With two days to go until Burns Night, you’re probably expecting a whisky round-up, but you know what? Been there, done that more times than I care to remember. So let’s talk vodka instead: it’s just as appropriate a drink at this time of year and, given that the market is saturated with new gins, it’s time for a voddy revival.
Several British distillers, especially those who are patiently waiting for their whisky to mature, certainly seem to think so. And while vodka doesn’t have the sexy aromatics of gin, it can be flavoured in interesting ways. My current obsession is marmalade vodka, be that Chase’s sweet, orange-flavoured Marmalade Vodka (£36.50, John Lewis; 40% abv), which I fancy sloshing into a duck à l’orange, or Fortnum & Mason’s more intense, bitter orange Sir Nigel’s Marmalade Vodka (£25.50 for a 50cl bottle; 40% abv), which is extraordinarily good with dark chocolate and blue cheese alike.
I also like the T.E.A. (Tea Enriched Alcohol) company’s almost grappa-like Earl Grey Vodka (£33.95, The Whisky Exchange; 40% abv) which I stumbled across (figuratively speaking) in my local Bristol deli, Chandos, and Black Cow (40% abv), a seductively creamy, milk-based vodka from Dorset that makes a great dirty martini: stockists for that include Booths (£30) Majestic (£28.80 on a “mix six” deal) and Marks & Spencer (£26 for 50cl, though Cambridge Wine Merchants has it at £24.99 for the same amount).
With straight vodka, it’s generally more about texture than taste, though I’d rather go for bottles that offer both. Of the unflavoured British vodkas I tried, I particularly liked the fragrant Two Birds (40% abv), from Market Harborough, which is based on barley (around £28, though you can get a £9.99 20cl “taster” from its website; various indies, including Chester Beer & Wine, offer the same taster for £10-12); and the beautifully packaged, full-flavoured Southwold Vodka (£35, 40% abv) that Adnams makes for Marks & Spencer.
But what if you just want a cheap base for cocktails? At £10.29 a bottle, Aldi’s triple-distilled Tamova Vodka was the standout bargain of my recent tasting, despite its miserly 37.5% abv. Morrisons’ five times distilled “Signature” Vodka, which is stronger (at 43% abv), if a little sweet, is also great value at £15, and best served frozen, I think.
In fact, I was so enthused by my vodka tasting that I’m planning a zakuski party in a couple of weeks, though the food will be British rather than Russian. If you fancy something similar, Ikea has some smart Svalka snaps glasses at £3.50 for six.
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