Sort of like chardonnay, vodka is back, even though it never really went away.
“It’s not a question of vodka coming back into popularity, but rather bartenders’ acceptance of what consumers want to drink rather than what bartenders want to make,” says Cameron Bogue, director of beverage operations for Vancouver, B.C.-based Earls Kitchen + Bar.
Vodka was left out of the current cocktail renaissance largely because mixologists had focused on the pre-Prohibition era, long before vodka was introduced to North America, says Bogue. But vodka remains the top spirit.
“Vodka is still the king of sales,” declares Brad Bevill, vice president of marketing with Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, based in Dallas. Vodka-based drinks equal more than half of all spirits ordered at Boston’s, and a huge percentage of its overall cocktail sales.
By far the largest spirits category, vodka reached 72.8 million nine-liter cases in 2015, a modest but positive volume growth rate of 1.1%, according to the Beverage Information & Insights Group, the research arm of Cheers’ parent company.
Much of that consumption is in highballs and mixed drinks; however, a number of operators are shining the spotlight on the white spirit.
Agent Pro-Vodkateur
“The whiskey craze is cool, but vodka is still the largest-selling spirit and growing in the U.S.,” says Larry Nicola, chef/owner Nic’s Beverly Hills, a venerable Martini lounge and restaurant in Los Angeles. “And though I like what the guys with the beards and suspenders are doing, if you want a sophisticated, really good Martini, there’s nothing like vodka—chilled and straight up.”
Claiming the title of “Vodkateur,” Nicola frequently travels the world to search out new and unique bottles to add to Nic’s list. He discounts the standard definition of vodka as odorless and tasteless: “Vodkas all have different characteristics and unique aromas and flavors depending upon where they are produced and what they are made from.”
Nic’s Beverly Hills has become a destination for vodka enthusiasts. The lounge boasts a glass-fronted, 18-ft.-long freezer that displays vodkas at zero degrees. Customers peruse the collection and can ask the bartender for a shot or a Martini made with specific vodkas.
Some vodkas are wheeled around the restaurant on a special ice cart. Aficionados and the curious can also don faux fur coats for guided tastings inside the 28-degree “Vodbox.” The walk-in freezer stores more than 80 different bottles, many rare and unusual, on white-leather-lined shelves or on the Nicola family’s butcher-block table circa the 1940s.
Vodka flights are priced at two shots for $21, three for $30, or guests can upgrade to rare bottles like Beluga Gold for $30 a glass or Kauffman Luxury Vintage for $75. The Vodbox is a draw for customers dropping into the lounge, and dinner guests who can opt to visit between the appetizer and main courses.
Mix Master
Although some guests sip and savor superpremiums for their unique character, most vodka on-premise is consumed in cocktails. The chameleon spirit is an ideal base for a variety of drinks, both classic and new-wave.
“Some of our most popular drinks showcase vodka,” says Chris Purcell, director of food and beverage for the Tempe, AZ-based Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery. The Celtic-themed sports-bar chain operates 97 units in the U.S. and Canada.
One Tilted Kilt vodka drink is the Purple Haze, a colorful mix of Smirnoff Grape vodka, peach schnapps, blue Curacao, cranberry juice, Sprite and freshly squeezed lemon and lime juices. Prices vary, but signature drinks average $8.50.
Tilted Kilt launched a new beverage menu earlier this month. The net number of vodka drinks will remain the same—four signature vodka drinks out of 13 total.
New to this menu is the signature Tilted Bloody Mary, made with New Amsterdam vodka and garnished with olives, lemon, lime and a slice of bacon. Purcell is busy with R&D on a sharable Bloody Mary combined with an appetizer plate as an all-inclusive presentation for Tilted Kilt.
The call vodka list is also changing. “We will still carry Smirnoff, which appeals to a traditional, older vodka drinker,” says Purcell. Premiums Ketel One and Grey Goose will continue on the list as well. “But we will also speak to Millennials with the addition of Deep Eddy’s vodka, Tito’s and New Amsterdam.”
Simply Great
“Keep it simple” is the cocktail mantra at Boston’s; most drinks are composed of just four ingredients. The emphasis is on an easy-to-execute bar menu. And since most of the chain’s 390-plus outlets operate in secondary and tertiary markets in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, its guests aren’t as interested in flashy mixology, just a good drink.
“Folks come here to watch a game, have some food and drinks,” notes Bevill. “They don’t want to see fireworks and smoke at the bar. We keep things simple and don’t talk over our guests’ heads.”
Standards are popular: vodka mixed with cranberry juice, orange juice, tonic or soda. Stirring up interest among customers is The Chocolate Russian, a riff on the classic, made with chocolate milk (“Yoohoo, but we aren’t allowed to say that on menus,” confides Bevill), Tito’s vodka, half–and-half and Kahlua.
Playing to the brand’s Canadian heritage is the 1964 Maple Martini, which references the year Boston’s was founded. It’s made with Grey Goose and maple syrup. “Maple is a hot flavor right now,” says Bevill. He’s also planning to add a traditional Moscow Mule to his lineup, complete with the customary copper mugs.
The mandated spirits list covers seven brands, both national names and craft producers such as Tito’s. Bevill also intends to bring Deep Eddy vodkas onto the list, which he sees as an emerging hot brand.
Several of the 10 drinks on Earls’ list are vodka-based, including the Caesar and the best-selling Moscow Mule ($8) made with Smirnoff. New-wave cocktails include the Lemon Meringue ($10), mixed with Skyy vodka and limoncello, topped with meringue foam, and the Silly Wabbit ($10), Skyy vodka, Lillet Blanc, Cointreau, ginger, carrot juice, lemon juice and cardamom bitters.
The Marilyn Monroe is a riff on the Porn Star Martini, with vodka, prosecco, passionfruit and vanilla. Earls has a recommended list in the U.S. of 28 vodkas, Bogue, says, including craft brands Hanger One and St. George.
Martinis Gone Wild
As might be expected, Vodkateur Nicola has definite opinions on the Vodka Martini. “No vermouth,” he states: “Adding vermouth is basically diluting your good vodka with wine.”
The chef is even picky about the type of olive garnish, because that can change the taste of the drink. The eponymous Nic’s Martini is a simple formula: chilled Beluga vodka with a Bella olive, served straight up.
Despite his authoritarian stance on the straight Martini, Nicola takes a more freewheeling and tongue-in-cheek approach to his cocktail list. The extensive menu offers about 40 cocktails, starting at $13 and ranging up into the $20s, depending upon the vodka used. “In all cocktails, it’s important to be able to taste the vodka through the ingredients,” notes Nicola.
Just a sampling of drinks from Nic’s menu: “What A Nice Pear You Have” with Grey Goose La Poire vodka, pear juice and shaved parmesan; “Where’s My Effen Martini” with Effen blackberry vodka, elderflower liqueur and grapefruit; “Lime in the Coconut” with toasted-coconut-infused vodka, lime juice and coconut nectar; and “Preserved Leopard” with Snow Leopard vodka, preserved lemon, basil, peppercorns, cucumber and lemon brulee.
Nic’s also offers some sweet dessert Martinis ($13), such as the Ketel Lime Pie, with Ketel One Citron vodka, lime juice, vanilla liqueur and graham cracker crust, plus Bison Bars, a cookie confection spiked with Zubrowka Bison Grass vodka. Further, Chef Nicola incorporates his favorite spirit into the food menu at Nic’s, curing salmon with vodka and offering a signature steamed artichoke dish sauced with miso and vodka.
Nicola is opening a restaurant and lounge—complete with a Vodbox—in Cabo San Lucas in May, to bring his favorite spirit and cocktail to Mexico.
Brands and the Enthusiast
Some consumers are just discovering vodka, and many never stopped drinking it. But it can be tough to pin down exactly who is drinking vodka these days and how loyal they are to any specific brand.
Tilted Kilt’s demographic leans toward men, who make up about 75% of the customer base, and leans to the younger side of the legal-age spectrum. “Our consumers are becoming more experimental in their trip around the beverage menu,” says Purcell.
Older customers may be loyal to the well-known premium brands. “Mature guests know what they like to drink; they come in and order it,” Purcell says.
But Millennials are interested in the new, novel or craft brands. “They are brand loyal—until the next new thing comes along,” he quips.
Bevill sees a similar phenomenon at Boston’s, with the older vodka fans favoring long-time favorites, while younger imbibers are still deciding what they like best. To help those bibulous seekers, the company has launched an educational series aimed at bringing guests up to speed on spirits topics and trends.
One aspect of this program is the “Did You Know?” topical tidbits scattered about the beverage menus. “We want to educate our customers so they won’t feel intimidated or insecure when people start talking spirits and cocktails,” says Bevill.
Bogue at Earls believes that while whiskey drinkers are more experimental, vodka drinkers tend to be extremely loyal. “They have been influenced by marketing, friends and family preferences, and are concerned with how they want to be perceived when ordering at the bar.”
Thomas Henry Strenk is Brooklyn-based writer specializing in all things drinkable.
