February 2, 2005
From Russia with Love
Americans love their vodka. Bloody Marys at brunch, après work dirty martinis and if the mood calls for it – White Russian nightcaps. We love it shaken, stirred, on the rocks and for the purists – chilled, neat. We can’t get enough of this potent spirit and lucky for us we have over 300 brands to choose from.
Crap, we have 300 brands to choose from. Gothamist started wondering what differentiates one brand from the next? If vodka is supposed to be a “neutral” spirit, then wouldn’t all premium vodkas taste the same? Well, since our editor wouldn’t approve a trip to Russia, we went to Pravda in search of answers.
As we stepped downstairs, out of the frigid cold, into Pravda – it felt as if we were transported to Russia. The heat from the bar quickly warmed our hands and toes, leaving the vodka to warm everything else. We took a seat at the bar and placed ourselves in the hands of Pravda’s Vodka Expert/Barkeep Extraordinaire – Francis.
We began tasting vodka, served chilled, neat in a shot glass. To cleanse our pallet we nibbled on pickled mushrooms and sipped water. Our first sip - Zyr Vodka from Russia - was surprisingly full of character, not water with an alcohol burn like we anticipated (apparently – we should lay off the Pov Pov). We noticed a slight citrus character with a peppery bite. We went on to try 10 different vodkas, some we loved and others made us wince…but hands down, there was one clear winner, Stolichnaya (Stoli) Gold.
[For favorites and more, continue reading after the jump]
The Stoli Gold was by far the smoothest vodka we tried. This vodka had all the bite without any of the burn we noticed in other vodkas (ehehemm…Grey Goose).
Our Favorites:
Stolichnaya Gold, Russia, 80 Proof
Staraya Moskva, Russia, 80 Proof
Jewel of Russia Ultra, Russia, 80 Proof
Potocki, Poland, 80 Proof
Noteworthy Vodkas:
Level, Sweden, 80 Proof
Belvedere, Poland, 80 Proof
Zyr, Russia, 80 Proof
Not worth the hangover:
Grey Goose, France, 80 Proof
Ciroc Snap Frost Vodka, France, 80 Proof
While, the 10 vodkas we tried hardly put a dent in the 300 there are to choose from, this tasting helped us to understand the wonderful, subtle personality of vodka. This unassuming spirit has depth and character that is often masked with juices and sodas. If we love vodka this much now - just wait till we really get to know it.
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I agree, Stoli gold is GREAT stuff. Pity so few bars serve it.
[1] Posted by: Offbalance | February 2, 2005 9:20 AM
Why no mention of the Jan 26 NYTimes story where the professionals did the exact same thing (went to Pravda, sampled vodkas with friends, discussed flavors, preferred Stoli, etc)? I like Gothamist Food, but this was a waste of space...and about a week too late.
[2] Posted by: anna | February 2, 2005 9:37 AM
Actually, the Jan 26 NY Times story picked Smirnoff as their Vodka of choice, not Stoli Gold and there was no mention of Pravda.
[3] Posted by: Tamara | February 2, 2005 9:45 AM
I'm partial to Grey Goose myself...
[4] Posted by: S.D.![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.gothamist.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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February 2, 2005 9:47 AM
Just remember:
Cheap Vodka + Brita Filter = Expensive Vodka
[5] Posted by: Doctor Memory | February 2, 2005 9:57 AM
People who order Grey Goose and tonic crack me up.
Vodka is such an interesting drink category, in that it represents the supreme triumph of marketing and style over substance and taste. Which is why I suppose I'm a gin drinker, occasional visits to the Russian Vodka Room notwithstanding. (Love those house-infused vodkas.)
[6] Posted by: KeithS | February 2, 2005 10:12 AM
Yes, they did pick Smirnoff. I like Hangar One to sip straight and Grey Goose overall but Absolut Citron in my Bloody Mary.
[7] Posted by: Rose | February 2, 2005 10:36 AM
I haven't tried Hangar One, does it taste similar to Ciroc since it is partially made with grapes?
[8] Posted by: Tamara | February 2, 2005 10:44 AM
I tried Svedka - as good if not better than anything top shelf - but half the price. plus their clementine rocks...
[9] Posted by: Justin | February 2, 2005 1:16 PM
Georgi is pretty good.
[10] Posted by: Clayton | February 2, 2005 2:19 PM
That is why, when drinking chilled vodka, by itself, you should always go for ex-comunist block brands; Polish and Russian for the most part.
Vodka was popularized in the mid-fifties in the US as a drink to be mixed (read: martinis) and as pretty much neutral spirit. Smirnoff's fault this is - Master Yoda would say.
Eastern Europe vodkas do have spirit, personality and character. Burn is part of it, some have it some don't.
Always good to have some "greasy" food to nibble and eat on while SIPPING on your ice cold "little water".
Keep a bottle always in the freezer - it won't freeze - it will keep it at perfect temperature for consumption and serve on long shot glasses. Test tubes work as well.
One great thing about drinking real vodka is that you don't have to spend a lot of $$$ to taste the good stuff.
I personally love the Polish stuff, Wyborowa for example.
G.
[11] Posted by: juepucta | February 2, 2005 2:58 PM
Probably the one great "occidental" vodka is Tanqueray by the way.
G.
[12] Posted by: juepucta | February 2, 2005 3:01 PM
Vodka from the freezer is great neat, but don't use it in martinis: It won't dilute much in the shaker so it will stay extremely potent. Tastes great, but makes for an unexpectedly early evening.
PS - Ketel One has a nice flavor to it, IMHO, and good old Stoli 80 is smooth and kind of sweet (haven't tried the Gold).
PPS - Screw the NYT and their Time Out wannabe article.
[13] Posted by: ron | February 2, 2005 6:20 PM
I'd like to weigh in on this one with an unpopular choice. I like Absolut. It has a faintly anisette flavour I enjoy. Also Belvedere is outstandingly dry.
And contrary to the "neutral spirits" rap, I do detect a taste-change in mixed drinks with different vodkas as long as the mixers are not juices.
[14] Posted by: Col. Harlan Sanders | February 3, 2005 8:39 AM
Try Luksusowa: Polish, distilled from potatoes.
As a high-school boy (1950's)I worked in a distillery where we produced, among other things, vodka. It comprised neutral grain spirits diluted with water to 80 proof and then filtered again and again through activated charcoal. The U.S. Gov't agent spot-checked for taste - the ultimate "government job" - if there was any (taste) back it went through the filters. I don't see how this process could yield anything but identically tasting vodkas.
The European potato vodkas, I am told, are spared the flavor-removing filtration.
[15] Posted by: Fred | February 6, 2005 7:10 PM
My new favorite vodka is Orange V. It's very different than anything I've had before. So much better than Orange Absolut or Grey Goose. They make it from Organic grain and it's real smooth. THe best part is it is flavored with Florida oranges and a lot of them. Tastes like eating an orange, awesome on the rocks, I also like it with club soda for something light. THough it's ahrd to find its in a few stores in Manhattan, maybe there website will help you find it. Orangevodka.com.
[16] Posted by: Chris | December 9, 2005 3:16 PM