I'm gonna keep it real with y'all - when I DJ a party, I like to have a couple of drinks in me before I hit the decks, & my spirit of choice has been vodka for quite a while. Not just any vodka (well vodka makes me sick - truly!), but I do prefer premium & (whenever possible) "infused" vodkas. The basic art of "infusing" a vodka is to take an additional source of flavor (fruits, spices...even bacon!) & letting it soak in the vodka for an extended period of time until the vodka's flavor takes on the taste of the additional source. Sadly, there is a BIG difference between an "infused" vodka & your average "flavored" vodka, as most flavored vodkas are artificially flavored. The first time I experienced the difference was here in NYC at The Russian Vodka Room (who, as you can imagine, does it the "old fashioned way") - I had an "orange infused" vodka & I could immediately tell the difference between that and the leading "orange flavored" vodka I'd been drinking that summer.
The fine folks at Belvedere have decided to up the ante in the mass-produced realm of flavored vodkas & has just introduced a new line of vodkas moving past the art of infusion to full-on "maceration". What is "maceration" you ask? (you KNOW what it sounds like - & obviously so do the folks at Belvedere!) In layman's terms, "maceration" is a winemaking technique in which the crushed grape skins are left in the juice until they've imparted the desired amount of tannins, aroma, flavor & color (so its like infusion on a larger scale). Having graciously been given a bottle of their new Black Raspberry vodka to try out (they also come in to other varieties: Orange & Citrus), I can honestly tell you that Belvedere's technique is the closest you will get to drinking a fine infused vodka at the Russian Vodka Room, without having to travel as far. The vodka is clean but vibrant with the taste of real black currant & raspberry - real fruit, not artificial flavoring. It goes very well on its own with ice, or if you'd prefer, with tonic or 7-Up....& I'm pretty damn sure the Orange & Citrus vodkas can be mixed in even more ways (though I'd like to test that theory...hint hint!). Belvedere has just created the proper spirits for your summer funtime, so do yourself a favor & macerate often with friends this summer!
Remember to drink responsibly!
VBcrew/NYC
5 comments:
I'm a gin man. But interesting post (advertisement lol) otherwise.
I'm an everything man my self. i love vodka redbull, jack and coke, tangeray and tonic (with a lime, thank you) and depending on where, when and the weather i'm a beer guy from corona to guiness. you could say i'm a well behaved alcoholic.
Don't forget about Thomas Bangalter's Trax On Da Rocks. I like Extra Dry.
Oh, and I'm a whiskey man.
the guys at www.dresscodeny.com did the opener (the first video in your post). dope work.
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