In July 1945, with the war in Europe drawing to an end, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin met in Potsdam, Germany. The historic conference set into motion events that would change world politics for the next 45 years. Stalin hosted a state dinner for his American and British counterparts, at which he toasted the assembled dignitaries with vodka made in the closed city of Magadan in Siberia.

The vodka—the first that Truman and Churchill had ever tasted—is now available in the United States. The brand is called MAGADANSKAYA and it is a continuous-distilled vodka made from grain, potatoes and pure mineral water from the Tal’skaya springs. It is then filtered nine times for purity. Now if you’re ever in the position where you need to toast heads of state you’ll have a historic vodka with which to do it.

Three other sensational vodkas new to the market are made in the United States. The first is DOMAINE CHARBAY, which is crafted at a small, family-owned distillery on the top of Spring Mountain in Napa Valley. It is alembic distilled in small batches and made entirely from American Midwest grain. Domaine Charbay Dry/Clear Vodka has a satiny texture and a dry, marvelously flavorful palate.

The Karakasevic family also produces a range of superb flavored vodkas. The distillery buys fresh fruit and runs them through a shredder, then steeps the mash in high proof, pure grain alcohol for 4-5 months. The results are incomparable. Domaine Charbay Vodkas come in four vibrant flavors: BLOOD ORANGE, KEY LIME, MEYER LEMON and RUBY RED GRAPEFRUIT.

Produced in conjunction with brandy distiller, Germain-Robin, HANGAR ONE VODKA by St. George Spirits is a small batch, pot distilled grain vodka. It has a voluptuous body and drinks long and smooth. Hangar One also produces a line of flavored vodkas, including BUDDA’S HAND, which is imbued with the seductive flavor of citron, a fragrant citrus fruit grown in Asia. MANDARIN BLOSSOM is brimming with the aromas and flavor of tangerines, and KAFFIR LIME is amazingly zesty, spry and refreshing.

New from Liquid Premium Spirits Imports and award-winning Silver Creek Distillery in Rigby, Idaho is an outstanding vodka called LIQUID ICE. It is a 100% certifiably organic spirit made from a blend of five grains—wheat, oat, barley, corn and rye—and spring water drawn from a 200 foot deep aquifer. After being quadruple distilled the vodka is filtered three times through charcoal, lava rock and a sub-micron filter. It has a delightfully sweet, grain and chocolate bouquet and palate. The striking package is quite fitting for such a well-conceived vodka.

Admittedly, there are a lot of vodka brands on the market. It is equally true, however, that vodka is America’s spirit of choice. It accounts for more than 25% of all distilled spirits sold in the U.S. and there’s a lot of room at the top for the crème de la crème. With that in mind, here is our list of the 12 Most Promising New Vodkas.

• ABSOLUT VANILIA — Absolut is among the giant names in the spirit world. This preeminence will continue to flourish with the recent release of ABSOLUT VANILIA. The premium Swedish vodka is imbued with a long lasting vanilla flavor ideally suited for drinkmaking. The vodka is a balanced affair, where the vanilla flavor is not over-played. Vanilia is a laudable addition to the already impressive Absolut line-up, which includes CITRON, MANDARIN, PEPPAR and KURANT.

• CÎROC — If you’re looking for an ultra-chic vodka with a singular point of difference, look no further. CÎROC is made from fine French grapes cultivated outside Cordes-sur-Ciel in the South of France. The grapes—Mauzac Blanc and Loin de l’oeil—are left on the vines until the first frost. The brilliantly flavorful juice is then cold-filtered over an extended time, fermented and distilled five times in small, alembic stills. The resulting vodka—Cîroc—is crisp and light bodied with a subtle citrusy finish. This is a guaranteed, top-shelf, Saturday night selection.

• CITADELLE — The success of artisanal Citadelle Gin made the introduction of CITADELLE VODKA a foregone conclusion. The question was could Gabriel & Andreu create an equally artistic rendition of vodka. It takes only a few moments alone with this new thoroughbred to determine that it is worthy of its brand. The small batch vodka is made from the hearts of wheat and Gensac spring water, distilled five times and rendered pure using a technique called micro-oxygenation. It’s supple, highly aromatic and imbued with a zesty, fruit flavor. The distillery has also just released an apple and a raspberry version that are also enticing.

• GOLDENBARR — You can anticipate your guests will have an immediate response to sampling GOLDENBARR CHOCOLATE VODKA the symptoms of which include drooling and smacking the lips. Made in Ukraine, this gourmet spirit is an infusion of hardy winter wheat, natural cocoa extract and spring water. It is light, dry and has the flavor and aroma of milk chocolate. Goldenbarr is a tantalizing treat with scores of applications behind the bar.

• KUTSKOVA — Russian KUTSKOVA VODKA is made in the heart of Moscow. It is double distilled in small batches from grain and soft spring water. The vodka is filtered five times through birch charcoal and diamond quartz sand. Kutskova is faintly aromatic with a lightweight body, clean, mostly neutral palate and a crisp finish. Priced in the low twenties, it’s among the best imported values on the market.

• SHAKERS — According to our scorecard, this sleek spirit out of Minnesota is the first ultra-premium American vodka. Priced at $33, SHAKERS is skillfully crafted from only the heart of Minnesota wheat, in fact, the distillery is owned by a cooperative of 850 farmers. The wheat is fermented in spring water, distilled in a six-column continuous still and subjected to meticulous slow-drip filtration. The silky smooth vodka is medium-weight and flawless. Made by the originators of Pete’s Wicked Ale, Shakers should have a long and healthy run.

• SHAKESPEARE — The lone entry from Poland is SHAKESPEARE, a quadruple-distilled, 100% rye vodka made at the Polmos Distillery in Lodz. This superior vodka is slightly sweet, both in the bouquet and on the palate with a refreshing, ultra-clean finish. The vodka has a modest price tag that makes it that much more attractive. The importer also produces a noteworthy vodka named RED BULL, a pure grain spirit distilled five times in continuous stills at Majestic Distilling Company, Maryland's oldest independent distillery. The 80-proof vodka is clean, drinkable and priced to move.

• SPUDKA — The Hood River Distillery is the oldest and largest in the American Northwest. They recently released a vodka made entirely from potatoes appropriately named SPUDKA. Made with glacier-fed spring water from Mount Hood, the vodka is continuous distilled, twice filtered and bottled at 82-proof. Its price tag of $16 makes Spudka an Olympic value.

• STOLICHNAYA CRANBERI AND CITROS — The Stolichnaya family of vodkas has outpaced the imported vodka category by five-fold and is currently growing in sales by 10% per year. The big news is that the Stoli brood of flavored vodkas has two new arrivals. The first is STOLICHNAYA CRANBERI, a fresh and vibrant vodka made with an infusion of real cranberries, not artificial syrups. Stoli Cranberi is crystal clear, light-bodied and graced with the enticing aroma of just-picked berries.
  
  STOLICHNAYA CITROS is a lemon-lime sensation that is replacing longtime favorite Limonnaya. The vodka has a wafting bouquet of sun-drenched citrus zest. The mildly tart palate of lemon and lime play out equally on the palate. The flavors are remarkably fresh, lively and long lasting.
  
  

• TRIPLE EIGHT — The Triple Eight Distillery is located on the island of Nantucket and the island’s first legal spirits producer. Handcrafted TRIPLE EIGHT VODKA is triple distilled from organically grown corn and sand-filtered water drawn the island’s Well #888. The premium New England vodka has a satiny smooth body and a pleasantly long finish. If can you find this bouquet vodka, grab it.

• TÜRI — Welcome the first superpremium vodka from Estonia, one of the Baltic countries and located in the heart of the "vodka belt." Produced at the AS Onistar distillery, TÜRI is quadruple distilled from 100% rye and spring water, then repeatedly filtered through charcoal. The vodka is sublimely elegant with a supple body and a sophisticated character. Sporting a retail price just under $30, Türi is a spirit created with a chilled cocktail glass in mind.

• ZYR — From the homeland of vodka comes Russian born and bred ZYR, a luxurious spirit distilled five times from premium rye, winter wheat and spring water drawn from 460 feet below the ground. The vodka is rigorously filtered for purity through a proprietary system of filters, one of which birch tree charcoal. This glorious spirit has a light body, a floral bouquet and a long, slightly sweet finish. Zyr is a serious top-shelf contender and potential franchise player.

• FRÏS — Long a popular on-premise brand, Frïs Vodka is quickly moving back up the charts as a whole new generation of consumers turn-on to its impeccably clean character. Made predominantly from wheat, this classy Danish vodka is formulated specifically to be served icy cold, preferably straight from a freezer. The elevated alcohol content and special ionized water gives the it a lower freezing point. The vodka’s a keeper served at any temperature short of boiling.

CONTACTS Absolut Vanilia Future Brands 847.948.8888 Ciroc Jeff Pogash Schieffelin & Somerset 212.251.8337 Citadelle/Raspberry/Apple Jean-Francios Bonnete Gabriel-Andreau 832.423.4810 Domaine Charbay Vodka(s) Lara A. Karakasevic Charbay 707.963.9327 Goldenbarr Henry Preiss Preiss Imports 800.745.5042 Hangar 1 Vodkas Ansley Coale Germain-Robin 707-462-3221 Liquid Ice Organic Avery Goldberg L. I. P. S. 212.717.2901 Kutskova Russian Vodka Melissa Keeney A. V. Imports 800.638.7720

Magadanskaya Vodka Sylvia Scherer/Nedra Holder West Import & Export 206.763.4600/504.931.0675 Shakers Cynthia Randall Atomic Public Relations  415.703.9454 Shakespeare/Red Bull Vodka Corky Graff Majestic Distilling Company 410.242.0200 Spudka Vodka Darcie Meihoff Hood River Distillers 503.295.1918, ext. 108 Stoli Citros & Cranberi Kellyann MacLean Allied Domecq  203-221-5557 Triple Eight Vodka Holland Smith Dougherty CMG Communications 212.780.4319 Türi Christine Deussen Deussen Global Communications 212.682.9472 Zyr Samantha Symphony Importers 212.496.5365

---

The Original Guide to American Cocktails and Drinks - 5th Edition
The professional bartender's first choice in drink guides! This edition spans the breadth of mixology, including all the classic cocktails, infusions, the hottest Cosmopolitans, colorful and refreshing tropical drinks and ice cream drinks, Martinis and Manhattans, coffee drinks, plus much more. It also includes a great index and reviews of the hottest liquors and liqueurs on the market today. Improving since 1998, now in its 5th edition.

~ by Robert Plotkin ~ 344 pages ~ 6" x 9" ~ Item#: BCD05 ~ $14.95 ~

Shipped in the US only

The Original Guide to American Cocktails and Drinks - 5th Edition - Downloadable
Can't wait to have this item shipped? Order our Ebook version to get it immediately via email! (requires Acrobat Reader)

~ by Robert Plotkin ~ 8.5" x 11" ~ Item#: DL-BCD05 ~ $12.95 ~
Available Internationally

---