Vodka Flashcards
How is Grey Goose made?
Via Pot a Still
What’s popular potato Vodka?
Chopan (Poland- Belvedere is also from Poland but not from Potato)
Is aging of Vodka required?
No
What liqueur can be made from Grain, Potato or Molasses?
Vodka
Describe the production of vodka
Fermented grain or molasses is distilled in continuous still. Filtered through charcoal filters. Sold between 35- 45% ABV
Vodka
a neutral, clear liquor, is one of the world’s most popular spirits and the bestselling spirit in the US
Vodka’s beginnings?
From its humble Polish and Russian origins—vodka is derived from the Russian word for water—it has emerged as the base spirit of choice for many cocktails and has spawned innumerable flavored versions.
Vodka may be distilled from a number of different bases,
such as potatoes, rye, grapes, beets, and molasses—if it will ferment it can potentially become vodka. The wash for vodka is usually distilled in a continuous still, and filtered with charcoal to make the spirit ultra-clean. A continuing trend sees premium vodka producers trumpeting repeated distillations—the more distillations a vodka undergoes, the stronger and purer the final spirit will be, and, it is suggested, the less likely its abuse will result in hangovers. Eastern European and Russian vodkas tend to have a little more character than their Western European and American counterparts, as the EU and the US mandate any spirit labeled vodka to be neutral in flavor. In the EU, vodka must have a minimum abv of 37.5%. If the vodka is not made from potatoes or grain, an EU producer must state the products used in fermentation on the label.
Quality Russian producers of vodka
Stolichnaya and Ikon. Chopin, a potato vodka, and Belvedere are two of Poland’s best-known luxury spirits. Grey Goose—French vodka distilled in a pot still—is the bestselling premium vodka in the US. Tito’s Handmade Vodka is an artisan American spirit made on a much smaller scale in a pot still from 100% corn in Texas. Other popular brands include Holland’s Ketel One and the global, Diageo-owned Smirnoff—vodka of Russian origin that hasn’t been produced in the country for almost a century. Most major brands produce a full range of flavored vodkas; common flavors include lemon/citron, vanilla, orange, raspberry, blueberry, and other fruits and spices.
Acquavit
A Scandinavian liquor, a clear spirit made from fermented potato or grain and flavored with caraway root and other aromatics, is basically flavored vodka.
Korean soju and Japanese shochu
distilled liquors traditionally made from sake but now produced from all manner of grain and potato, are very similar to unflavored vodka in character. Shochu, however, is not filtered through charcoal. An Okinawan style of shochu, awamori, is always distilled from rice.
History- Vodka
8-9th: first distilled spirits in Russia and Poland.
1405: 1st written evidence of Vodka production in Poland.
Mid 15th: grain spirit distilled in Moscow (Chudov monastery) after visit in Italy. Initially medicine in both PL & Rus.
1474: Ivan the Terrible imposed monopoly on production in Russia
1546: King Olbrecht taxed spirits in PL + distillation open to all Poles.
PL: heartland in Krakow, Gdansk & Poznan (distilling capital of PL). Rye considered premium grain in both countries.
17th: Top Polish & Russian Vodka makers were distilled their spirits up to 4 times.
Peter the Great designed a still for triple distilled Vodka which was then redistilled with anise.
1756: Russian established 2-tier system with 1) hi quality Vodka for & by gentry 2) state distillers for masses
18th: use of charcoal to filter final spirit in both countries
19th: use of proto-continuous stills for further purity
1879: Lars Olsson Smith created iconic Absolut Rent Brannvin
Late 19th: continuous stills with rectifying columns. Smirnoff unsuccessful Russian who started making Vodka in 1861, sold its name rights. Sold on again to Heublein who became very successful in late 1950s
1950s: rise of ‘white whiskey’ in US with rise of drinks & cocktails.
1980s: Vodka became hip again via Smirnoff, Absolut. Grey Goose brand grown by Sidney Frank sold it for $2bn to Bacardi.
Legal Aspects/ Definition- Vodka
Unaged, neutral spirit distilled to a high strength so that little of the base material character remains.
EU Vodka = neutral spirit min 96% abv where rectified alcohol filtered to selectively reduce organoleptic properties
US/CAN Vodka = min 95% abv + min bottling 40% abv
‘Voda’ means ‘water’ in Russian.
Raw Material- Vodka
Any fermentable agricultural product
Hi quality
Preparation- Vodka
Similar to whiskey:
1. Grains ground
2. Mixed with water into mash
3. Cooked under pressure to hydrolise starch
Potential addition of malted barley to help liquefaction during cooking but usually addition of enzymes to help conversion of starches into fermentable sugars.
NB: if raw material is cane /sugar beet -> no enzyme added
