Of all the spirits I cover in my book Booze for Babes,  the vodka one might have been the most fun to write. ‘But wait, I thought you were a whiskey woman,” you may ask?

Because I came to it having completely dismissed it. The clear liquor is one of the most popular and bestselling in the world and yet, I realized we’ve been drinking it all wrong. We think the not-so-good stuff is the good stuff, and vice versa. And because of these misconceptions, vodka now has a reputation for tasting like ethyl alcohol at worst, like nothing at best. And we’ve been taught that is how it is supposed  to taste. You can see me chatting about this on National Vodka Day last fall on News Channel 8’s Let’s Talk Live, but it seems fitting to tackle vodka now, when the Russians and Poles are staying warm by happily sipping their favorite booze with the cured meats, fish and cheeses that make up winter’s diet. Since most of us are still trying to dig out of the snow, we might as well join in!

Top Chef and The Chew cohost Carla Hall and I meet again, this time on Let’s Talk Live for News Channel 8 in D.C. I was there to chat about vodka myths.

But before you head to the liquor store, consider a few things about vodka that might surprise you:

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 flavor.

2. In the United States, 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 flavorless 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 upscale. 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 odorless 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 flavor of the wines served at the dinner to follow.”

Vodkas Worth Trying

There are plenty of excellent vodkas with character & actual taste out there. I took the following bottles with me on Let’s Talk Live  to show just how diverse the category can be:

Sobieski Polish Vodka:  This robust Polish vodka is distilled twice with a relatively medium length finish near the back of your mouth. It’s very grain forward, which is attributing to the spicy golden rye from which it’s made. 

Square One Organic Vodka:  This is a company that is doing flavored vodka right, and I interview owner Allison Evanow in Booze for Babes about the company’s methods. It does not buy flavorings from other companies and does not macerate the ingredients to get a superficial flavoring. Instead, Square One distills whole fruits and herbs to get the true essence of them and blends them with the rye distillate that makes up the base of the vodka. When you pop off this top of the cucumber or basil flavored varieties, they smell just like they do at the farmers market. 

Karlsson’s Potato Vodka: This Swedish vodka uses a special small potato variety, from which the company removes the skins. Distilled just twice, it is creamy on the palate. 

Prairie Organic:  This midwest vodka is naturally sweet and slightly vegetal because of the corn base, but is not so aggressive on the nose. It’s great mixed with fruit ingredients.

Reyka Vodka:  A smooth and clean tasting vodka with an oily finish from Iceland that mixes beautifully.

Hophead Vodka by Anchor Distilling: Perhaps the most interesting vodka I’ve ever tasted, it’s distilled from hops, which is incredibly distinctive in taste. Beer and a shot of this, anyone?

Now that you’ve got some more insight, it’s time to try vodka in a new drink…

Make the “Army of Me” 

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Reyka Vodka)

This drink is refreshing and amazingly simple to make.

The ‘Army of Me’ vodka cocktail

2 parts Reyka vodka

1/2 part Lillet blanc (an aperitif fortified wine)

3/4 part honey syrup

3/4 part lemon juice

6 fresh lemon verbena leaves

Shake and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Grate fresh cinnamon on top and garnish with a lemon verbena leave.

HONEY SYRUP: Combine 1 part clover honey with 1 part water. Heat until honey syrups. Bottle and store.