Of all the issues that actually get people worked up these days – automaker bail-outs, Adam Lambert, Gitmo, Manny Ramirez – vodka seems one of the silliest. But the liquor that the Wall Street Journal calls “overexposed, overmarketed and overpoured” does seem to lubricate a lively exchange of opinions.
On the one side are the cocktail purists who call vodka “passé.” This contingent asserts that the spirit is inherently flavorless and brings only a boozy wallop to the table. Moreover, they say, the industry has taken one of the cheapest and most easily made liquors and duped consumers into paying big bucks with a highly polished marketing campaign.
On the other side are those folks who can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. Clearly this side is winning the war in terms of numbers: Vodka’s been the leading category of distilled spirits since the ‘90s. It’s easy to see why vodka aficionados defend their choice. The “Miss Congeniality” of any bar scene, vodka is the ultimate mixer, capable of being teamed with just about any beverage. Moreover, the ladies-who-lurch on “Sex and the City” turned Cosmo-drinking into a high-status sport.
However, there are signs that vodka’s popularity may have peaked. In Food & Wine magazine’s annual drinks book, “Cocktails ’09,” vodka is démodé. Dedicated to showcasing the fashionable quaffs in the country’s bars, the book is a collection of about 150 cocktails designed by top mixologists around the U.S. Whereas vodka was king in the 2005 book, only ten recipes in the new book call for the spirit. (The book’s available on Amazon.com for $10.) As Wall Street Journal “Drinks” columnist Eric Felton recently said in one of his columns:
“It’s a though there were finally the realization that making cocktails with vodka is like making paella with instant rice – it can be done, of course, but it doesn’t exactly burnish one’s culinary bona fides.”
I’m planted firmly in the “Why waste the calories and the brain cells on something so boring” camp. However, I did discover a flavored vodka recently that deserves a second sip. Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka is a beautiful, rosy-red liquor with an appealing fresh fruit flavor. Perhaps because the alcohol content is slightly lower than most vodkas (70 percent), the fruity essence seems more pronounced.
A bit tart, a bit sweet, it’s terrific in a vodka tonic (with lime wedge) or vodka sonic (tonic and club soda) and even better dripped into a glass of sparkling wine (Italian prosecco’s my choice). My mother flipped over the Pomegranate Cosmopolitan that I made her on Mother’s Day.
The Van Gogh PR machine also suggests a PomPom made with pomegranate vodka, POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and a splash of water. It’s a bit over the top for my tastes, but it does contain a supposedly healthy dose of the anti-oxidants that deflect cancer, increase blow flow, and slow prostate cancer. Can’t blame a guy for trying to stay healthy.
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