Friend and fellow alcohol enthusiast Glenn suggested I do a series on the foundations of a good home bar.

To kick things off, let’s have a look at vodka, a staple of any self respecting liquor cabinet.

For years, vodka has been outselling any other spirit in the United States. In my opinion, this is due to its incredible versatility.

Vodka works as well in a complex cocktail simmering with other tasty mixers as it does simply splashed atop ice cubes and covered with club soda or tonic.

The advantage here is simple; having a good bottle of straight vodka in the freezer makes impromptu cocktail parties a snap. As long as you have a bit of orange, cranberry or even apple juice in the house, you’ve got the ingredients for a mixed drink sure to please almost anyone who might drop by unannounced.

Another great thing about vodka is the recent rise in a wide variety of flavored vodkas, ranging from pepper to blueberry and beyond. These flavors expanded vodka’s potential even further.

Ironically, the US government has only recently eased restrictions on what could be called vodka. In the past, their ‘Standards of Identity’ decreed that a spirit could not be labelled ‘vodka’ unless it was free from ‘distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color’.

BACKGROUND

Vodka is usually made from grain although potatoes, beets and even grapes have been successfully distilled into vodka as well.

The goal of all vodka makers is simple; to make ‘pure’ ethyl alcohol which will later be cut to drinking strength through the addition of water. By ‘pure’ the distiller means free from congeners, the substances that give flavor to whiskey, rum, etc.

The vodka is distilled at an incredibly high proof, typically above 190 proof. Then it’s typically filtered through charcoal and finally through filter pads where the final refinement occurs.

SUGGESTED BRANDS

Best Bargain

• Johnny Love

Well or “House” Vodka

• Finlandia
• Stolichnaya (pronounced ’stō-LICH-nä-yä’)
• Absolut

Top Shelf aka martini worthy

• Level (my personal favorite straight vodka)
• Hangar One
• Grey Goose

Favorite Flavored (as deemed thru extensive research by the entire UM staff)

• Hangar One Lime
• Stolichnaya Vanil
• Stolichnaya Blueberi
• Absolut Mandarin
• Johnny Love Aloha

SUGGESTED COCKTAILS

For Her:

Cosmopolitan

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• 1/4 oz lime juice
• 1/4 oz triple sec or cointreau
• 1 slice lime

Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into pre-chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime slice.

For you:

Vodka Tonic

• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• Tonic (I suggest diet tonic, to avoid the dreaded HFCS)
• 1 slice lime

In a rocks glass, pour vodka over ice cubes. Top with tonic, garnish with lime.

For everyone:

Cash’s Cherry Coke

Cash is an Urban Monarch contributor recently knighted “Duke of the Drunkards” by a panel of Russian Vodka experts