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An Introduction to Vodka

Vodka was the first known distilled alcohol, dating back for as many as twelve or thirteen centuries. It was probably first made in Russia, though Finland and Sweden also claim the honor, and Poland wasn't far behind. Schnapps was developed by flavoring vodka, and variations of the distilling process eventually gave Scotland their scotch whiskey, and America its bourbon.

Vodka is made from fermented grains, or in Russia, potatoes often, which is then distilled to pure alcohol, 190 proof, then diluted back to 80 to 90 proof, so about half water. The word vodka comes from Russian for water, probably. Vodka has been credited with making harsh winters in Russia bearable, and with being the national curse.

The Russian Smirnoff family was the first to establish their product as the nation's most popular, first in Russia, and then America. Americans thought of it as a cheap, and easily hidden in mixes, way to get drunk, for many years. Since vodka has no real flavor of its own, it can hide in many different mixers, but more recently it has become a favored drink in martinis, as flavored and much better filtered vodkas have become much more popular.

In Saudi Arabia, where we couldn't buy alcohol, we made rum, essentially, from sugar, water, and yeast, but we then distilled it to 190 proof, which makes it, technically vodka, but whatever it was, it wasn't very good. It did have a powerful kick, though. Whiskey begins with grain, but is never distilled past 90 proof, leaving the flavor of the grain and malts in it.

Grey Goose was my first vodka to really enjoy. I gave up gin, since it tends to make me crazy, and I don't drink to get stupid, but to enjoy the drink. So, I had given up martinis. I was at a fundraiser where many restaurants and liquor distributors gave away samples of their products, and I had my first vodka martini. Long a martini snob, I was appalled by the idea of making a martini with anything but gin, but I tasted an ice cold, Grey Goose martini, and a new love affair blossomed.

I refuse to drink a dirty martini, with olive brine splashed into a perfectly good dry martini, but I still have three olives in my martini. There are several competitors to Grey Goose, and Kettle One is a bit cheaper and pretty good vodka. What makes better vodkas better is the lack of taste, accomplished by improved charcoal filtration. So, here is a trick I learned and will share:

Buy cheap vodka, any cheap vodka, and a Brita water filter. Pour the vodka through the Brita water filter two times, freeze in your freezer. It won't really freeze, but it will pour like ten-weight oil. Put a small splash of dry vermouth in a chilled martini glass, swirl and then toss the vermouth. Pour the frozen vodka into the glass, add some olives, and serve it to an unsuspecting martini aficionado, and ask them what they think. If they don't agree it is as good as any vodka they ever had, I'll buy the next round.

Another trick I learned is to flavor your vodka. Fill a quart jar with sliced fresh fruit or berries and fill with vodka. Serve after a period of two weeks or more, over ice. It's much better than the flavored vodkas you can buy. Or, do the same with peppers, pepper corns, and onions or garlic, then use it to make a Bloody Mary.

If you really want to begin to make your own flavored vodka, you can buy pure grain alcohol, like Everclear, and dilute it with an equal amount of distilled or RO filtered water, then filter it through your Brita filter, twice, add fruit for two weeks and when your guests love your drinks, say, "I made the vodka myself." They won't believe you, but it will be almost true.

Learn more about this author, Will Kester.
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