By
George Brozowski
I
would
like to start this vodka review with a recipe for
a vodka drink I just discovered and will be attempting to
try this weekend, and I do mean attempting as it is totally
way, way over the top. As a matter of fact it is so totally
over the top that when you look down from those lofty heights
you can't even see the top. Should you be endowed with either
the courage or the stupidity to try this drink and survive,
please let me know what you think, that is if you have any
brain cells left and can still think. It's innocently enough
and sweetly enough called an Aunt Roberta Cocktail. You simply
mix together 2 shots of absinthe, 1 shot of brandy, 3 shots
of vodka, 1.5 shots of gin and 1 shot of blackberry liqueur
and let the fun begin. It is rumored by those who have survived
that no one has ever consumed 2 and lived to tell the tale.
Good luck!!
On
a more nutritious note, if I had 10 pounds of Idaho Russet
Burbank potatoes I would make mashed potatoes to go with my
meatloaf but not Bill Scott who lives in Rigby, Idaho. He
is the Master Distiller of the Silver Creek Distillery in
Rigby and he makes one bottle of Blue Ice Vodka with his 10
pounds of Idaho potatoes. Now I've always known Idaho was
famous for its potatoes but I've recently discovered that
Idaho has quite a number of vodka distillers and brands that
aren't mashing those potatoes. Well, I guess being close to
the source of your main ingredient makes sense.
Blue
Ice American Potato Vodka comes in a clear but icy
blue bottle. The nose has a hint of potatoes and even their
terroir, followed by a faint hit of pepper and just the nuance
of alcohol. On the palate, the feel is full bodied and a little
oily with very little other flavor except possibly a smidgen
of sweetness and a faint spice note. The finish is smooth
and short, again leaving a touch of the sweetness and the
spice. On the rocks, the spice note comes front and center
followed by that hint of sugar and then a bit of the potato
but that's stretching it as everything begins to blend quite
nicely together. The finish is very smooth and very short.
Now
for the Blue Ice Crème Brulee Vodka,
again the same icy blue bottle but this time with an inviting
picture of a crème brulee with a vanilla bean flower
at the lower end of the bottle. I sure do have to give it
to them; straight out of the bottle, this stuff smells spot
on like crème brulee right down to the vanilla and
the caramelized top. Other than what I have just described,
the nose really has little else to interfere with a total
crème brulee experience. On the palate, the sweetness
and oiliness and thickness of the vanilla bean flavor and
the sugar take right over.
There
is no spice note to speak of and even the taste of the vodka
is muted. This flavor is surprisingly deep and complex and
if I try hard enough I can actually separate the taste of
the top from the base of the crème brulee. Go figure.
The finish is, of course, sweet and filled with vanilla and
yet very smooth and long lasting. On the rocks, the crème
brulee flavor actually coalesces into a very striking resemblance
of the actual desert. The vodka definitely takes a back seat
to all these dessert flavors, but you can tell its lurking
back there. Again, the finish is smooth and sweet and makes
you feel like you just had dessert.
This
is a very palatable vodka and at only around $17.00 per 750
ml bottle a real deal in every sense of the word.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
www.blueicevodka.com/