distilling

I make a cameo appearance in today’s Willamette Week as the enemy of vodka:

Sorry Grey Goose fans: In the spirits and cocktail world, you’re kind of a joke. You’re being pretentious about a clear, flavorless spirit—the alcoholic equivalent of boasting about the kind of water you use in your soup. “As craft bartenders, we tend to steer people away from vodka,” says Carlyle bar manager Jacob Grier. “Generally, it’s fairly boring.”

The article is more about distilling than mixology. I talked with the author for about half-an-hour about a variety of topics, but if a quote about steering people away from vodka and towards other distilled spirits is what made print, well, I’m OK with that. Read the entire piece about Oregon’s craft distilling scene here.

For the record I’m not totally opposed to vodkas, especially ones that retain some flavor when served on the rocks. In general though I hate devoting precious ounces in a cocktail to an essentially flavorless spirit. If a customer tells me he likes cocktails with a vodka base, what is that supposed to mean?

I previously mixed with vodka for Mixology Monday with the Package Notice cocktail. For something a little more complex, see the Portland-based Krogstad aquavit featured in the Horatio.

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