These vodka flavors may surprise you

What do the following things have in common: tomatoes, whipped cream, dill pickles, cake, peppers, marshmallows, Froot Loops and bacon? If your answer is Elvis’ last meal, you would be wrong. These are just a minuscule selection of flavors of vodka that are being offered today.

Vodka was first produced in Poland or Russia as early as the eighth century as a medicinal aid. Depending on which etymology you believe, the name evolved either from “water of life” or “burned wine.”

Vodka can be fermented from potatoes, grains, sorghum or even beets. For years, producers strived to produce a crystal-clean neutral spirit without any discernible flavors by multiple distillation runs and thorough filtration using charcoal and other materials.

Today, vodka is the most popular spirit in the United States. The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control lists more than 350 labels of flavored vodkas in addition to regular. Almost every fruit imaginable has been employed, but flavors also include curious things such as cucumber, bubble gum, root beer, tea, frosting, caramel, chocolate, espresso, cotton candy, ginger and even smoked salmon.

So how do the vodka producers impart all of these bizarre flavors into the spirit? Most of the time, the word “infused” appears on the label, implying a product made by naturally steeping the vodka with the flavoring agent, suggesting a naturally made product that consumers can feel good about purchasing. Paradoxically, the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has very loose requirements for what the term infused means.

Due to the miracle of modern chemistry, scientists have been able to isolate concentrated flavor essences of any food product. While some purist craft distillers, such as California’s Hangar One , use the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of steeping the liquor with the flavoring agent, often the chemical essence of the flavor is added, and the label will still state “infused.”

One of the more unusual offerings is Wasilla’s Alaska Distillery Smoked Salmon flavored vodka. According to the creators of this concoction, it took them 48 attempts — keeping a heave bucket nearby — to arrive at a palatable potable. The salmon is smoked using a secret process, and the meat is steeped with ethanol. After a couple of filtration runs, the product is ready. Local bartenders use it to make a Bloody Mary or a vodka cream sauce served over salmon and pasta. This product is not listed by the Virginia ABC at this time.

Speaking of meat, how about bacon-flavored vodka? Seattle-based Black Rock Spirits released Bakon Vodka in 2009 after two years of refining their process. The vodka received rave reviews from mixologists for the haunting smoky note it imparts to cocktails. The company’s website offers up a long list of Bacon Vodka cocktails, including a Bakon Chocolate Martini .

The Sazerac Co. of New Orleans introduced Naked Jay Big Dill pickle vodka, which was created by Reston native Jason Zimecki after he ran out of mixers at a football game. Because necessity is the mother of invention, he mixed dill pickle juice with vodka.

For a list of flavored vodkas available in Virginia, take a look at http://www.abc.virginia.gov/Pricelist/FLAVORED_VODKA.html.

Creative bartenders continue to craft innovative cocktails using the plethora of available flavors. I am providing a few recipes, if you dare. Maybe Elvis will come back to the building.

Flavorful vodka cocktails

(Using locally available vodkas)

Bakon Mary

1½ oz. Bakon Vodka in a cocktail shaker filled with ice

1 dash each of celery salt and ground black pepper

2-4 dashes each of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco

Fill with tomato juice.

Shake and pour into a salt-rimmed pint glass. Garnish with a celery stalk and your favorite pickled vegetables.

— Courtesy Bakon Vodka

Bakon Chocolate Martini

1 part Bakon Vodka

1 part chocolate liqueur

A splash of cream

Combine in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain and pour into a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

— Courtesy Bakon Vodka

Dirty Pickle

2 oz. Naked Jay Big Dill Vodka

½ oz. dry vermouth

¼ oz. olive juice

Combine in a rocks glass and stir. Garnish with a speared mini pickle.

— Courtesy Naked Jay Vodka

Wild PB&J

1½ oz. Van Gogh PB&J (Yes, that’s peanut butter and jelly flavor!)

½ oz. Van Gogh Wild Appel

1 oz. cranberry juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail glass filled with ice. Garnish with an apple wedge.

— Courtesy Van Gogh Vodka

Stoli Hot Starlet

2 parts Stoli Hot (jalapeno pepper-flavored vodka)

¾ parts pineapple juice

½ parts lime juice

½ parts simple syrup

Jalapeno slice

Shake and serve over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a jalapeno slice.

— Courtesy Lushworthy

Gimme S’more

2 parts Pinnacle Marshmallow

1 part chocolate liqueur

Splash half-and-half

Rim martini glass with graham cracker crumbs and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Shake with ice and strain into prepared martini glass.

— Courtesy Pinnacle Vodka

Creamsicle Martini

2 oz. Pinnacle Orange Whipped

1 oz. white creme de cacao

Splash orange juice

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange wedge.

— Courtesy Pinnacle Vodka

Gordon Kendall’s monthly column on wine and spirits runs in Wednesday’s Extra.

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