AT THE BAR
Vo d k a
RAISES BAR the
America’s favorite spirit is spicing up the beverage list.
By Deborah Grossman
that it’s wet, you’d hardly know it was there,
since it’s odorless, tasteless and clear. Vodka
is a less-is-more kind of product.”
Smirnoff for the Moscow Mule with vodka,
ginger beer and lime juice. When James
Bond drank the Smirnoff Vesper Martini in
Casino Royale (book, 1953; movie, 2006),
America’s love affair with vodka was sealed.
THE names inscribed on some vodka
bottles reflect lifestyle or philosophy:
Haute, Exclusiv, Square One. Others set
the country of origin: Van Gogh (the Dutch
painter), Sobieski (the Polish king). Still
others translate with hidden meanings:
Akvinta, Charbay. But all brands meet the
government’s official definition of vodka as
an “odorless, colorless, flavorless spirit.”
Remember, Miller adds, that gin was the
original ingredient in many cocktails,
including martinis.
Martin Miller, producer of Martin Miller’s Gin,
reflects on vodka, “If it wasn’t for the fact
The debate continues on whether vodka
originated in Poland or Russia. America
embraced vodka in the late ’60s and
the ’70s after advertising campaigns by
Vodka is America’s favorite spirit.
According to the Washington, D.C.-based
Distilled Spirits Council, 59. 4 million 9-liter
cases were sold in 2010, up 6.1% from
2009. Rum, the second most popular
spirit, sold less than half that amount.
