Any spirit that can garner more than 20% of the US liquor market for over 30 years deserves 2 posts.
Flavored* vodkas, not surprisingly, have existed as long as there has been vodka (but you will remember from the vodka post no one is exactly sure when that was). However, commercially available flavored vodkas are a rather new invention. The first ones began to appear on the market in the mid 1990′s.
It is no surprise, given vodka’s popularity, that today there exist a variety of distillers and flavors.
Warning! This post is a deviation in format from my deviation in format. All of the spirits posts have been slightly different from my usual blog style and this one is slightly different from the other spirits posts. The reason? I did not think there was any reason to give you tasting notes when the flavor of the vodka is part of its name. (I mean blueberry vodka better taste like blueberries, right?)
In order to showcase as many distillers and flavors as possible, I devised a colored dot system. (See below.) Each distiller is only featured once, under one sub-heading. That, of course, does not mean the flavor featured is the only vodka that distiller makes (though in some cases it is).
Enter the dots. When the vodka producer makes other flavors, dots corresponding to the other available flavors are shown. In come cases there will be a dot corresponding to the same category as the vodka featured. Why? The distiller makes another vodka flavor in that same sub category.
One more thing, the dots within each listing are live links. Just click on them to be taken to the distiller’s other flavors.
Berry
Citrus
Other Fruit
Vegetables
Herbs & Spices
Beverage Inspired
Sweet
Savory
Once again, if you are old enough and so inclined, please support these great American distilleries! (Responsibly, of course.) And do not forget that several of distillers featured below also make gin and other products. Check them all out!
*I make no distinction in this post between flavored and infused vodkas.
BERRY
44 North Huckleberry Vodka - Made in Rigby, Idaho
You Ought to Know: While 44 North’s unflavored vodka is made of Brundage Winter Wheat, its flavored vodkas are made of 100% Idaho-grown potatoes.
Signature Cocktails: Huckleberry Lemonade, Peter North & Avalanche
Price: $32/750 ml
Cold River Blueberry Vodka - Made in Freeport, Maine
You Ought to Know: Cold River Blueberry Vodka is made from small, intensely flavored Wyman Wild Maine Blueberries and has less sugar than any other blueberry vodka on the market (about 1% sugar to the others’ 12-15%.)
Signature Cocktails: Blueberry Tart, Blueberry Mojito, Blueberry Basil, Blue Truffle, Blueberry Palm, Blue & Gold, Blueberry Bay, Simply Blue, Blue Hot
Price: $35/750 ml
Triple Eight Cranberry Vodka - Made in Nantucket, Massachusetts
You Ought to Know: Triple Eight takes its name from its “ultra pure” water source – the #888 well
Signature Cocktails: Nantucketini, 888 Magic Bus, Nantucket Mule, Boston Bog, Foggy Bottom, Man Overboard!, Life is Good, Cran-Appletini, Crantucket Lemonade
Price: $30/ 750 ml
Vintner’s Wild Berry Vodka - Made in Burdett, New York
You Ought to Know: Vintner’s Vodkas are made of a grape-base. The wild berry flavor comes from the addition of local strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
Signature Cocktails: Big Red Martini
Price: $30/750 ml
CITRUS
Dutchess Citrus Vodka - Made in Holland, Michigan
You Ought to Know: Dutchess Citrus Vodka is an organic wheat based vodka infused with macerated whole lemons and oranges. After the fruit is added the vodka is distilled one more time.
Signature Cocktails: Dutchess Lust (2 oz. Dutchess Citrus Vodka, lemon zest, splash cranberry juice – Shake all ingredients, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a twist), Lemon Ice (2 oz Dutchess Citrus Vodka, 1.5 oz lemon syrup, 1 oz lemon juice – Shake ingredients, strain into cocktail glass with sugared rim) and try Citrus & Soda, Citrus Mule and Citrus Aviator.
Price: $25/750 ml
Hangar One Buddha’s Hand Citron Vodka - Made in Alameda, California
You Ought to Know: Buddha’s Hand Citron is made of a funny looking fruit with a familiar flavor. (If you’ve never seen one check it out here.) The great grandparent of the lemon, the buddha’s hand has a less acidic flavor than the common lemon and is subtle enough to allow secondary flavors (running from jasmine to basil and apricot to fruitcake) to shine through.
Signature Cocktails: Bay Bridge
Price: $35/750 ml
High Plains Distillery Most Wanted Citrus Flavored Vodka - Made in Atchison, Kansas
You Ought to Know: Seth Fox, owner of High Plains Distillery, comes from a long line of distillers. In fact, he is the 7th generation. He is also the 1st generation to do it legally!
Signature Cocktails: Electric Lemonade, Taste of Winter, What She’s Having, Pomegranate Martini, Flaming Lemon Drop
Price: $12/750 ml
Tru Organic Lemon Vodka – Made in Monrovia, California
You Ought to Know: For every bottle Greenbar Collective, the company that makes TRU Organic Lemon Vodka, sells one tree is planted in the rainforests of Central America. Not only are these trees carbon sinks but they also provide shade for the fair trade crops (coffee and cacao) that the local farmers rely on for their income.
Signature Cocktails: TRU Double Lemon Drop, TRU Morro, Organic Cilantro Martini, TRU Lavender Coupe
Price: $30/750 ml
OTHER FRUIT
Black Fig Vodka - Made in Boston, Massachusetts
You Ought to Know: Black Fig Vodka is made from distilled select wheat and is naturally infused with Calimyrna Figs.
Signature Cocktail: The BFIRST Cocktail
Price: $60/750 ml
Charbay Pomegranate Vodka - Made in St. Helena, California
You Ought to Know: The pomegranates for Charbay’s Pomegranate Vodka are grown 4 hours south of the distillery. At the peak of ripeness, the fruit is picked, crushed and rushed to the distillery where a 6-month extraction process begins.
Signature Cocktails: Charbay Pomegranate Cosmo, The Charbay, Charbay Moroccan Cocktail, Charbay Applegranate
Price: $35/750 ml
Hamptons Real Banana Vodka – Made in Westhampton Beach, New York
You Ought to Know: Hamptons Real Banana Vodka is made with real bananas, not synthetic flavorings.
Signature Cocktails: The Big Banana, Peanut Butter & Banana, The Dirty Banana, Banana in the Hood, The Funky Monkey, The Sexy Squirrel, Missy’s Monkey Wrench, The Undertow, Robbie’s Creme Brûlée
Price: $20/750 ml
Island 808 Pineapple Vodka- Made in Mira Loma, California
You Ought to Know: Island 808 Vodkas are made from distilled from pineapples (regardless of the flavor) and are blended with an ultra-premium triple distilled vodka. The pineapple distillate is produced on the island of Maui and then shipped to California for rectification and bottling.
Signature Cocktail: Maui Mai Tai
Price: $15/750 ml
True North Cherry Vodka - Made in Traverse City, Michigan
You Ought to Know: True North Cherry Flavored Vodka is made with the region’s famous cherries and a hint of cocoa.
Signature Cocktail: 1:45, Heaven, The Cherry Sour, Pamalicious, True North Passion, True North Cherry Blossom, Cherritini, Traverse City Cherry Hummer
Price: $30/750 ml
VEGETABLES
Crop Organic Tomato Vodka – Made in Minnesota
You Ought to Know: Crop Organic Vodkas are made from 100% organic grain grown on the American plains in rich, healthy soil that is free from artificial fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals. (Did you also know that there is evidence that drinking organic prevents/reduces hangovers?)
Signature Cocktails: Red Snapper, Organic Tomato Vodka Saketini, Organic Tomato Vodka Martini, Red Planet, Watermelon Surprise, Very Bloody Mary, Organic Primavera, White Mary Martini
Price: $25/750 ml
Rain Organic Cucumber Lime Vodka – Made in Frankfurt, Kentucky
You Ought to Know: Like all of Rain’s Organic Vodkas, Rain Organic Cucumber Lime is made of 100% white corn, goes through 7 distillations and a polishing stage that adds pure limestone water.
Signature Cocktails: Cucumber Rain Refresher, Rain Spa-tini, Spa Mint-tini
Price: $20/750 ml
HERBS & SPICES
Coyote Jalapeno Vodka – Made in Jacksonville, Florida
You Ought to Know: Coyote Jalapeno Vodka is produced by Spirits of the USA, “the industry’s first full-line producer of ultra premium liquors – from vodka to tequila and everything in-between.” (Did I mention they are also 90 proof?)
Signature Cocktails: Full Moon Suicide
Price: $23/750 ml
Downslope Pepper Vodka - Made in Centennial, Colorado
You Ought to Know: Downslope Distilling offers a 2-day distilling class that covers water quality, mashes/washes, fermentation, distillation, filtration and infusion of vodkas
Signature Cocktails: Hot Dog, Bloody Mary
Price: $30/ 750 ml
Lavishmint Vodka - Made in Warren, Oregon
You Ought to Know: Lavishmint (a mixture of peppermint, spearmint and a touch of lime) is produced by the Zonich family in a converted 1940′s barn.
Signature Cocktails: Back 9, Chocolate Mint Kiss, Eastside, English Violet, Hot Cocoa Mint, Kina Menta, Lavishmint & Lemonade, Lavishmint Mojito, Peppermint Martini
Price: $25/750 ml
Referent Horseradish Vodka – Made in New Richmond, Wisconsin
You Ought to Know: The Oracle at Delphi told Apollo “the radish is worth its weight in lead, the beet its weight in silver, the horseradish its weight in gold.” (If it is good enough for the Greeks, shouldn’t it be good enough for you?)
Signature Cocktails: Horseradish Bloody Mary, Russian Roulette Martini, Unholy Horsey, Dirty Horeseradish Martini, From Russia With Love
Price: $30/750 ml
Square One Basil Vodka – Made in Northern California
You Ought to Know: Square One Basil Vodka is made from a blend of 4 types of basil – Genovese, Thai, Lemon and Sweet – as well as a hint of coriander, honeysuckle and lemongrass. And like all Square One Vodkas, the base is 100% organic American rye and crystal clear Teton Mountain water.
Signature Cocktails: Tuscan Sun, Tiger Lily, English Breakfast, Florida Tan, Paradiso, Thai Mule, Italian 75, Emperor and I, Bella Vita
Price: $32/750 ml
Sub-Rosa Tarragon Vodka – Made in Portland, Oregon
You Ought to Know: Sub-Rosa Tarragon Vodka gets its lovely pale green color from the infusion of fresh herbs (organic tarragon, a hint of fennel and mint).
Signature Cocktail: Tarkhun Cocktail, Hot Summer Night, Monet, French Lemonade, Fairy Tarragon, Sub Rosa 76, Meadowlark, Silkeborg Cocktail, Esdragon Cocktail
Price: $30/750 ml
Yazi Ginger Flavored Vodka – Made in Portland, Oregon
You Ought to Know: Yazi is named for a Chinese dragon (pictured on the bottle) and gets its flavor from 4 different species of ginger, as well as lemon, orange, cayenne and red pepper.
Signature Cocktails: Mischief, Snap Dragon, Yazitini, Gingersnap, Apple Blossom, Shanghai Lemon Drop
Price: $30/750 ml
BEVERAGE INSPIRED
360 Cola Vodka - Made in Weston, Missouri
You Ought to Know: 360 Vodka’s on site cardboard and office paper recycling program has saved 9,889 full-grown trees; 4,071,813 gallons of water; and 1,920 cubic yards of landfill space (based on tons recycled between January 2007 and June 2011).
Signature Cocktails: Cola Sour, Mother Earth’s Ginger Cola, Cola Watermelon Popper, Island Sour, Green Cola, 360 Triple C, 360 Ecolade,
Price: $20/750 ml
Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka - Made in Austin, Texas
You Ought to Know: Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka is the only sweet tea vodka on the market that uses real tea leaves. It also uses real honey and is gluten-free.
Signature Cocktails: (Do you really need to be told how to drink sweet tea? If so, you are not from the South.)
Price: $18/750 ml
SWEET
Cupcake Frosting Vodka – Made in Cutler, California
You Ought to Know: Adam Richardson, head winemaker at Cupcake Vineyards has teamed up with master sommelier, Doug Frost, to create Cupcake Vodkas. Each vodka is a blend of American grain, grape and natural flavors.
Signature Cocktails: Key Lime Frosting, Ginger Frost Cake, Orange Passion Cupcake
Price: $19/750 ml
Spring 44 Honey Vodka – Made in Denver, Colorado
You Ought to Know: Honey Bees are responsible for the pollination of over 100 crops but over the last few years their hives have been disappearing at an alarming rate across the country. Joining Haagen Dazs, Spring 44 intends to “raise awareness . . . and support immediate solutions” to protect the Honey Bee.
Signature Cocktails: Divine 44, Rocky Mountain Spritz
Price: $25/750 ml
UV Cake Vodka – Made in Princeton, Minnesota
You Ought to Know: UV Vodkas are made by Philips Distilling Company. It is 5th generation family-owned company spirits distiller begun by Edward Philips and his family, who immigrated from Minsk, Russia at the turn of the 20th century.
Signature Cocktails: Cake n’ Cola, Ginger Cake, Cake Float, Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Price: $12/750 ml
SAVORY
Alaska Distillery Smoked Salmon Vodka – Made in Palmer, Alaska
You Ought to Know: Using ingredients indigenous to its home state, Alaska Distillery has created the first and only smoked salmon flavored vodka.
Signature Recipe: Oysters on the Half Shell with Smoked Salmon Vodka
Price: $25/750 ml
Bakon Vodka – Made in Seattle, Washington
You Ought to Know: Mixing savory ingredients into cocktails is not a new idea. In fact it can be documented as far back as the 17th century in the writings of such noted thinkers as John Locke.
Signature Cocktails: Bakon Mary, Bakon Chocolate Martini, Pickled Bakon Martini, BLT Martini, Bakon L’Orange, Hawaiian Luau, Le Veste de Fume, Bloody Masuki, The Scottish Bakon, Porch Swing, French Countryside, The Elvis Presley, Bakon Burger
Price: $28/750 ml
Nutliquor – Made in Temperance, Michigan
You Ought to Know: The first and only peanut butter vodka, Nutliquor’s is described as “drinking the center of a peanut butter cup.”
Signature Cocktails: The S&M, Nutliquor Cup Creamtini, Nutliquor PB&J Martini, Nutliquor Draft
Price: $20/750 ml
_____________________
Hope you enjoyed this post.
Are you a fan of flavored vodkas or not? Leave a comment and let us know.
The next post will be about American-made rums. Any suggestions?
As always, thanks for reading.
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