5 things you need to know about vodka

1. In order to fully appreciate vodka, it helps to know this booze’s roots. Vodka has been distilled in Russia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia since the 1100s, but is now produced all over the world. While it can be made from any fermentable matter, vodka is distilled mostly from potatoes and grains and is often filtered (usually up to eight times) through charcoal, sand, peat, lava rock, limestone, or cloth to remove most traces of aroma and flavour.

2. The only additive vodka can legally contain is water. Distillers pride themselves on what type of water they use, whether it be iceberg, spring, filtered, or distilled. Adding water brings vodka, which is almost 200 proof when it comes out of the still, down to an acceptable 80 to 100 proof. The water source adds its own minerality and nuance to the vodka, which is more evident than in other types of spirits because it’s not aged in oak that would overpower those notes. For example, Reyka vodka uses Icelandic glacial water.

3. Contrary to popular belief, vodka, in the Polish and Russian tradition, should actually have a distinctive taste, based on what it’s made from and how.  Also contrary to popular belief, the number of times a vodka is distilled has nothing to do with its quality. In fact, the more times it is distilled the more flavourless it will be.

4. The way vodka is filtered also has a lot to do with the way vodka tastes. Filtration removes impurities. Some filtration methods are really gimmicky – like using gems. Gems are not going to change the way the vodka tastes and they simply are put on the bottle to make the product seem up-scale. Others like lava rock, limestone or charcoal have a genuine purpose.

5. In Eastern Europe and in Russia, vodka is drunk straight and with food to cut greasiness of smoked fish and meats, mostly. But the pairing would not be all that interesting if if were odourless and tasteless…which is why you want a vodka with some character to pair with these foods. The Russians and Poles have always believed that vodka helps with digestion. In fact, James Beard, the revered food critic, even said that vodka was “one of the few spirits that does not ruffle your taste buds so that you miss the true flavour of the wines served at the dinner to follow.”

Probably the most famous cocktail with vodka is: