Recipe

• 2oz vodka (Zyr)
• 1oz lemon juice
• .5oz passionfruit coconut syrup (Aunty Liliko’i)
• .25oz white Port (Sandeman)
• 2 dashes of orange bitters (Scrappy’s)

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a glass.

About

Today’s National Vodka Day! Like many of you, I don’t mix with vodka too often so figured I’d take this occasion to experiment. Because vodka is – by legal definition – flavorless, it’s most useful when you want the accompanying flavors to shine and lead the flavor train. For most of us let’s say – expert drinkers, we love the flavor of spirits. It’s just delicious and every complex phenol or ester is a joy for the tastebud. Spirits generally contains MAGNITUDES higher flavor compounds than fruits/veggies/plants, which is why it’s pretty much impossible to find a true substitution.

That said, in the world of cocktails and culinary delights, it really comes down to the creativity in flavor combinations. Vodka forms a beautiful boozy base for true creativity and skill to shine. There is no safety net from the base spirit. In this industry, vodka often gets a bad reputation and a smirk from the bartender, but I really think it’s underutilized in the world of craft cocktails. No, I don’t want a vodka soda. I don’t even want a Cosmo or a Mule. But I DO want to see more of the similarly creative concoctions made with other base spirits in the world of vodka.

Now, I’ve acquired a few new goodies lately – an incredibly delicious syrup from the Hawaiian-made Aunty Liliko’i and my first venture into the world of savory complex white Port. To get the most out of these flavors, I paired these with the ultra clean and crisp Zyr vodka.