Wine & Spirits - Fall 2018 - 34

Vodka's Quiet Craft
by Rachel DelRocco Terrazas
At every bar I've ever tended, vodka was in the well and on the menu. But even as it remains
a must-have, I'd never found a place for vodka in the craft-cocktail renaissance. I began
tending bar just as this movement took off in Austin, when the customer who ordered a
dealer's choice with vodka was considered uncool. Along with my colleagues, I thought of
vodka as neutral grain spirit distilled multiple times until the flavor is stripped out along
with its soul.
My dad is an avid vodka-soda drinker and
often, when visiting him, I find myself lecturing him about his choice in cocktails. But
recently, he mixed me one, and, as we sat on
the back porch listening to country music,
I started to wonder, What's so bad about
this? I might even order it at a bar, I thought,
turning a slight corner....
Flavored vodka, however, was out of the
question-until I met Caley Shoemaker,
a fellow beverage geek who distills Hangar One Vodkas in Alameda, California. I
was skeptical of the Rosé Vodka she'd just
released, but I knew the brand had a good
reputation, so I tasted it. And it wasn't bad.
It smelled of roses, wild strawberries and
herbs, and its higher proof laid in nicely
with its full body. In fact, I liked it: It made a
refreshing sipper and a versatile mixer.
What enhanced the experience even more
was hearing Shoemaker talk about vodka
with such passion and precision. Inspired
by farmers' markets around Alameda, she
uses local botanicals to flavor some of Hangar One's vodkas, and distills the Rosé from
grapes grown near the distillery. Other bottlings include lime leaves, mandarin blossoms, pink peppercorns or chipotle. Hangar
One even has a vodka flavored with water
condensed from coastal fog. The innovation
and creativity that Shoemaker puts into this
grain-and-grape spirit forced me to reconsider my take on vodka.
Not long after, another curious vodka

WINE & SPIRITS

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crossed my desk: Poland Select. Made from
rye, it's surprisingly creamy, lifted and
light. With its warming white-pepper spice
and slight salinity, it has a simplicity that's
refreshing, especially when it's served chilled
with a splash of citrus.
It seems that vodka is having a moment,
getting more attention from distillers as well
as bartenders than it has in years. At Patent
Pending, a new NYC speakeasy, Nick Rolin of
Blacktail and Harrison Ginsberg of The Dead
Rabbit developed the Strange Magic, a complex blend of strawberry, grapefruit, lemon,
Prosecco and Madeira. Its base spirit? Vodka.
It's a brilliant choice in this case: Rum would
have been too loud and spicy; gin's juniper
notes would have been front and center,
and whiskey would make it bold and brown.
Vodka supplies texture and heat while allowing the more complex flavors to shine. It's a
foundation for quieter flavors, a role that is
more important than I may have ever been
willing to admit.
It may not just be playing a background
role. I've stopped into Primo's in Tribeca
a few times now for its simple, refreshing
vodka Highball, and, believe it or not, a
vodka Martini. Garnished with green olives,
it's a drink that attracted my attention-
maybe the first time I've been pulled to a
bar for its vodka drinks. Yes, I'm a changed
woman from a year ago. Now, when I'm out
on the back patio with my family listening to
country music, it's always a vodka soda. n

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