and shapes. They poured the icy liquid into equally frosty shot glasses without mixers, ice or much conversation.
Now I know that vodka actually comes in ‘types,’ or distillates. This particular liquor doesn’t have the specific parameters (sometimes dictated by law) for what may be used in fermentation, so its base can come from a variety of sources. By contrast, bourbon is made from corn, rye whiskey from rye, cognac from grapes, Calvados from apples, and so on. Vodka can be made from nearly anything: wheat, potatoes, corn, rye, grapes, beets … Interestingly, one vodka, Crystal Head, is made from peaches and cream corn!
This begs the question, why? And, more important, which vodka is right for me? Some may choose corn, grape or potato vodkas because they’re gluten-free (that would be Tito’s, Ciroc and Chopin, respectively). Some may choose a vodka based on flavor. In reality, the flavor differences are subtle, if perceptible at all. Vodka is distilled to be odorless, colorless and flavorless. If you don’t already have a favorite, why not try each distillate? Better yet, keep the bottles in the freezer, throw a blind vodka tasting party and let the vodka speak for itself!
[try this with that]
Ice cold vodka with oysters and a variety of traditional accompaniments: horseradish, lemon, mignonette (shallot-pepper sauce), hot sauces, cocktail sauce, assorted crackers. If someone chooses to throw one of the ingredients in the vodka, so be it.
[Jorie Taylor is a certified sommelier and the bar manager at Cielo at the Four Seasons Hotel.]