With versatility at the forefront of its qualities, vodka is quite the shapeshifter of the spirits category. As a typically neutral offering, it allows producers to make it as such, or gives opportunity to experiment with flavour. But of course, this begs the question, where do you draw the line with flavour and when does a vodka stop being a vodka?
Positioned just on that line is Pod Pea vodka. The spirit is made by fermenting and distilling peas, producing a vegetal and savoury flavour profile which is “unique because it’s difficult to do”, according to founder Becky Davies. “There’s not much sugar in peas so it takes a really long time to ferment. We still distil to 96% so we can call it vodka, but we have to put that it’s pea vodka on the label because it’s not neutral. It’s hard to make vodka from peas so I thought it would be a waste to not have that pea flavour in the liquid – you may as well use a neutral spirit. It’s got a lot more funk than a normal vodka, and people have been likening it to tequila.”
On choosing peas as the base of the spirit, Davies says that, as well as being sustainable: “Peas are quintessentially British, everyone knows what peas taste like and I thought it would be really interesting to create something flavour forward, more so than a neutral vodka. There’s a huge movement in cocktails to the more savoury side of things, and it’s definitely my preference.”
Seeking flavour
As of late, there are more brands looking to different base ingredients that offer flavour, while doing so in a way that doesn’t compromise the subtlety of the spirit. Boatyard Distillery’s vodka is one of these brands, using wheat as its base. Declan McGurk, commercial director at Boatyard, says: “With our vodka we wanted to celebrate farming and also the distiller. Even though wheat is quite difficult to work with compared to barley – which is a bit easier to activate – for example, the joy of wheat is that it gives great texture and flavour.”
Another alternative vodka ingredient, used primarily in Japan, is rice. Ryan McFarland, chief commercial and strategy officer at Drinksology Kirker Greer, owner of Ukiyo which produces a Japanese rice vodka, says: “The emergence of alternative ingredients like rice, alongside innovative and subtle flavour profiles, is opening new opportunities for exploration and consumer engagement while challenging traditional norms and expanding choice. Some vodka producers are also highlighting the origin of their ingredients, emphasising the importance of terroir in the production process.
“Using Japanese rice not only differentiates us in a crowded category, it brings greater depth and complexity. The base rice spirit, together with being small-batch triple distilled in traditional pot stills, results in soft, sweet and floral notes with subtle background notes of violet and citrus,” adds McFarland.
The cocktail space
To create a flavour-forward vodka and draw out the natural flavours of the raw ingredient, as seen with using peas, wheat and rice as examples, involves a more time-consuming process that doesn’t work for everyone, so is it worth it? The short answer is yes. The long answer can be seen in the world of cocktails, especially the Martini.
Bar manager of Martini institution Dukes Bar, Alessandro Palazzi, says: “There are three ways of doing the Martini – Dukes style, stirred (the classic way) or shaken.” Palazzi uses Potocki, a Polish rye vodka, as the house serve for the Dukes Vesper and vodka Martinis as it has a natural nuttiness with vanilla notes.
“Personally, if I drink a Vodka Martini I want to have flavour and that’s what you get with rye. Any cocktail that we create, people can make at home. For the Vesper, it’s very important to use London dry gin as it has six botanicals, you don’t need gin with flavour – that would be a big mistake. It’s the same with flavoured vodka as the flavour is all chemicals. One of my most popular Martinis is a White Truffle Martini, which uses an infusion we create in the bar,” Palazzi continues.
The White Truffle Martini uses potato vodka infused with white truffle from Alba, Sacred Dukes extra dry vermouth and olive, with the truffle infusion taking around a month to create. Palazzi also creates infusions with Konik’s Tail vodka and saffron, Snow Queen vodka with Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans and Snow Queen with ginger.
These infusions allow for more natural and subtle flavours to come through, rather than in a manufactured way. But again that vodka line is blurred – it could be argued it’s leaning into gin territory.
When looking at the consumption trends in vodka, Pod Pea’s Davies says: “I always look at trends in New York because we’re always around four years behind them in terms of trends. The Pickle Martini over there is flying, along with spicier, savoury drinks. It’s also happening here with Picantes, which are really starting to take off. I also think Bloody Marys are having a bit of a resurgence, and people are using Pod for that.
“The mass market is still quite attracted to sweeter-style drinks. Unless it’s one of the big national UK bar groups or the nightclub scene, which sell a lot of flavoured vodka, the premium venues look to more natural ingredients,” Davies continues.
As such, flavoured vodkas, as opposed to flavour-forward (more neutral) vodkas, do have their place and are succeeding in it. In high volume bars that require quick service, “flavoured vodka can provide interesting cocktail offerings”, says Rico Dynan, global brand ambassador for Absolut.
But in top bars, unflavoured vodka is a typically preferred choice to mix with for more complex cocktails as it’s “incredibly versatile and allows for unlimited creativity, where the bartender can be their own flavour connoisseur”, notes Dynan.
“Mixologists want to maximise their creativity and are looking for products to help elevate their flavour expressions, so high-quality unflavoured vodka is a great vessel to do so”, as seen with the practices of Dukes.
Creating its vodka with these kinds of serves in mind, McGurk notes that Boatyard has to “think about how the liquid is going to be used, it’s not going to be sipped in the way of a 25-year-old Scotch for example”. He adds: “What we’ve got is a vodka that really endears itself to a Martini and they’re very cool at the moment.
“The Martini as a cocktail, for me, is even bigger than the word cocktail – it stands alone. The on trade are particularly championing flavour forward vodkas. Flavour is also very important because it shows where consumer patterns are going. People aren’t just drinking vodka to get drunk, they’re drinking it to enjoy,” McGurk continues.
As McFarland notes: “There’s a continued role for both flavoured and unflavoured vodkas. Flavoured vodkas feature prominently in a range of creative cocktails, while unflavoured vodkas provide much-valued versatility, allowing consumers and bartenders to craft interesting flavours in other ways, or stay true to classic recipes”.
While vodka producers get more creative with the raw ingredients of their spirits, it’s clear the vodka landscape will remain multifaceted, dancing on the line of the definition of vodka and using various forms of flavouring to cater to bars and consumers alike.
