Smooth and refined

For the vodka enthusiast, there is more choice than ever before.

Forget vodka with Tropicana Orange "" that is so college. Forget sipping it with Red Bull either "" that's a cough syrup! Chances are that if you are young and trendy and a vodka drinker (and the three are synonymous in many partying circles) you will be happily sipping the spirit on the rocks this year. If not, then with tonic water, but no worse.

In the line-up of spirits with entire word lists dedicated to them to describe flavours, colours, textures, "noses"; complex or young, mellow or spicy, melon-y or grass-y, vodka stands out in that the more refined and upmarket it gets, the less pronounced are any flavours and the smoother the drink.

Currently, global trends all favour super refinement and vodka makers are consequently tom-toming products that have been distilled over and over again "" Vox, a Dutch brand, for instance, is wheat-based and five-times distilled, and Shakers, another luxury brand (not available in the country), claims to be six-times distilled.

Even Smirnoff, by no means in the luxury league in India what with it being bottled domestically, has its super premium Smirnoff Black distilled thrice over. Marketing managers are branding the drink in more and more innovative ways.

So if you thought that vodka brands were all about smoothness and new flavours, think again: Diageo's Shark Tooth vodka, which debuted in the country a couple of months ago, is selling itself as a "prestige" brand for men!

Internationally, the vodka market has been growing steadily, in particular because of the patronage extended to the products by women. In Black Label-land India too the trend has caught on like never before.

"Earlier, the percentage of whisky to vodka drinkers would be 70:30, now it is easily 50: 50," says Sudeep Sharma, manager, Aura at the Claridges, New Delhi, the only vodka bar of its kind in the country.

But let us leave statistics behind and focus on what vodka drinkers are currently enjoying. With a spate of international brands launching in India this year, there are more choices than ever before.

Flavoured vodka is no longer exotic "" it is common enough with orange and raspberry being current favourites at bars but ginger-infused, chilli-infused and the likes of soft cranberry spirits being equally hot.

When it comes to brands, waiters are now being trained to ask for vodka choices in the same manner in which they would for wine. And if you are a snob or want to show off while entertaining, the trendiest drink to order this season will definitely be Grey Goose.

Available in most bars for around Rs 450 a 30 ml shot (Rs 3,000 a bottle in retail), this high profile French brand has even been made available in retail recently and comes in three flavours; regular, orange and lime.

The other top brand to savour would be the Russian Stolichanaya, which is still not available at retail stores. Absolut (Rs 1,000 a bottle approximately at retail prices) from Sweden is one of the most familiar labels and you could stick to it for comfort.

But if you want to be a little more experimental, try Blavod, the only "black" vodka in the world. The UK brand gets its colour from the infusion of a herb, catechu, and is best drunk on the rocks.

Then there is Sayy, the US brand that is considered ultra smooth and refined and is increasingly getting popular with the ladies. It is available at bars for about Rs 300 a shot and at retail stores for Rs 1,200-1,500.

So what makes one vodka smoother than the other? Apart from the number of distillations, this has to do with the choice of ingredients that go into the making of the spirit. Traditionally, vodka has been made from starchy stuff such as potatoes.

However, these days most vodkas are made from grains instead. But there are some exceptions to this too. Ciroch, a French brand, is made from grapes and marketed as such; as a ladies' drink, very smooth.

While connoisseurs are savouring all these brands, new converts are still being bowled over by the wide array of flavours available "" vodka is a particularly easy spirit to work with and infuse flavours into because it is colourless and odourless.

Flavours available at the moment range from chilli and pepper, orange and raspberry, cranberry, lime and even mango. So even though mixers may be really popular to go along with the spirit, all you really need is some ice to savour it. Despite that if you want to mix your vodka in a cocktail, there are a number of innovative options.

For instance, there are chilli and chocolate concoctions as well as vanilla vodkas with cardamom and pineapple doing the rounds. Or, you could settle for an incredibly posh pink Cosmopolitan, especially if you have always wanted to walk in the steps of Sex in The City goddess Carrie Bradshaw.

Or, order a power drink by way of a Martini "" a Vodkatini, to be more precise if you want to emulate Bond. And then, of course, there are the usual Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers. But, a word of advice, if you are tempted to make one at home, do use one of the cheaper brands for these. Drink the refined stuff the refined way.