By
George Brozowski
I
have come up with the ultimate recycling program.
I'd be willing to bet you that almost anything, if it had
a bit of sugar in it, could be distilled and produce some
kind of alcoholic spirit. After all, it's the sugar that the
yeast converts into alcohol so if rubber tires or steel girders
or even sneakers had some sugar in them you could throw them
in the old vat with some yeast, produce some kind of mash
and then distill it into who knows what kind of kick butt
potion. Now isn't that a recycling program everyone could
get behind?
Just
think about what those zany distillers already use; cactus,
corn, wheat, rye, grapes, potatoes, strawberries, blackberries,
pears, oranges, barley, practically anything they can get
their hands on. In this particular case, Ao Vodka,
Suntory of Japan has produced vodka made from rice. We normally
associate rice with the making of Sake but hey, why not vodka!
Ao is the Japanese word for blue and sometimes used to describe
green as well. Rice paddies are blue and green and poetically
referred to as Ao for their mingling of those colors.
And of course LeJay cassis is a sweet, dark red liqueur made
from blackcurrants but not just any old blackcurrants, these
come from the commune of Dijon France and are hailed as some
of the best on the planet. Not just any old used tire will
do here.
The
Ao vodka comes in a clear bottle with white
lettering and is beautifully simple yet elegant. It is pot
still distilled on the island of Kyushu and then filtered
through bamboo. I wonder if they could then make vodka out
of the bamboo? Straight up this vodka smells similar to sake
and also has an earthy aroma about it. This is not your more
sterile over distilled and over filtered tasteless vodka,
this definitely has something going on here, I do believe
it's called flavor or maybe even terroir. On the palate I
perceive a grassy sweetness along with a white rice reminiscent
flavor. This vodka has a fuller body presence than most other
vodkas without being oily. It is smooth and pleasant on the
tongue with no real tingle whatsoever. The finish is smooth
and long leaving a lingering sweetness.
With
Ao on the rocks the sweetness subsides a bit while almost
a honey like presence appears next to the rice and terroir.
The body of this vodka is still full and flavorful without
a hint of alcohol. This just might be the way to consume this
vodka as it has way too much going on and way too much natural
flavor to be used in a mixed drink especially with what they
charge for this stuff. A 750ML bottle will set you back around
$45.00 to $55.00 making this one of the more expensive super-premium
high end vodkas out there.
Across
the globe from Japan we find France and all of her wonderful
offerings. Among those offerings is a little jewel called
LeJay crème de cassis, a blackcurrant
liqueur that is as different from vodka as you can possibly
get. Its color is that of a fine old cabernet sauvignon though
it is thicker than a cabernet. The nose is full of coffee,
tapioca, currants, berries and buttered toast. The palate
verifies most of those aromas while emphasizing the sweetness
and accompanying tartness of the berries. It really tastes
most like a syrupy fruit juice. The finish is sweet and fruity
and quite smooth and lasts almost forever. This is not a standalone
drink nor a sipper, even on the rocks, it's just a bit too
sweet for that. However, having said that it makes one hell
of a mixer and brings all that fruitiness and sweetness to
everything it touches.
Of
course, having both Ao vodka and LeJay
Cassis at my finger tips at the same time I would
be derelict and negligent in my duties and at the very least
a nincompoop if I didn't at least try the two of them together,
on the rocks, if even just for giggles. Well my, my, this
combination makes one hell of a martini. The vodka dries out
the flavor of the cassis just enough to let it balance with
the flavors of the vodka. Here's a drink I could come to know
and love and if no one has named it yet I would offer that
it be called the rant and rave cocktail because you will indeed
rant and rave after you've had a few of these and I bet you
can't stop at just one.
LeJay
Cassis comes in a 375ML bottle and can be found for
around $18.99
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://ao-vodka.com/
http://www.cassis.com/