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A clear favorite.

Over the past half-century, vodka has skyrocketed from the favorite spirit of Russia and eastern Europe to become the world’s most popular liquor. Learn what all the fuss is about with:

A brief history of vodka and the basics of how vodka is made
A rundown of different types of vodka, so you’ll know what you’re buying
Vodka cocktail recipes from the Four Seasons restaurant

Vodka Basics

Vodka’s name comes from the Russian word for water, voda. True to its name, vodka is the purest of spirits because of the repeated distillation and filtration used in its production.

A Short History of Vodka

During the Middle Ages, Russians and Poles gradually turned from using rye-based vodka as a medicinal antiseptic and instead began to drink it as liquor. In 1540, Tsar Ivan IV—better known as Ivan the Terrible—awarded the Russian nobility exclusive rights to distill vodka, and Poland’s King Jan Olbracht soon followed. As a result, moonshining became so common that vodka consumption became a part of daily life at all levels of Russian and Polish society. Vodka also spread to Sweden, which during the 15th century licensed distilleries to produce vodka. By 1830, though Sweden had a population of fewer than three million, it was home to more than 175,000 registered stills.

Vodka became popular outside of eastern and northern Europe only in the mid-20th century. In 1925, Vladimir Smirnoff—whose family had produced Russia’s premier vodka until the imperial government was toppled by the Bolsheviks—began to produce vodka in France. Eight years later, Smirnoff opened a plant in the United States. Yet Americans preferred full-flavored whiskey to vodka, and sales of the spirit were so slow that the Smirnoff company found itself near bankruptcy. In 1939, Heublein, Inc., bought the Smirnoff brand and came up with an ingenious marketing ploy—to promote vodka as a “white whiskey” ideal for mixing. The pitch was successful, and Smirnoff sales tripled during the years after World War II. By the 1960s, vodka had begun its ascent toward becoming the best-selling spirit in the world.

How Vodka Is Made

Although it’s possible to make vodka from virtually any fermentable plant material, cereal grains or potatoes are the traditional ingredients. Regardless of the plant matter used, converting it into vodka involves the same steps.

Mashing: The plant material is crushed and mixed with hot water to form a mash, which on cooking becomes a sugary liquid called wort.
Fermentation: The wort is transferred to vats and mixed with yeast. Enzymes in the yeast then convert the wort into a low-alcohol liquid called wash.
Distillation: The wash is usually distilled in a two-column columnar still, though some boutique vodka distillers make the spirit in small batches with old-fashioned pot stills. Though most vodkas are triple-distilled, some are distilled up to 10 times.
Filtration: The distilled spirit is filtered several times to remove any remaining impurities, with wood charcoal (often from birch trees) the usual medium. Some vodka producers filter their vodka as many as 10 times.
Dilution: Because each distillation increases the spirit’s alcohol content, purified water is added to lower the percentage of alcohol. Almost all vodka is 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), though the alcohol in a few brands rises as high as 55%.
Bottling: Vodka needs no aging, so it usually goes almost straight from still to bottle. The few barrel-aged vodkas on the market are called gold vodka because of the pale gold color that the wood imparts.

Types of Vodka

Vodkas can be separated into vodkas made from grain and vodkas not made from grain. Many vodka producers have recently begun offering flavored vodkas in addition to the classic spirit, which can range from almost completely flavorless and odorless to gently tasting of its source. The vodka burn—the burning sensation the spirit creates when swallowed—varies from brand to brand and has more to do with distillation methods than potency.

Grain-Based Vodkas

Most vodkas are made from grain—wheat, rye, barley, or corn. Some producers mix grains, while others swear by a certain strain of a single grain. How much a brand tastes of its grain depends on whether the producer sees subtle flavors as a selling point or chooses to market a product that tastes of pure alcohol alone. The following table lists some of the most noteworthy grain-based vodkas.

Brand	From	Source	Description
Absolut	Sweden	Wheat	Crisp; faintly lemony and bready
Armadale	Scotland	Wheat, barley	Slight bite and a bit of smoke
Belvedere	Poland	Rye	Creamy, vanilla taste; little burn
Finlandia	Finland	Barley	Silky texture; delicate taste
Fris	Denmark	Whole wheat	Pure vodka taste with no burn
Grey Goose	France	Wheat	Sweet, smoky; anise aftertaste
Han	Korea	Rice, barley	Low alcohol; sweetish; no burn
Iceberg	Canada	Sweet corn	Vanilla taste; fruity aftertaste
Jewel of Russia	Russia	Wheat, rye	Smooth, clean, rich; touch of camphor
Ketel One	Netherlands	Wheat	Sweet and spicy; hint of toasted cereal
Pearl	Canada	Wheat	Smooth; caramel and grain notes
Reyka	Iceland	Wheat, barley	Slightly smoky; sweetish finish
Seagram’s Platinum Select	United States	Mixed grains	100-proof vodka best enjoyed neat (without dilution, no ice)
Smirnoff	United States	Wheat	Hints of mint, wet stone, and charcoal
Stolichnaya	Russia	Wheat	Herbal, pine, and charcoal notes
Svedka	Sweden	Wheat	Ultrasmooth taste; crisp finish
Three Olives	England	Wheat	Gin-like aroma of juniper and light citrus
Vox	Netherlands	Wheat	Licorice, ash, and light hay notes
Zyr	Russia	Wheat, rye	Dry, zesty, floral

Nongrain Vodkas

Potatoes are the traditional source of Polish vodkas, and sugar-beet molasses is another long-used nongrain source for vodka. In recent years, new vodka producers looking for an edge have tried more esoteric sources for their vodkas, including wine grapes, tree fruits, and even soybeans. Most of these newcomers taste of their original ingredients, though very subtly. The following table lists some of the most popular nongrain vodkas.

Brand	From	Source	Description
3	United States	Soybeans	Very smooth; no aftertaste or burn
Blue Ice	United States	Potatoes	Creamy and smooth
Chopin	Poland	Potatoes	Smooth, slightly oily, and appley
Cîroc	France	Mauzec blanc grapes	Perfumed, fruity, and smooth
Hangar One	United States	Viognier grapes	Ultra smooth; spicy, with no burn
Heart of the Hudson	United States	Apples	Fruity; flavor almost brandy-like
Idol	France	Chardonnay, Pinot Noir grapes	Fruity notes and sweetish aftertaste
Luksusowa	Poland	Potatoes	Creamy, smooth, slightly sweet
Roth	United States	Red wine grapes	Minimally sweet, slightly tannic
Teton Glacier	United States	Potatoes	Very light; little aftertaste
Ultimat	Poland	Potatoes	Velvety texture, clean taste
Vermont Gold	United States	Maple sap	Thick, buttery, woody

Flavored Vodkas

In the 1990s, producers sought to make vodka more multidimensional by flavoring it. Absolut and Stolichnaya were the first major producers to market vodkas flavored with lemon, vanilla, orange, raspberry, and other fruits and spices, starting a trend that gains popularity with every passing year. Today, in addition to the classic “pure” spirit, most vodka producers also offer their vodkas in at least two or three flavors.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer

Next:
Vodka Drink Recipes from the Four Seasons Restaurant

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