National Vodka Day on Wednesday 4th October is a cause for celebration and these vodka-based cocktail suggestions from the Isle of Wight Distillery and Kavka Vodka are sure to get your taste buds tingling.
MERMAID SALT VODKA
Mermaid Salt Vodka is produced in Ryde at the Isle of Wight Distillery, the first and only distillery on the island and B Corp accredited.
Mermaid spirits are shaped by the distillery’s stunning surroundings and the unique character of the Isle of Wight all whilst minimising waste using ethically sourced and often locally sourced ingredients to hand craft a range of smooth, complex spirits, with a hint of sea air.
Mermaid Salt Vodka is grain distilled, with a subtle addition of Wight Salt rock sea salt for smoothness. Each batch is hand-crafted in a column still and then blended with the Isle of Wight spring water in small batches.
A delicate vein of salt creates a back note that makes Mermaid Salt Vodka an essential ingredient and ideal flavour enhancer for adventurous cocktails, or a classic dirty martini. Distinctive and unique, Mermaid Salt Vodka is a favourite with creative mixologists, adding a hint of sea air to their creations.
Mermaid Salt Vodka Fireside
25ml Mermaid Salt Vodka | 25ml Cointreau | 75ml Cranberry Juice | 25ml Lime Juice | 25ml Cinnamon & Star Anise infused Syrup*
Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a twist of orange. *To make the syrup use equal parts water to sugar and simmer. Remove from the heat then add a couple of sticks of cinnamon and a handful of star anise. Once cool, bottle and leave for a minimum of 24 hours for a punchy flavour infusion.Mermaid Salt Vodka RRP from £38.00. ABV: 42%. Available from John Lewis, Harvey Nichols, Amazon, Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange and Fenwick
KAVKA VODKA
Drawing on the long vodka making heritage of Poland, Kavka Vodka go back to a time in the 19th century when distilleries would produce spirits that emphasised taste and individuality rather than trying to filter them out.
Following a traditional method that was famed for producing some of the best vodkas, Kavka blends fine rye and wheat spirits and then adds small quantities of aged pot stilled fruit spirits. The fruits are distilled at the ancient market town of Sandomierz in the heart of Poland’s orchards, using old varietals that give an amazing intensity.
The three expressions, made with all natural ingredients, are presented in contemporary packaging and between them provide a premium vodka for every drinking occasion. The design has at its centre a woodcut of a jackdaw, which translates to Kavka in Polish. Kavka can also mean ‘a little coffee’, a phrase often used to get vodka in times when it was illegal to do so.
1. KAVKA ESTATE VODKA
Award-winning Kavka Estate Vodka is a blend of rye and wheat spirits with added apple and plum spirits. The apple brings a crisp acidity while the plum gives the vodka its natural sweetness and depth. This is a classic, bold, and versatile vodka. Drink it as a shot, with a mixer or in a rather fabulous negroni.
Kavka Estate Negroni
50ml Kavka Estate Vodka | 40ml Sweet Vermouth | 40ml Campari Bitters | Garnish – Orange Peel
Combine ingredients into a rocks glass with ice and stir. Garnish with orange peel.
Kavka Estate Vodka RRP: From £29.65 for 70cl. ABV: 40%. Available from: Amazon, Master of Malt and Spiritly
2. KAVKA ORCHARD VODKA
Kavka Orchard Plum & Apple is a naturally sweet and delicate blend of plum, apple and fine grain spirits, sourced and distilled in the ancient Polish market town of Sandomierz. It has a depth and sweetness making it ideal for spritzes and summer drinking and the perfect base for a Cosmopolitan.
Kavka Orchard Cosmopolitan
50ml Kavka Orchard Vodka | 25ml Cranberry Juice | 15ml Triple Sec | 15ml Fresh Lime – Juiced | Garnish – a Lime Wheel
Shake and strain into chilled cocktail coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.Kavka Orchard Vodka RRP: From £29.95 for 70cl. ABV: 38%. Available from: Amazon and
3. KAVKA TOKAJI VODKA
Launched last year, Kavka Tokaji Cask Aged Vodka, made in small batches, is a blend of fine grain spirits with extra quantities of plum and apple pot-still fruit spirits which is aged for 18 months in Hungarian 6 Puttonyos Tokaji casks.
This vodka pays homage to the classic Polish spirit, Starka, where a father would bury a cask of spirit on the birth of a daughter and dig up again on her wedding day.
The elegant, indulgent mouth feel with a light richness, underlined by light oak notes, followed by a creaminess with grain and rye bread notes makes the most delicious Espresso Martini.
Kavka Tokaji Cask Aged Espresso Martini
50ml Kavka Tokaji Vodka | 50ml Fresh Coffee | 25ml Coffee Liqueur | 5ml Sugar Syrup | Garnish – Coffee Beans
Combine all the ingredients with ice and shake well. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with coffee beans.
Kavka Tokaji Vodka RRP: From £44.95 for 70cl. ABV: 46%. Available from: Amazon, Master of Malt and Hedonism Wines