LITTLE ROCK — “A fine taste is neither wholly the gift of nature, nor wholly the effect of art. It derives its origin from certain powers natural to the mind; but these powers cannot attain their full perfection unless they be assisted by proper culture. Taste consists chiefly in the improvement of those principles, which are commonly called the powers of the imagination ... supplying us with finer and more delicate perceptions, than any which can be properly referred to our external organs.” - Alexander Gerard, An Essay on Taste, 1759
Both sense and selection, taste is innate and it is also learned. We have neurological imperatives and the free will to conduct our own inquiries into beauty and style.
“Taste” is biological and social; it has far more to do with our other senses than with the tongue - a rather blunt instrument that registers sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (a loan word from the Japanese that refers to that pleasant savory sensation produced when we stick the neurotransmitter glutamate in our mouths). We pick up cues from our nose - about 85 percent of what we perceive as flavor is olfactory - our eyes, and the peer group to which we aspire. No one is born with a taste for single malt Scotch, sweater sets or tribal face tattoos. (Advertising preys on our insecurities, by suggesting that the “in crowd” knows something that we don’t - at least not yet.)
People who don’t drink alcohol - be it for reasons of morality, health or whatever - might perceive this column as a rather high order of silliness.After all, it is predicated on the conceit that there’s something interesting in the way people use alcohol, in the delicate ways we poison ourselves in order to perform socially.
I would submit that people drink alcohol for all sorts of reasons, but concede that few actually drink it because of its flavor. Which is why vodka is the most popular spirit in America, and the most expensive vodkas are like professional assassins - silent, invisible, potent and dear. Most people want their high priced vodkas to taste neutral, to lurk undetectable in the orange juice, delivering oblivion a droplet at a time.
In the nearly 10 years I’ve been writing this column, I’ve stated many times that I prefer my vodka - used to make martinis that consist almost entirely of vodka - to have at least a ghost of inherent flavor, a slight potato wisp or some vanilla creaminess deep down. I like them a little oily and my tastes save me a few bucks. I really like the Polish vodka Wodka, which - if you can find it - is generally available for less than $10 a bottle.
I don’t find the super premium stuff offensive - Grey Goose and Stoli Crystal are just fine, although I’m likely to add a few more drops of olive juice to stir stuff up - it’s just that I’d prefer Tito’s, or Jackson, Miss.-based Cathead (and Little Rock’s Brandon’s puts out a good vodka at a slightly higher price point).
The truth is, you can make vodka anywhere, out of almost anything. Wheat. Potatoes. Rye. Sugar beets. Molasses. Cabbage. Honeysuckle. Remaindered copies of Stephen Glass’ The Fabulist. All you really need is sugar and yeast.
And you can also infuse flavor into vodka with anything from raspberry and whipped cream to bacon and Skittles. Vodka is one of the few things that will mix with lemonade and black coffee. In many ways, it is the perfect potion for people who like to get buzzed but don’t like to drink.
Not that we’re judging.
Anyway, I tend to stay away from fruit flavors in my liquor. I want to know I’m drinking alcohol. I want a little burn, a little trickle of fire in the gullet. But that’s just me - that’s just a taste I have developed.
But I’m not going to turn down a chance to try something new either, and I like the price points (about $15 for a 750 ml. bottle) of New Amsterdam’s new peach flavored and red berry flavored vodkas.
Though New Amsterdam - based in Modesto, Calif. - makes a big deal about the fact its product is “five times distilled for unparalleled smoothness,” in reality it’s got what I register as a pleasant little catch in it. This isn’t the sleekly neutral spirit the copywriters might lead you to expect.
The flavored varieties are really quite well done, without the overbearing fruitiness of some commercially infused vodkas. They’re comparable to some of the better Absolut varieties (the “Citron” is probably the best factory-infused vodka I’ve encountered, although I also went through a phase were I enjoyed 360 Vodkas’ Double Chocolate an awful lot).
I like the peach slightly better than the red berry (a blend of strawberry and raspberry flavors), but both are subtle enough to work well sipped straight, as well as in more elaborate combinations. If you like this sort of thing, they can save you about $10 a bottle.
And that’s tasty.
Peach Sunrise 2.5 ounces New Amsterdam
Peach Flavored Vodka 4 ounces orange juice 1 ounce pineapple juice
Shake ingredients together in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Strain into a martini glass and serve or strain into a classic highball glass filled with ice cubes and serve.
Recipe from New Amsterdam
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Style, Pages 51 on 09/23/2012