For the Cocktail of the Week, Ted Perez put a twist on the classic Dirty Vodka Martini recipe by replacing the common offerings with organic vodka labels. Over the last few years, organic beer and wine selections have steadily multiplied, while hard liquor tended to trail. One reason for this could be that there's no discernible chemical difference between the alcohol distilled from organic fruits and grains and traditional garden variety grains. There is, however, a slowly growing organic spirit market that consists mainly of vodka and a few labels of whiskey, rum and gin. Currently, organic vodka is predominantly distilled from corn, wheat and rye (thus far, there isn't a pure organic vodka potato). Although the differences between organic and traditional vodka may be minute (if any), certain organic varieties provide real benefits. For example, Prairie and Square One are kosher and Rain is ideal for consumers who have gluten allergies, since it's distilled from corn. While taste testing, Ted Perez sampled other organic labels including TRU and 360.
Ted Perez's Variation:
2 oz vodka
1/4 oz Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
1/8 oz olive brine
1-2 olives for garnish [bleu cheese olives were used]
Shake with ice and strain into a pre-chilled glass
Square One Vodka
Square One Vodka is distilled in Marin County in Northern California. Spring water from the Teton Mountains and organically certified North Dakota grown rye are used in the single distillation process.
Taste: Very clean and smooth with almost no bite or overpowering flavor. There was a pronounced earthy/grassy essence to the drink as well as a light sweetness. The olive notes weren't too strong, which makes this variation highly drinkable (perhaps too much so).
Overall: A-
TRU Vodka
Made with certified organic American wheat, TRU Vodka is created using a one-pass distillation process through column stills. The TRU brand, which was started by Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew, is America's first completely sustainable spirits line.
Taste: Smoother body than Square One. Began with strong flavor notes up front, then tapered off quickly to a smooth, slightly earthy finish. There was virtually no alcoholic flavor that one would expect from a martini. Bleu cheese olives complimented this variation very well and the drinkability was excellent.
Overall: A
360 Vodka
360 Vodka is quadruple distilled from American grain in a continuous column still. It's also filtered five times, one of which is through granulated coconut shells and another through a .45 micron filter. 360 is distilled in Weston, MO by the Earth Friendly Distilling Company.
Taste: Overall, this variation had smooth flavor with more earthy/grassy taste and a light caramel undertone. Also, it was light and not too boozy, which tended to bring out more of the olive flavors. Good, however, it finished a bit stronger than the other labels .
Overall: B
Prairie Vodka
Prairie Vodka is distilled from certified organic yellow corn #2 (costs twice as much as conventionally farmed corn) and straw. The vodka is the result of a co-op between 5th generation distillers (Phillips Distilling Company) and over 900 Minnesota farmers. Prairie Vodka is distilled in Benson, Minnesota and is certified organic and kosher.
Taste: Started off with a slight 'bite', then moved into an unfamiliar flavor profile (sweet flavor from corn and pale grain notes). Long and smooth finish. Drinkability was good, though the flavors of the vodka didn't seem to complement the Vermouth and olives. Mixed consensus.
Overall: B-
Rain Vodka
Rain Vodka is distilled by Buffalo Trace from 100% organic white corn. The vodka undergoes a 20-day production technique that includes cold-water sweet mash fermentation, seven distillations and a polishing stage that adds pure limestone water.
Taste: Not quite as smooth as the other labels (a slight 'bite' similar to the Prairie vodka), but still clean tasting. Plump, round flavor that's sweet and light. Citrus and moss essences were also detected. Sat well and had great drinkability.
Overall: B+
Verdict
In general, every variation tested was, for the most part, clean and smooth in flavor with the exception of Prairie Vodka. Prairie's sweeter, unfamiliar flavor profile didn't match well with olives and Vermouth (although it would be an excellent vodka on its own or in a different cocktail). Of the remaining four labels, TRU and Square One tended to have smoother and cleaner flavor with less alcoholic 'bite'. Rain and 360 were excellent, though they were either too unbalanced in body or didn't have a strong enough flavor profile to complement the potent olive brine. Between TRU and Square One, TRU Vodka had slightly more flavor (smooth earthy flavor) and was the best complement to the bleu cheese olives that were used.