Sophisticated & Slim Summer Cocktails
Summer heat has us drinking slimmer, or at least thinking about it! Vodka definitely comes to mind in that category. But though vodka is typically a neutral tasting spirit, I had the pleasure of tasting an amazing vodka recently. Yes, that’s right--tasting!
Purity Vodka is an organic brand of vodka that is still new to the US markets (available only in California, Georgia, New Jersey, and New York so far). But don’t let its “new” status fool you! Made from estate grown wheat and barley mixed with the purest water from an artesian well, Purity Vodka is full-bodied, complex, and loaded with character--a front-runner in the new, and what I like to coin as the “Complex Character,” genre of vodkas. Vodka with taste!
To be clear, this is not vodka for the mainstream. The Purity Vodka-making process comes to life in small batches at the 13th century Ellinge Castle in the south of Sweden. Thomas Kuuttanen, Purity Vodka’s master distiller, uses a proprietary pot still made of copper and gold, which produces a unique spirit. A spirit so refined that no filtration is necessary.
I met with Thomas a few months ago at my Food Studios for a more formal introduction to Purity Vodka. As he spoke, you could feel the passion in his story in how it took him nearly a decade to complete this vodka recipe. As we sat, sipped, and talked, my mind was reeling with ideas to mix up with this unique vodka.
What is totally interesting is that the week before Thomas’s visit my friend brought me a fresh bottle of the new Bainbridge Legacy Organic Vodka from Washington’s Bainbridge Island. This vodka also has a complex flavor character. So I whipped out the bottle for Thomas during our meeting to taste and he was very excited to see others also making vodka with character! I love his attitude of “the more the merrier” in this category!
After much tasting and brainstorming, the cocktail development started. The vodka definitely had to be the star and I wanted to mix it with ingredients that would highlight its unique characteristics. So first up was the Frisk (Swedish for “fresh”), in which I wanted to incorporate a bit of Swedish flavors. Muddled fresh cucumbers with a light wash of aromatic aquavit and shaken hard, all made for a clean crisp cocktail. A tiny dill sprig garnish gives a fresh herb scent as you take your first sip. An excellent cocktail on its own or paired with a tasty appetizer of smoked salmon on a crostini with a shallot and caper crème.
My next cocktail creation was inspired by the very spa-related movement in cocktails. The trend is seen heavily in healthier drinks like skinny margaritas moving up rapidly on the popularity chart. Yet many sippers are looking for something more sophisticated and less sweet; something clean and crisp. So the Berry Purity H2O came forth. I infused water with berries, then shook it with Purity Vodka … dry, fresh and H2O enhanced--very pure and simple.
Happy summer sipping!
Frisk The clean flavor of Purity Vodka dances well with the crisp, fresh cucumber in this cocktail. A whisper of aquavit and the fragrance of dill enhance its complexity.
Ingredients:
2 ounces Purity Vodka
1/8 ounce wash of aquavit
3 slices cucumber
Small sprig of dill for garnish
Directions:
1. Add the aquavit to a cocktail shaker glass and roll around. Shake out any excess.
2. Drop in the cucumber slices and press with a muddler to release the juices.
3. Measure in the vodka and fill with ice. Cap and shake vigorously.
4. Double strain into a martini glass and garnish with a small sprig of dill.
Berry Purity H2O This cocktail is lightened with a refreshing berry infused water. It’s slim and sophisticated with a dry berry finish.
1 ounce Purity Vodka
3 ounces Berry Water (recipe follows)
Fresh berry on a pick for garnish
1. Serve the vodka mixed with the Berry Water--either shaken and served strained, or just combined over ice.
Berry Water
Makes about 10 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup mixed berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries
1 long piece of lemon zest
4 cups distilled or bottled high-quality water
Directions:
1. Combine the ingredients in a glass pitcher and let sit, refrigerated, for at least 4 hours--or preferably overnight, before serving.
--Kathy Casey
© Copyright 2010 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®
© 2010 Photos by Kathy Casey Food Studios®-Liquid Kitchen™ for Purity Vodka
For more Dishing with Kathy Casey and recipes visit www.kathycasey.com/blog. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kathycaseychef. Become a Facebook fan at Sips & Apps.
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